Canongate unveils website redesign, minus book prices

Canongate has launched its new website, promising a "uniquely Canongate" experience.

The website is designed to be content driven rather than sales focused and is not listing any prices for featured books.

Categories for books on the site include "Small and beautifully formed", "Skin crawlers", "Irresistible fiction", "The Canons", "Afterlives and otherworlds", and "Madder than a box of frogs".

The intention is to showcase its authors and titles in a way that is "infused with the history and personality of the publisher" offering "deeper, more immersive connections between reader, story and author".

Danny Miller, c.e.o. of Human After All - the design agency behind the site - said the new site "invites people to delve into [Canongate's] vision with more clarity".  Human After All was also the design agency behind the sites of Everyman Cinemas and Royal Museums Greenwich, who have worked with Facebook, BAFTA and Girl Effect, and also publish the global issues and culture magazine Weapons of Reason.

The new design features a revolving carousel of quotes from Canongate's titles

Canongate c.e.o. Jamie Byng said: “The Canongate list has always been highly eclectic and as a result it’s not always easy to describe. But our new website feels like it does justice to the range of brilliant writers we publish, the style with which we like to present their books to the world and the attitude that underpins this fiercely independent publishing house.  

"The site is a celebration of everything that makes Canongate what it is and we hope that visitors get as much pleasure from the time they spend on it as we do from publishing such an exciting and diverse array of outstanding authors."

Communications director Jenny Fry added: "Our readers already know where they like to buy their books, and we’re not looking to change that. This isn’t a place to shop (in fact you won’t find any prices listed) – this is where anyone can find out more about our remarkable books and authors. We wanted to create deeper, more immersive connections between reader, story and author, and that’s exactly what we’ve done. Yes, it’s got the stuff you’d expect – things like downloads, sign-ups, contacts and catalogues. But we built it to be explored and enjoyed, and we can’t wait for readers to discover it even as it continues to expand and develop. Human After All have been incredible, as have the fantastic in-house team – Vicki Watson, Alan Trotter and Catriona Brown in particular.”

The website also features a fundraising page for Byng who has agreed to cut his locks to raise money for The Howard League for Penal Reform. The more money he raises for The Howard League for Penal Reform, the more drastic a haircut he’ll be getting, it promises. Details can be found here.