Bonnier Books UK unveils 'pioneering' publisher Footnote Press with Biswas and Roy

Bonnier Books UK is launching a "mission-oriented start-up" publisher, Footnote Press, in 2022 in what is billed as a “pioneering” partnership with founders Vidisha Biswas and Sujoy Roy.  

The company will launch Footnote Press as “an independently run, disruptive publisher of literary fiction and narrative non-fiction, focusing on migration, identity and marginalised knowledge and experience". It said the move was part of its long-term strategy for growth and commitment to inclusion and representation.

Biswas pictured above will lead Footnote Press as m.d. and report directly to Bonnier Books UK c.e.o. Perminder Mann. Recruitment for an editorial director will begin immediately.  

The press will launch in early 2022 with its first books publishing in the spring. It will begin by publishing 10 to 15 books a year of "stimulating and politically-engaged fiction and non-fiction, including history, current affairs, philosophy, memoir, situational reportage, environment and more". Bonnier said the publisher was committed to spotlighting "previously excluded ways of thinking, being and organising through its ambitious publishing programme”. 

Biswas was most recently co-owner and business development director at the radical publishing collective Zed Books, where she managed the company’s digital transformation strategy, delivering record sales growth before it was acquired by Bloomsbury in 2020. Her career history of socially progressive publishing has spanned organisations including the Morning Star, New Statesman, Verso Books and Zed.  

She said: “Footnote Press will combine the best of both worlds—the agility and focus of a smaller independent, with the expertise and reach of an established, world-leading publisher. This pioneering partnership gives Footnote the strongest possible launch pad, which means we can carry forward our mission to disrupt multiple status quos and drive narrative change ever more effectively.”  

Roy pictured right will be using his digital skills to drive customer conversion and retention and exploring new ways of "aiding discoverability through gamification" as marketing director. He is a video games and esports industry veteran and innovator with extensive start-up experience, including as founder of HMV Gamerbase. 

Mann said: “I was blown away by Vidisha and Sujoy’s vision for Footnote Press, their dynamic approach and deep expertise. Footnote aligns perfectly with our long-term strategy for growth and will help us to further broaden and diversify our publishing portfolio."

The press is currently open for submissions and details can be found at footnotepress.com/submissions. Biswas and Roy can be contacted at info@footnotepress.com