Saraband to move to Manchester

Independent publisher Saraband is relocating to Manchester next month.

The publisher, which was shortlisted for this year’s IPG Trade Publisher of the Year Award, is moving from Glasgow, where it has been based since 2000. Sara Hunt, founder and owner of Saraband, is moving the company’s base for personal reasons rather than business considerations.

The Bookseller reported last year that the publisher was mooting a move to Manchester and was in talks to join the Northern Fiction Alliance.

Hunt said: “Moving to Lowry Plaza in Salford Quays’ MediaCityUK is really exciting for us as it’s a particularly vibrant area for the creative industries and it will surely open up new opportunities. For one, we’re very much looking forward to working with the dynamic indie publishers in that part of the world – we’ve already developed a strong relationship with the newly created Northern Fiction Alliance.

“Of course, it’s sad to be leaving Scotland, but we certainly won’t be cutting any ties with our friends in Scottish publishing. We’ll continue our association with organisations such as Publishing Scotland – who have been hugely supportive to us over the years. And we’ll keep working with the talented Scottish writers who make up a significant part of our list – authors such as Jim Crumley, Catherine Czerkawska, Chitra Ramaswamy and, of course, Graeme Macrae Burnet. Inevitably, a new geographic location will lead to changes in the business, but we’ll continue with a diverse list including non-fiction focused on nature and culture, crime and mystery in the Contraband imprint, and historical and literary fiction.” 

Saraband is the publisher of His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet, which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize last year.