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DIRECTORY

Best Narrative Nonfiction Book Publishing Companies in UK

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

Galley Beggar Press

Genres: Literary Fiction, Narrative Nonfiction, Diverse Literature, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, Fiction, and Nonfiction

Location: London, GB

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

Accepts unagented submissions

Yes Manuscript entries - View guidelines →

Indie publisher

Small press

💥 Hit titles
A Girl Is A Half-formed Thing

Eimear McBride

Ducks, Newburyport

Lucy Ellmann

Mordew

Alex Pheby

Watkins

Genres: Children's, Cookbook, Diverse Literature, Environmental, Health & Wellbeing, History, Narrative Nonfiction, and Self-Help

Location: London, GB

Website: https://watkinspublishing.com/

Accepts unagented submissions

Yes Book pitches - View guidelines →

Indie publisher

Small press

💥 Hit titles
Soberish

Kayla Lyons

Rebel Gardening

Alessandro Vitale

England on Fire

Stephen Ellcock and Mat Osman

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Claret Press

Genres: Biographies & Memoirs, Diverse Literature, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Jewish Literature, Literary Fiction, Mystery & Crime, Narrative Nonfiction, Nonfiction, Novella, Politics, Thriller & Suspense, Travel, and Women's Fiction

Location: London, GB

Website: https://www.claretpress.com/

Accepts unagented submissions

Yes Book queries - View guidelines →

Indie publisher

Small press

💥 Hit titles
Black Tea

Stephen Morris

Daisy Chain

Justine Gilbert

Opera

Julie Anderson

Fitzcarraldo Editions

Genres: Narrative Nonfiction, History, Literary Fiction, Fiction, and Nonfiction

Location: London, GB

Website: https://fitzcarraldoeditions.com/

Accepts unagented submissions

No

Indie publisher

Small press

💥 Hit titles
Ash Before Oak

Jeremy Cooper

Fifty Sounds

Polly Barton

The Things We've Seen

Agustín Fernández Mallo

Influx Press

Genres: Narrative Nonfiction, Literary Fiction, Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction, and Short Story

Location: London, GB

Website: https://www.influxpress.com/

Accepts unagented submissions

No

Indie publisher

Small press

💥 Hit titles
Self Portrait in Green

Marie NDiaye

Cockfight

María Fernanda Ampuero

Damned If I Do

Percival Everett

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.

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