«59 books to watch out for in 2020 – all from independent publishers. From folk tales to diplomats, botanists to lost homelands, hermits to thrillers»

Deirdre Falvey (@DeirdreFalveyIT), The Irish Times (@IrishTimes)

«The small community of independent and specialist publishers continues to fly the flag in a difficult environment, with an amazingly rich, diverse offering. We have asked some of them to tell us about a couple of titles they’re planning for 2020; they do so below.

»All will be hoping to see the kinds of successes that independent publishers have had in the past year. This month the British-Trinidadian dub poet Roger Robinson won the TS Eliot poetry prize for his collection A Portable Paradise, published by the tiny Peepal Tree. It was also a great year for Galley Beggar Press. Alex Phelby’s Lucia was joint winner of the Republic of Consciousness prize, and Lucy Ellmann’s Ducks, Newburyport won the 2019 Goldsmiths Prize.

»But there were pressures too. Galley Beggar says that, when Ellman’s experimental novel was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, it had to pay the Booker Prize Foundation, which runs the award, £5,000 (almost €6,000) just for being shortlisted; this money helps pay for publicity. Then, in December, a discount supplier went into administration owing Galley Beggar £40,000, it says, showing how precarious the business can be, even for successful small publishers.

»For the Irish publisher New Island, “independent book publishing can be a challenging business model, but focusing on producing beautiful books which have something important to say is solid motivation. Staying involved in the local scene and keeping in touch with our authors is a key factor in the success of our work, and the supportive community among the Irish publishers also plays an important role.”

»Here’s what New Island and its fellow indie publishers say about their books to watch out for in 2020.»

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