Vidisha Biswas steps down as managing director of Footnote Press
Vidisha Biswas, the founder and MD of Footnote Press, will step down in July, following the imprint’s acquisition by Bonnier Books UK (BBUK).
Biswas launched Footnote Press with marketing director Sujoy Roy, as a platform for marginalised stories, in partnership with BBUK in October 2021. The imprint has published books including The Coin by Yasmin Zaher, winner of this year’s Dylan Thomas Prize, Mongrel by Hanako Footman, shortlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize in 2024, and Sunny Singh’s A Bollywood State of Mind, shortlisted for the 2024 British Book Awards.
Footnote won the FutureBook Start-up of the Year award in 2023, with judges noting its work to combine "new technologies, urgent issues and diverse authors".
In 2023, Biswas also founded the Footnote x Counterpoints Writing Prize for writers from refugee and migrant backgrounds, in partnership with Counterpoints Arts, the Southbank Centre and The Bookseller, among others. Before launching Footnote, Biswas was a co-owner and director at the political publisher Zed Books, which was acquired by Bloomsbury in 2020.
Forthcoming publications from Footnote Press include The Mires by Tina Makereti, Eli Zuzovsky’s Mazeltov and Sunny Singh’s Refuge: Stories of War (and Love), which were acquired by commissioning editor Serena Arthur, who will continue to acquire for the list.
Biswas said: "Building Footnote from the ground up has been one of the defining achievements of my career. I am proud to have created a publisher that remains unapologetically committed to equity and representation, even as we see a global retreat from the hard-won progress of recent years, and I am so grateful to Bonnier Books UK for supporting my vision.
"I hope that our partnership with BBUK will serve as a blueprint for other bold, purpose-driven collaborations that challenge and expand traditional publishing boundaries. With an exceptional team in place to lead Footnote into its next chapter as an imprint of BBUK, I know this is the right moment for me to explore new projects."
Sarah Benton, co-CEO of Bonnier Books UK, added: "Vidisha is a true visionary and entrepreneur, and I loved working with her to integrate Footnote into Bonnier Books UK over the last year. Her energy and tenacity will be much missed, and we thank her enormously for the legacy she leaves behind."
Benton added: "Watching Footnote grow over the last few years has been remarkable; in such a short space of time they have built a community of passionate advocates for their brand and won numerous, well-deserved awards. We remain committed to their important mission to publish marginalised perspectives and have an engaged team here, including Serena Arthur, to continue this vital work."
