TOWN FESTIVAL: Global Publishing from the North

Join indie publishers Kevin Duffy from Bluemoose Books and Hazel Holmes from Fox & Ink Books as they discuss their unwavering commitment to putting Northern Publishing firmly on the map.

Bluemoose Books was founded in 2006 by Hetha and Kevin Duffy to find writers from working class and diverse backgrounds. They are an independent publisher based in Hebden Bridge and are Northern Publishers of the Year 2025. Bluemoose champions authors and stories deemed too risky by larger publishing houses and their authors have been shortlisted for sixteen literary awards in the last six years. The Gallows Pole by Benjamin Myers was recently adapted into a BBC2 series and Leonard and Hungry Paul by Rónán Hession spent 11 weeks in the German Top 20. Their books have been translated into 13 languages and sold in 68 countries across the globe. They were described by The Guardian as ‘a small but mighty literary hit factory.’

Fox & Ink Books (formerly UCLan Publishing) is a trade, independent publisher based in Preston, Lancashire who continually strive to produce the best books in every genre from Early Years and upwards. Hazel Holmes manages the design, editing and production process with the help of a small freelance team. She produces schedules for every stage of the process and sets the commercial and editorial direction for the business. Hazel also works closely with the academic team to imbed the business into the curriculum and guest lectures on the MA in Publishing course, while managing the student Major Projects . She also coordinates The Northern YA Literary Festival.

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