HopeRoad launches crowdfunding campaign due to 'unprecedented pressures'

As HopeRoad approaches 15 years in publishing and in the year of the 75th Windrush anniversary, it is launching a CrowdFunding and investment drive to raise £75,000 and secure its two-year plan.

Founded by Jamaican-British publisher Rosemarie Hudson in 2010, HopeRoad focuses on publishing writers from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the diaspora. Its aim is to ensure these voices are heard and to meet the demand for books from these regions. Pete Ayrton, founder of Serpent’s Tail, is editor of HopeRoad’s imprint, Small Axes.

Commenting on HopeRoad’s contribution to the book world to date, chair of Faber & Faber, Stephen Page, said: "For over a decade HopeRoad has played an important role in discovering writers from Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia, and bringing them to readers around the world.

"Rosemarie Hudson, as founder, brings both editorial and publishing acumen to the company, as she has throughout her distinguished career, always committing to excellent writing and opening up literary pathways between culture."

Hudson commented: "I’m delighted and saddened at the same time to launch this crowdfunding campaign. We have been in the publishing business since 2010 and I’m so proud of what we have achieved in that time, publishing ground-breaking and diverse authors. But there is still so much more work to do to improve diversity in the authors that are published and read here in the UK and beyond."

She added: "Like many independent publishers, we have faced unprecedented pressures on our cashflow and sadly have not been able to attract Arts Council England funding in this current round, which we have previously relied on. With our 15th anniversary approaching, now is the time to take our publishing to another level, and overcome these financial challenges.

"Please help support HopeRoad to reach out to new readers and fully grasp the business opportunities of a growing area of the UK publishing market: to publish more original titles annually; discover the very best books and authors from around the world – and publish in translation, bringing this area of our list up to approximately 40% of our output; further develop our sales and marketing, especially in the digital world; continue to grow our audience via audiobooks, and press on with our training and mentoring for our new authors and under-represented young people wanting to enter publishing."

Pete Kalu, author of The Striker Series, said of the publisher: "HopeRoad has been bold, brave and a vital organ for maintaining the UK independent Black publishing tradition that goes back several decades and more. Its longevity and panache is in no small part down to its founder and managing editor, Rosemarie Hudson, whose amazing energy and innovations put most of UK publishing to shame. I have had four novels published by HopeRoad and have always found the team there sensitive, smart and engaging."