Peepal Tree Press is an independent publishing house based in Leeds. This press aims to publish and uplift voices from the UK, the Caribbean and its diasporas, and make a difference to diversity in UK publishing. Their books will be featured in the Northern Publishers section of the UoS library after their appearance at the Northern School of Writing’s Publisher Fair on March 27th.
- Who were your favourite authors growing up?
I really liked reading poetry as a kid, Enid Blyton, and Dick Bruna books, I still have massive affection for those. I used to read a lot of books, my granny used to get them when they were cancelled from the library – they’d sell the books for 1p or 2p, so I read a lot of strange stuff.
- What books have had a lasting impact on you?
I like books that make me stop and think. I’ve just finished reading Intermezzo and that’s had an effect on me. It’s had a slightly mean effect on what read, because Rooney has such an innovative way of communicating different voices, that I’m wanting the same kind of standard in anything else I read now. Every time you read a standout book, it elevates what you want.
- Do you own a Kindle?
I use a Kindle, it means I can have lots more to travel with.
- Do you listen to audiobooks?
I don’t, except for when my husband and I are on road trips. I don’t have it in me to listen to an audiobook. I’ll be listening and get distracted by other things. But that’s just me I think, because the rest of the world is listening more and more.
- How do you feel about the rise in e-books?
I am much more pro e-books than I used to be. At the very beginning, we thought it would harm print sales, there would be a lot of piracy, and it would be all doom and gloom. But it’s not. E-books now make up just under 10% of our sales, so they’re a useful part of the portfolio and I can see that growing. And they’re really convenient. I hope they won’t completely replace printed books. I don’t think they will because people like the act of holding and owning a piece of artwork. I wish they were easier to distribute. We’ve tried some audio as well. We have four audio books, they’ve covered their costs and I hope we’ll have more audio.
- What are your views on writing?
I think everyone should have a go, but not everything has to be published. I think writing’s good for all of us, but being a published writer is something you have to buy into, and personally I don’t have it. The writers that we publish, they really enjoy it, they’re people that can’t help writing, there’s no other way for them, it’s their way of living. If you really do want to be a writer and that’s your thing, go ahead and do it, but I think people feel a pressure to publish writing when you don’t need to. The act of creation is the most important bit. I’m more of a reader than a writer, that’s why it’s fun to work in publishing where you are surrounded by writers and can feel like you are creative by association.
- What was your personal motivation for applying to intern at Peepal Tree?
When I finished University, I was an idealist young person and slightly anti-capitalist, I wanted to find a job or industry where I felt you were doing a positive thing. I had applied to do an MA in librarianship because I’m fairly obsessed with books, so it was a way of pulling those things together. So it was serendipity and good luck that I came across Peepal Tree at a time where it was ready to grow, I wormed my way in.
- On your website it says: “You are most concerned with whether a book will still be alive in the future.” How do you determine that a book will still be alive in the future?
We look for books that say something long-lasting about the human condition or the setting they are in, as well as books that work together. It’s got to be different to something that we’ve published before or that we’ve read. We want a voice we haven’t heard before. Distinctiveness of voice is something that we value really highly as publishers.
- How reliant would you say your sector is on funding?
I would say we are reliant on funding, what the funding does is support the wider team. The actual books one could just about manage to publish and not lose any money but It’s a really vicious commercial environment. The cover price of books is still artificially low, and it’s always been artificially low, but its getting lower and lower each year. As independent publishers we can’t access the same economies of scale and the funding helps. At Peepal Tree we use our funding for writing development programs, but it’s not easy.
- Your website reads: “Peepal Tree Press is the world’s leading publisher of Caribbean and Black-British Writing.” Could you tell us the kind of pressure that puts the company under?
Now there are many more publishers interested in Black and Caribbean writers, it feels like it has become a bit fashionable, but that support does not seem to last forever. Currently we do have an open submissions process that people can upload manuscripts to on Submittible, but we end up with an awful lot to read. We’re just not as quick at responding as we’d like to be.
- Would you accredit the development of digital printing to your growing success?
Digital printing was a game changer, when Adobe PDF came along I thought that would be useful. I still have files that were generated 20 years ago that still work. Ultimately it takes a long time and it’s really nice to send your books off to a printer to get done. Also with digital printing you can have smaller runs, tying up less capital, reducing the risk a bit. I think there’ll be more and more POD (printing on demand). I mean it makes sense to print books closer to where they’re going to be sold rather than, you know, sailing them around the planet.
- What made you start Inscribe?
I think it was coming across writers local to the Leeds/West Yorkshire are who were at this sort of bubbling point. They didn’t necessarily have books that they were ready to publish so they couldn’t approach us as publishers, but they had ideas and stuff, and nobody knew one another either. We bid to the Arts Council for some money to create the Inscribed Writers Program with Khadija George. It just flew from there then became a national project where they give lots of support: ways to make money as a writer, suggestions for people you should know, places to go and how to approach publishers.
- Is there any advice you would given to someone looking towards a future in publishing?
Creative Access Interns Program has been useful to lots of people that I know trying to get work experience, but a lot of things you can teach yourself. Find cheap ways to make sure that you are multi skilled, like making a spreadsheet, doing a little bit of design, and being flexible in your own mind about what you can do. Then to teach yourself the things you can’t do. Have a very high tolerance for Microsoft Excel. That’s useful, I don’t think anyone escapes that.
- If manuscripts are rejected, do you ever encourage the writer to resubmit at a later date?
Yes, we do. When we regretfully decline a manuscript, which is most often because we can’t take everything. You do turn down things that you like. Sometimes we’ll offer them to become one of our Inscribe writers and we’ll certainly say stay in touch, ask them to show us what they’re doing in the future, perhaps introduce them to other people.
- If you could save only one book for the world, what would it be?
Like by Ali Smith
- Three words that describe what you are looking for when you open a new submission?
Originality, depth, a unique voice
- What quality above all does someone working in publishing need?
Adaptability
- Three words that describe what you love about The North of Britain?
Green, friendly, space
- Favourite Character in Fiction?
Mrs Pepperpot
- What does a day in your life as a publisher entail?
Editorial Meetings: Reviewing manuscripts, planning upcoming releases, and collaborating with editors and authors to refine their work. Marketing & Publicity: Strategizing campaigns to promote books. This might include designing social media content, organizing events, coordinating with media, or handling platforms like NetGalley to connect with reviewers. Data Updates: Refining our titles’ metadata on Consonance, adding content to our website. Production Management: Overseeing the creation of the physical and digital versions of books, working with designers and printers. I also get to design a lot of our covers myself, which I love doing. Sales Coordination: Liaising with distributors and retailers to ensure books are stocked and available in key markets. Networking: Building relationships with authors, agents, and the literary community at events or through outreach. Financial Oversight: Managing budgets, contracts, and royalties.