We are delighted to announce that Penned in the Margins have been named on the shortlist for the inaugural Clarissa Luard Award for Independent Publishers.
The award selectors praised Penned in the Margins’ “proudly singular identity… of experimentalism, poetry and performance”, with the eventual winner gaining £10,000 to be put towards future aspirations. Eclectic in their scope, the independent publishers shortlisted champion diversity, niche areas and under-served markets in the publishing industry, and top of their list is their desire to create new channels to reach their public direct
The full shortlist for the Clarissa Luard Award for Independent Publishers is:
Lantana Publishing
Little Toller Books
Peepal Tree Press
Penned in the Margins
One of the judges, Gary McKeone said:
“It has been hugely encouraging to see the breadth of creativity and innovation among the contenders for the Clarissa Luard Award. Independent publishers throughout the UK and Ireland are clearly focused on bringing the very best of contemporary writing to as many readers as possible. The range is wide, featuring literature from across the globe, poetry and prose, fiction and non-fiction, work for adults and children. Common to all the contenders is a genuine commitment to getting work to readers and audiences, sometimes via traditional routes, often through imaginative use of technology. The Clarissa Luard Award will, I hope, shine a spotlight on these publishers and highlight the contribution they make to the cultural life of these islands.”
Penned in the Margins Director, Tom Chivers says:
“This is such an exciting prize to be shortlisted for – a prize for us: the indy publishers, the little guys beavering away behind the scenes, glimpsed from beyond a magic curtain. Independence is in our blood. For us, it means taking risks, following gut feelings and fiercely protecting our artistic vision.”
The Clarissa Luard Award was founded in 2005 by Arts Council England, in memory of a much-loved literature officer, and given to a literary publisher with an annual turnover of less than £1 million. New Writing North manages the award, which is judged by the writer Jenn Ashworth, literary editor and publisher Sharmaine Lovegrove, arts professional Gary McKeone, and bookseller Helen Stanton.
The winner will be announced alongside the David Cohen Prize for Literature at a ceremony in London on 8th November 2017.