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The British Book Awards has unveiled its 10 Small Press of the Year winners, each hailed for “out-competing their bigger brethren, publishing ahead of the market [and] sustaining and growing sales". Winners include Bluemoose Books, Sweet Cherry and Scottish Mountaineering Press.
Selected by the judges from 48 finalists announced last month, the award, which is sponsored by CPI Books and in its fifth year, celebrates the independent presses delivering diverse, innovative and risk-taking publishing.
In its 30th year, the Island of Ireland winner is New Island Books, renowned for spotting award-winning début authors. It recorded a 94% year-on-year increase in sales value as measured by Nielsen, while Nora by Nuala O’Connor was the 2022 Dublin: One City One Book choice, and was shortlisted for the Dalkey Novel of the Year Award and the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award in 2022.
Climate-positive publisher SRL Publishing won in the East England region for a second year in a row. Offsetting emissions by more than 100% and planting a dozen trees for every one used are just two examples set by the publisher, and while they come at a financial cost, sales more than trebled last year.
The London region sees the prize go jointly to Fitzcarraldo Editions, which in 2022 published Nobel Prize in Literature winner Annie Ernaux, and Boldwood Books. In only four years, Boldwood Books has published over 400 titles and sold over 11 million books worldwide. In 2022 sales grew another 70%, with e-book growth of 65% and audiobook sales up 140%.
The overall Small Press of the Year winner in 2021, Sweet Cherry, is this year’s Midlands winner, growing its UK trade 89% in autumn 2022. Meanwhile, Bluemoose Books is the winner in the North England region, following a string of prize nominations in recent years and a series of strong years that has enabled it to build up a considerable backlist. Recent literary achievements include Panenka by Rónán Hession (shortlisted for An Post Irish Novel of The Year 2021 and The British Book Awards Book of the Year), Should We Fall Behind by Sharon Duggal (shortlisted for Royal Society of Literature Encore Award) and Domestic Bliss and Other Disasters by Jane Ions (shortlisted for Comedy Women In Print Prize 2021).
Scotland’s winner is Scottish Mountaineering Press, an award-winning publisher that exists to promote and share Scotland’s natural wonders. In South-East England children’s publisher David Fickling Books is the winner. DFB, which became independent in 2013, had a standout year thanks in part to success with illustrator Jamie Smart’s Bunny vs Monkey series.
Devoted to reviving forgotten and classic books about nature and rural life in the British Isles, Little Toller Books is South-West England’s winner, with brother.do.you.love.me a memoir by Manni and Reuben Coe, a notable success for the press.
Award-winning Firefly Press, past winner in Wales, takes the crown again with turnover doubling after winning an order from the Welsh Books Council, as part of a scheme to provide a book for every primary school child in Wales.
Highly commended were: Magic Cat Publishing (London), September Publishing (South-East) and Graffeg (Wales).
Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller and chair of the judges for The British Book Awards, said: “We are delighted by the 10 Small Press winners, selected for their excellence, their vision and their tenaciousness in the face of some tricky trading conditions. It is often said that independent publishers are doing the heavy-lifting for the bigger publishers: discovering new authors and finding new routes to customers. But that implies they are somehow subordinate. What is not said enough is how these presses are also out-competing their bigger brethren, publishing ahead of the market, sustaining and growing sales, and taking home plenty of book prizes to boot. This is a thriving sector of the book business and one we should all look to and celebrate. Congratulations all.”
The 10 presses will now contest for the overall Small Press of the Year award to be announced at the British Book Awards on 15th May. That winner will also vie to be crowned Independent Publisher of the Year.