London · Independent · Since 2009
Fiction the big
houses overlook.
We are the opposite of the closed door. Send us the book directly: it gets read by an editor, considered on the strength of the writing, and answered by a person rather than a process.
The House
Publishing has acquired too many gates, forms and easy reasons to say no. We judge nothing about a writer's pedigree, connections or marketability. We ask one question: how good is the book?
The Calthorpe Press began in a single room off Calthorpe Street and one manuscript that had been turned down three times. Its eventual success gave us enough money, and enough nerve, to carry on. It also fixed our position: a manuscript deserves attention, not dismissal by habit or committee. Since then we have concentrated on first novels, neglected writers and translations that need a committed English-language publisher.
How the press works →Our next list
The next list is still being prepared. We add each title here once the publication details are settled. In the meantime, submissions remain open.
Submit a manuscript →Outside the UK
Rights, editions and distribution beyond Britain.
Most of this work is done directly, house to house. We sell rights, arrange co-editions and work with translators and distributors in the countries where our books are published.
- Rights & co-editions
- We handle world rights in-house and work directly with independent publishers overseas.
- Translation
- We commission translations into English and help our authors find translators abroad. Where a suitable grant exists, we apply for it.
- Trade distribution
- Our books are represented to the trade in the UK, Ireland, North America and the Commonwealth, with export distribution elsewhere.
A note from the press
“In a typical year we publish eight new books. Everyone in the office has read them and can talk about them with a bookseller.”
Submissions
Unagented submissions are open.
You do not need an agent or an introduction. Every manuscript is read by an editor, and every writer receives a considered answer rather than a form dismissal. We usually reply within twelve weeks.