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The Borough Press, HarperFiction’s literary imprint, will celebrate turning 10 next year with a host of trade and consumer-facing activity. This will include a non-fiction open submission, a range of commemorative "Borough Editions" and a collection of modern literary horror stories.
The Borough Press was launched in 2014 as a home for the more literary titles on the HarperFiction list, including books by Lionel Shriver, Nathan Filer and Tracy Chevalier. The imprint’s top 10 successes since then have included Joanna Cannon, Susie Steiner, Bridget Collins, Bella Mackie and Rebecca F Kuang.
The open submission will launch a year of activity for the imprint, opening in January for un-agented writers of narrative non-fiction, in partnership with the Times and The Madeleine Milburn Literary Agency. The winner will receive a £10,000 publishing contract with The Borough Press and representation with literary agent Emma Bal.
In June, the imprint will launch a list of "Borough Editions", a selection of bestselling, prize-winning and beloved books that showcase the imprint’s literary legacy. The list will initially launch with seven titles, including Chevalier’s Girl with a Pearl Earring, Amitav Ghosh’s The Glass Palace and Filer’s The Shock of the Fall. Collins’ The Binding and Mackie’s How to Kill Your Family are also among the books that will be spotlighted, as are Cannon’s The Trouble with Goats and Sheep and Big Brother by Shriver.
A horror collection called "Of the Flesh" will be published in October 2024, with a Halloween focus. It includes contributions from Julia Armfield, Susan Barker, Juno Dawson and Mariana Enriquez, among many others.
Publisher Beth Coates said: "The Borough Press started with a bang in 2014: Nathan Filer’s The Shock of the Fall was a top 10 bestseller, won the Costa Book of the year and the Betty Trask Prize, and helped set us up as a major literary imprint. In the decade since then we have notched up dozens more bestsellers and launched the careers of numerous authors.
"None of these achievements would have been possible without the passionate support of the trade and booksellers. In 2024 we plan to expand the list into ground-breaking non-fiction and an increased focus on game-changing, conversation-starting and prize-winning fiction. We are so excited for everything that’s ahead."