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Author and broadcaster June Sarpong launches new Akan Books imprint at HQ
HQ has announced the launch of Akan Books, its newest imprint led by author, broadcaster and diversity advocate June Sarpong.
The imprint opened for submissions in 2021 under the banner of HQ Creative Inclusion Lab, and will be known as Akan Books, publishing three books between January and June 2025.
According to the publisher, the name is inspired by "Sarpong’s own heritage".
The publisher said: "Sarpong’s ancestors descended from the West African Ashanti people, Akan. Drawing on the oral storytelling traditions of African and Caribbean folklore, the imprint colophon depicts Anansi the spider, a master storyteller, who revelled in creative resistance and liberation: the perfect character to spin a great story."
The imprint will publish writers from underrepresented communities, with a focus on giving a voice to unpublished writers from ethnic minority backgrounds, as well as authors from working-class backgrounds and those with disabilities.
The imprint will launch in January 2025 with the publication of Calling Una Marson by June Sarpong and Jennifer Obidike, a biography of the the first Black female broadcaster at the BBC. This will be followed in April by Overspill by Charlotte Paradise, a literary novel about a young woman "overcoming trauma and finding self-acceptance". Then, Wild Moon Rising by Jenny Knight will be published in June, and is described as "a literary midlife coming-of-age story about finding oneself after marriage, motherhood and menopause".
Sarpong said: "I am delighted to partner with HQ to launch Akan Books, and to change the world, one book at a time. With my ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion, I am so excited to share this incredible opportunity and publish these three brilliant women. Jennifer’s research and co-writing has brought to life the incredible Una Marson. Jenny Knight and Charlotte Paradise have written novels that I hope will be read long into the future."
Milton added: "With Akan Books we want to remove the barriers for writers that block some communities from having their stories read and told. We want to work with writers who will go on to have long careers, writers who may not know how to find an agent or, indeed, a publisher. We are open for submissions now at akanbooks.co.uk."
