Looking to publish? Meet your dream editor, designer and marketer on Reedsy.

Find the perfect editor for your next book

1 million authors trust the professionals on Reedsy. Come meet them.

DIRECTORY

Best Book Publishing Companies in Manchester

Showing 6 publishers that match your search.

Saraband

Genres: Environmental, Biographies & Memoirs, Narrative Nonfiction, Self-Help, Diverse Literature, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, Fiction, and Nonfiction

Location: Manchester, GB

Website: https://saraband.net/

Diversity: Diverse Literature, LGBTQ, BIPOC

Accepts unagented submissions

No

Indie publisher

Small press

💥 Hit titles
Shocked Earth

Saskia Goldschmidt

Westering

Laurence Mitchell

Bleak

R.M. Murray

Comma Press

Genres: Literary Fiction, Diverse Literature, Fiction, and Short Story

Location: Manchester, GB

Website: https://commapress.co.uk/

Diversity: Diverse Literature

Accepts unagented submissions

No

Indie publisher

Small press

💥 Hit titles
You Should Come With Me Now

M. John Harrison & Lara Pawson

Thirteen Months of Sunrise

Rania Mamoun

The Well of Trapped Words

Sema Kaygusuz

Northodox Press

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Horror, LGBTQ+, Literary Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Romance, Science Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, Urban Fiction, Women's Fiction, and Young Adult

Location: Manchester, GB

Website: https://www.northodox.co.uk/

Accepts unagented submissions

Yes Partial manuscript entries - View guidelines →

Indie publisher

Small press

💥 Hit titles
Clockwork Magpies

Emma Whitehall

Out of Human Sight

Sophie Parkes

Airedale

Dylan Byford

Looking for an editor to polish your query letter?

The best professionals are already on Reedsy, come meet them. Create your free account to request free quotes today.

Learn more about the Reedsy Marketplace.

Angry Robot

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Fiction

Part of: Watkins Media > Angry Robot

Location: Manchester, GB

Website: https://www.angryrobotbooks.com/

Accepts unagented submissions

Yes Book proposals - View guidelines →

Indie publisher

Small press

💥 Hit titles
The Moonsteel Crown

Stephen Deas

The Forbidden Stars

Tim Pratt

The Traitor God

Cameron Johnston

Headpress

Genres: Politics, True Crime, History, Art, and Nonfiction

Location: Manchester, GB

Website: https://headpress.com/

Accepts unagented submissions

Yes Book proposals - View guidelines →

Indie publisher

Small press

💥 Hit titles
Bleeding Skull!

Joseph A. Ziemba & Dan Budnik

Small Town Skateparks

Clint Carrick

The Town Slowly Empties

Manash Firaq Bhattacharjee

Bluemoose Books

Genres: Literary Fiction and Fiction

Location: Manchester, GB

Website: https://bluemoosebooks.com/

Accepts unagented submissions

Yes Book proposals - View guidelines →

Indie publisher

Small press

💥 Hit titles
The Sound Mirror

Heidi James

Captain Jesus

Colette Snowden

East Coast Road

Anna Chilvers

What do book publishers do?

Sure, a book publisher prints and sells your book. But what they do behind the scenes encompasses much more than that. Publishers handle the entire publishing process for books, including: 

  • Editing the book, i.e. developmental editing, copy editing, and proofreading; 
  • Designing the book, i.e. book cover design and any necessary interior book design;
  • Promotion and marketing, i.e. writing the book’s blurb, email marketing, setting up media interviews, etc.; and
  • Production and distribution, i.e. formatting and distributing hardback, paperback, and ebook versions of the book to stores, both online and brick-and-mortar. 

Note that the structure of publishing companies may differ, depending on their size. Bigger book publishers may be made up of publishing houses which may, in turn, be made up of imprints — each of which will have its own brand identity in terms of the type of books it publishes. 

However, regardless of a publisher’s size, the scope of their work shouldn’t change. Once you sign with a publisher, they will do everything that it takes to bring your book to market. 

What are the most prominent book publishing companies?

If we define success by sheer sales volume, then we might point towards the "Big 5" presses and educational publishers (who rake in a LOT of money). Over the past few decades, these giant publishing companies have merged with and acquired most of the mid-sized publishers in the industry. However, a few still remain. Here are today's biggest book publishing companies:

  • Penguin Random House (Big 5)
  • Hachette Book Group (Big 5)
  • HarperCollins (Big 5)
  • Macmillan Publishers (Big 5)
  • Simon & Schuster (Big 5)
  • Scholastic Corporation
  • Pearson Education
  • McGraw-Hill Education
  • Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  • Cengage Learning

Together, these largest publishers dominate the publishing landscape. Countless beloved books come from their imprints, many of which you’ll find in our directory. 

The rest of the publishing landscape is largely made up of small publishers, or independent publishers. Most big publishers don’t directly accept unsolicited submissions without a literary agent — but smaller publishers do, making them a realistic and worthwhile route to publication. 

I have a long list of publishers. What next?

Congratulations! Now take a moment to thoroughly vet every publisher on your longlist. Scams are a dime a dozen in the publishing industry, and you want to make 100% sure that you’re dealing with a legitimate publishing company. Again, we strongly recommend reading this post and Writer Beware to know what red flags to watch out for.

When you’re confident in all of the publishers on your longlist, it’s time for the most nerve-wracking step: submitting your manuscript to them. 

Check out our free resources if you’re feeling daunted by what comes next. Whether you’re learning how to research publishers or how to personalize a submission, we've got you covered.

Free online materials

Reedsy | Default — Editors with Marker | 2024-05

Bring your publishing dreams to life

The world's best editors, designers, and marketers are on Reedsy. Come meet them.