Northern Publishers’ Fair at Central Library
Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor
Various independent publishing houses will be setting out their stalls at Manchester Central Library for the latest, now bi-annual, Northern Publishers’ Fair, organised by Manchester’s own Fly On The Wall Press.
Organiser Isabelle Kenyon, managing director of Fly On The Wall Press – Small Press Of The Year North 2024, a social enterprise company and a not-for-profit publisher of anthologies, collections and chapbooks – says the fair’s aim is to celebrate and showcase “a cracking array” of independent publishing houses based in the North of England. She says that for too long, the publishing industry has been London-centric, so in 2019, she set up the Northern Publishers’ Fair at Manchester Central Library.
Spring’s event features 15 publishers in attendance – including Confingo, Flapjack Press, Harper North, Nightjar Press, Northodox Press, Saraband, Stairwell Books from York, UCLAN Publishing from Preston, and Sinoist Books featuring as international guest – bringing new and exciting authors to a Manchester audience.
Publishers will be on hand to talk with visitors, whether writers looking for publishing tips or avid readers wanting a bookish chat. You’ll be able to network informally with like-minded literature enthusiasts, meet authors during book signings and peruse (and buy!) books. Previous events have seen hundreds of happy visitors walk away with tote bags bulging with new reads.
