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SMALL PRESS OF THE YEAR


OVERVIEW All eight of these businesses are already winners, having  of 50 presses in the regional and country round of the award. The shortlist illustrates the rich variety of small presses across the UK and Ireland, who used all their agility and innovation to beat the immense Covid, supply and cost challenges of 2021. As one of these publishers phrased it in their submission, they are “driving Minis like Ferraris”.


CRANACHAN In the northern Hebrides, Scotland category winner Cranachan’s part-time husband-and-wife team grew sales by 50% despite reducing their programme of Scotland- connected kids’ books in 2021, and Cranachan secured impressive publicity and its first international rights deals. TheWeeBookCompany was Highly Commended in the Scotland category.


ELLIOTT & THOMPSON London winner Elliott & Thompson trebled its TCM sales in 2021. The star was Tim Marshall’s The Power of Geography, which led the Sunday Times paperback non- fiction list for 13 weeks, while Nancy Campbell’s Fifty Words for Snow was an example of its proactive approach. Like many small presses, its author care is excellent. SaqiBooks was Highly Commended in London.


RILY PUBLICATIONS The Wales winner marked 20 years in bilingual children’s publishing in 2021. Output increased dramatically—espe- cially of in-house-originated content to sit alongside its Welsh translations of big author and media brands. Rily launched a new English- language imprint and its first app, and its literacy, numeracy and history resources were popular during school closures.


THE IRISH PAGES PRESS/ CLÓ AN MHÍL BHUÍ This non-fiction, memoir, poetry and journal publisher is the Island of Ireland winner. Belfast-based but increasingly active in Scotland too, it excels on design and production and is an important champion of Celtic voices. Direct website sales increased during book- shop closures, and marketing and publicity give it a literary profile that belies its small size.


VERTEBRATE PUBLISHING Winner of the North England category, Vertebrate’s outdoor adventure guides and narra- tives were perfect in a year when people felt the urge to connect with the wild. It shrugged off supply issues to pass £1m in turnover for the first time, with website sales— backed with great customer service—particularly strong. Bluemoose Books was Highly Commended in the category.


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EYE BOOKS Midlands winner Eye Books turned 25 and had its biggest year of output and sales, despite having no full-time staff or office. It picks up books that bigger publishers over- look, and Simon Edge’s satire The End of the World is Flat and previously self-published writer Nicola May were among the 2021 highlights for the press. OwletPress was Highly Commended in the category.


FROM YOU TO ME Family-run, Bath-based From You to Me is the winner in the South-West England category. Personalised gift books and journals under Its Journals of a Lifetime and Forget Me Not Books imprints have struck a chord with those who found themselves far from family and friends in 2021, and foreign-language licensing partnerships increased, along with trade sales.


SRL PUBLISHING East and South-East England category winner SRL Publishing claims to be the world’s first climate-positive book publisher. Offsetting emissions by more than 100% and planting a dozen trees for every one used comes at a financial cost, but it doesn’t seem to be hurting: sales more than trebled last year. Critical Publishing was Highly Commended in the category.


BOOKS HAVE BEEN


TIM MARSHALLS


BESTSELLERS FOR ELLIOTT & THOMPSON


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