Pacini starts social justice focused fiction publisher Disturbance Press

Society of Young Publishers member Marta Pacini has founded Disturbance Press, a new independent focused on publishing fiction with a social justice theme.

Based in Rawtenstall, Lancashire, Pacini decided to set up Disturbance Press out of frustration with the relative lack of attention that "home-grown" fiction with a social justice theme gets in the UK. 

She said: "Although some novels which explore social justice issues sell very well in the UK and Ireland, they are often American imports. With Disturbance Press I want to show that there are huge social and environmental issues here too. I hope that the books published by Disturbance Press will raise awareness of these injustices."

A School of Oriental and African Studies development studies and politics graduate, Pacini is due to graduate from the University of Central Lancashire with an MA in publishing next month. 

The press will publish Pacini's own books, including The (Un)lawful Killing of Daniel Brown, a YA/crossover political thriller and Conspiracy, an adult political thriller in February and June 2022 respectively. 

Literary novel Something Better by Stephen Grant will follow in October 2022, and the crime thriller An Inquiry Into Innocence by R N Cogley will follow in February 2023.

While Pacini is the sole owner and only staff member of Disturbance Press for now, she hopes that it will evolve into a co-operative organisation in time. Her "publishing utopia" video calling for more co-operation within and between publishers has been selected for showcasing at The Bookseller's FutureBook 2021 conference, which takes place this Friday.