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Small Press of the Year finalists praised for 'exceptional sales and profit growth'
Forty-eight small presses from across the UK and Ireland have been named regional and country finalists of The British Book Awards 2023 Small Press of the Year award.
Sponsored by CPI Books, the award aims to celebrate the independent presses delivering "diverse, innovative and risk-taking publishing". This year’s finalists span nine different regions and countries.
Of the cohort, nine are in London, including 2021 joint winners Boldwood Books and Magic Cat Publishing, six in Scotland and South-East England respectively, five in Wales – including the first ever entry from a Welsh language press, Y Lolfa – North England and the Midlands respectively, four in Ireland and three in East England.
Small presses specialising in poetry are strongly represented by the likes of Broken Sleep Books (Wales), Bad Betty Press (Midlands) and Carcanet Press (North England), and while among the finalists London is the dominant region, South-West England remains a hotspot and Wales and Ireland also have strong contingents.
Many of 2022’s biggest books, including prize-winning and shortlisted titles, came from the small press finalists, including Slow Down and Be Here Now by Laura Brand and Freya Hartas (Magic Cat Publishing — London); Jamie Smart’s Bunny vs Monkey series (David Fickling Books — South-East England); After Sappho by debut novelist Selby Wynn Schwartz (Galley Beggar Press — East England), longlisted for the Booker Prize; Goshawk Summer by James Aldred (Elliott & Thompson — London), winner of the Wainwright Prize for Nature Writing; Louise Finch’s Carnegie-longlisted debut The Eternal Return of Clara Hart (Little Island Books — Ireland); The Melting Pot by Maggie Ogunbanwo (Graffeg -Wales); brother. do. you. you. love. me by Manni and Reuben Coe (Little Toller Books — South-West); The Room in the Attic by Louise Douglas (Boldwood Books — London); and You Matter by Delia Smith (Mensch Publishing — London).
The finalists will compete to win their region first, before contending for the overall prize, which will be announced at The British Book Awards’ winner ceremony on 15th May 2023. The overall Small Press winner will also compete to be crowned Independent Publisher of the Year. The regional and country winners of the Small Press of the Year award will be announced on Wednesday 15th March 2023.
Philip Jones, Editor of The Bookseller and chair of the judges for the British Book Awards, said: “Whether they were staking their claim to the mainstream or mining their niches, these small press finalists responded magnificently to this year’s challenges, reporting another year of exceptional sales and profit growth in the face of Brexit and escalating running costs. These publishers are reaping the rewards from dedicated and often inspirational publishing, hands-on author care and community building, showing that even in a toughened climate, grass-roots book-making is alive and well.”
CPI Books m.d. Tanya Dunbar added: “We are delighted to be sponsoring this award in its fifth year. The high quality of entries received reflects the strength, passion and resilience of the small presses in the UK, particularly impressive during a year with such challenging market conditions. Congratulations to all the regional and country finalist publishers.”
The finalists are
North England
• Bluemoose Books
• Fly on the Wall Press
• UCLan Publishing
• Carcanet Press
• Saraband
Scotland
• 404 Ink
• Charco Press
• Scottish Mountaineering Press
• The Wee Book Company
• Scotland Street Press
• Rymour Books
South-East England
• David Fickling Books
• Guppy Publishing
• Duckworth Books
• September Publishing
• Praspar Press
• Author In Me
South-West England
• PG Online / ClearRevise
• BOTH Press
• Ad Hoc Fiction
• Little Toller Books
• From You to Me
Wales
• Graffeg
• Broken Sleep Books
• Parthian Books
• Y Lolfa
• Firefly Press
East England
• SRL Publishing
• Galley Beggar Press
• Dedalus
Island of Ireland
• Little Island Books
• Banshee Press
• The Lilliput Press
• New Island Books
London
• Boldwood Books
• Fitzcarraldo Editions
• Unbound
• Magic Cat Publishing
• Cipher Press
• Elliott & Thompson
• Mensch Publishing
• Renard Press
• Muswell Press
Midlands
• Sweet Cherry
• Henson Editorial Services and North Staffordshire Press
• Malcolm Down and Sarah Grace Publishing
• Victorina Press
• Bad Betty Press
