In our November newsletter we were lucky enough to feature the fantastic Salt Publishing. In the past we've worked with the lovely people at Salt on February 2018's 'As Cold as Ice' box which featured Dead of Winter by Gerri Brightwell (a fantastic case of mistaken identity chase across a frozen landscape which you should all read immediately) and two different titles included in our Ninja Book Club picks (The Clocks in this House All Tell Different Times by Xan Brooks and How to be a Kosovan Bride by Naomi Hamill, if you're interested), so it's very exciting to be able to share with you all their Indie Publisher Spotlight.
How did Salt Publishing start? We started Salt back in 1999 at the time when digital printing was in its infancy and creating exciting opportunities for new ways of bringing books into the world. We were able to publish books that we loved without having to find lots of money for large print runs, which meant we were able to take more risks with the type of books we published. We focussed initially on poetry and short stories, and then moved into novels and narrative non-fiction, with our authors spanning all corners of the globe.
2. Can you tell us a bit about what you have planned and any upcoming titles? This winter we have a variety of exciting books coming out, including a long-awaited new novel from our Booker-shortlisted Alison Moore, which is called The Retreat. We also have Best British Short Stories 2021, our annual anthology edited by Nicholas Royle; a page-turner of a thriller by Bibi Berki called The Watch, and a memoir from Lynne Bryan on her life growing up with a father with polio and how it impacted on her as a writer.
As you can see, a lovely selection of different books - this is one of the best things about running your own press: you can publish whatever you want!
3. What are the most challenging and rewarding things about running an indie publisher?
I'm not going to lie, being an indie publisher is hard! Publishing books takes a lot of time and money and a huge level of commitment, both personally and from everyone in the supply chain: printers, distributors, sales team, bookshops and the authors themselves. There are many things that can impact on the success of a book that we have little control over: shrinking review space; the willingness/ability of shops to stock it; staffing shortages, and supply issues - all made that bit worse over recent times following Covid and Brexit. So plenty of challenges, but equally many rewards: from a book receiving a well-deserved glowing review or enjoying a sell-out launch, to being shortlisted or winning a prize. These make it all worthwhile - that knowing that people have bought and enjoyed the book, which at the end of the day, is the whole point.
Find out all about Salt Publishing's 20 years of backlist and their new titles on their website.
Comments