SPONSOR


DESCRIPTION The Firsty Group was established in 2010, but it began life back in 2003 as a dedicated web development agency. In 2010 it chose to focus almost exclusively on delivering digital services to publishers and so Firsty was born.


INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR


OVERVIEW While some independents suffered during the pandemic, others have not just survived, but thrived. Covid gave them the chance to demonstrate all their agility and speed of thought, and they pivoted superbly towards remote working, digital delivery and direct selling. These eight— including three that make the shortlist for  punched well above their weight.


ATLANTIC BOOKS Shortlisted here for the third year in a row, Atlantic continued its renaissance as a general indie that combines commercial and critical success. John Kampfner (right) and Chris Atkins gave it Sunday Times bestseller spots, and its backlist had a hatful of steady sellers to complement the hits.


ON THE NIGHT


THE SMALL PRESS OF THE YEAR WINNER WILL ALSO BE INCLUDED IN THIS SHORTLIST. TO SEE THE CONTENDERS FOR THAT PRIZE, SEE PAGE 41.


DAVID & CHARLES The arts and crafts specialist has been reborn since a management buyout in 2019, and sales, profits and output all rose sharply last year. Online courses have added a new revenue stream, and the independent’s work on digital discovery and promotion was exceptional.


FABER & FABER The 2018 and 2019 winner had another record year in profit terms, with a richly diverse frontlist and growth across its massive backlist. It rebranded, picked up 20 awards, and was an ally of bookshops and fellow publishers via the Independent Alliance when they needed it most.


HARRIMAN HOUSE This finance and business specialist had its best year in nearly three decades, thanks to Morgan Housel’s (right) The Psychology of Money, which has sold more than 200,000 copies worldwide. US sales quadrupled, and direct-to- consumer digital revenue surged during lockdowns.


JOFFE BOOKS Sales topped £5m at Joffe Books, and its titles racked up nearly one billion page views on Kindle Unlimited. The list turned out 200 books and marketed them hard across social media platforms. “I would never want to be published by anyone else,” said one of its authors.


UNBOUND Unbound turns 10 in 2021 on the back of a record- breaking year—the result of a restructuring and a decision to publish fewer books, better. Andy Hamilton and Frankie Boyle (above) were among the stars, and its groundbreaking crowdfunding model was more popular than ever.


JUDGES VERDICT


THESE INDEPENDENTS PIVOTED SUPERBLY TOWARDS REMOTE WORKING, DIGITAL DELIVERY AND DIRECT SELLING


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CANELO Digital-led Canelo sold well over three million units in just its fifth full year—a third of them paperbacks. It stepped up its reissues of neglected fiction and launched a new Canelo Crime imprint, all powered by smart price promotion and high royalty rates that moti- vate its authors.


CANONGATE Canongate grew sales by £2m despite pushing nearly a third of its 2020-slated titles into 2021. Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library sold more than 310,000 copies, Maaza Mengiste’s The Shadow King added 70,000, and it impressed with a nimble switch to digital marketing and events.


EPONYMOUS START-UP HAS RECORDED STRONG SALES OF DIGITAL BOOKS


JASPER JOFFES


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