Five Leaves is a small independent press, publishing since 1996. We specialise in several areas - Jewish secular culture, social history, fiction and poetry. We are developing a small Romani list and, in conjuction with the Anglo-Catalan Society, a Catalan list.
Our catalogue includes many well-known authors - Michael Rosen, Marge Piercy, Colin Ward, William Fishman, Bernard Kops and one Booker-prize winning novel, Holiday by Stanley Middleton. In 2008 double Carnegie Award writer Berlie Doherty joins our young adult list, which also includes David Belbin. Scattered through our anthologies you will also find the occasional Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes poem and short stories by Jon McGregor and Julie Myerson, but we are also pleased to have published a good few writers for the first time.
In 2007 our first Crime Express books appeared - titles by John Harvey, Stephen Booth and Rod Duncan launching a crime fiction inprint - as the name suggests, short books, but full length stories.
Many of our writers come from the East Midlands. Many don't, and Five Leaves was the first publisher to publish creative work by modern refugees living in the UK, in association with Exiled Writers Ink.
In addition to our publishing programme the press jointly organises Lowdham Book Festival (www.lowdhambookfestival.co.uk) with The Bookcase, an independent bookshop in Lowdham, Nottinghamshire, together with other literature and film events in the village. Lowdham Book Festival is the largest literature event in the County, drawing in writers from all over Britain. We sponsor an annual fiction prize for MA students at Nottingham Trent University and are currently working on setting up an independent publishers' fair.
Five Leaves is supported by Arts Council England. We are members of Inpress (www.inpressbooks.co.uk), representing independent publishers.
Five Leaves' general editor: Ross Bradshaw.
Five Leaves' poetry editor: Jenny Swann.
Most of our titles are commissioned, and we work between a year and two years ahead. We do not generally consider unsolicited material. If, however, you are working in our areas of interest please send a very short email outlining your proposal. We receive many more submissions than we could possibly publish and, unfortunately, do not always have time to read or comment on unsolicited manuscripts.
At the moment we have no vacancies and do not expect any in the forseeable future. We regret that we are unable to offer job experience or placements.
Five Leaves Publications is the trading name of Five Leaves Limited.
Registered office:
129a Middleton Boulevard, Nottingham NG8 1FW.
Company registration number 3018180,
registered in England and Wales.
Company secretary: Myra Woolfson.
Director: Ross Bradshaw