Unnamed Press

Unnamed Press
Founded2013
FoundersC.P. Heiser, Olivia Taylor Smith
Country of originUnited States
Headquarters locationLos Angeles, California
DistributionPublishers Group West (USA)
Fiction genresLiterary fiction and nonfiction
Official websitewww.unnamedpress.com

Unnamed Press is an independent publisher based in Los Angeles, California. Unnamed Press publishes literary fiction and non-fiction, with an emphasis on debuts by women, underrepresented voices and people of color, as well as internationally focused speculative and fantasy.[1] Its art director, Jaya Nicely, is an LA-based illustrator and designer.[2]

History

Unnamed Press was founded in 2013 by C.P. Heiser and Olivia Taylor Smith after meeting in 2011 at the Los Angeles Review of Books and was originally intended to be an ebook-only publisher, focused on genre fiction set outside of the United States.[3] The press began with early success in publishing global fiction from Deji Bryce Olukotun (Nigerians in Space), Kristiina Ehin (Walker on Water), and Kazi Anis Ahmed (Good Night, Mr. Kissinger).[4] It quickly evolved to a traditional publishing model, and now releases between 12 and 15 print titles per year.[5] In 2018, Unnamed Press reached a milestone of 50 books published.[6] Unnamed Press is distributed by Publishers Group West.[3]

Publishing

Authors published by Unnamed Press include Pulitzer Prize-winner Dale Maharidge, Man-Booker Prize-winner Jennifer Croft, Fariha Róisín, Ken Dychtwald, Alex Espinoza, Bethany C. Morrow, Jessie Chaffee, Malu Halasa, Agnès Desarthe, Saad Z. Hossain, Stefan G. Bucher, Margaret Wappler, Janet Capron, David Ulin, Henrietta Rose-Innes, Kazi Anis Ahmed, Merle Kröger, James Boice (writer), Janice Pariat, J.M. Servin, among others.[7]

In 2016, Unnamed author Esmé Weijun Wang was selected as a Granta Best Young American Novelist for her debut novel Border of Paradise, released by the press that same year.[8] Esmé was also selected as a 2018 Whiting Award winner for her forthcoming collection of essays from Graywolf Press.[9]

In 2017, Unnamed published After the Flare by Deji Bryce Olukotun — a follow-up science fiction thriller and sequel to the first book issued by the press (Nigerians in Space). After the Flare was named a finalist and won Special Citation for the 2018 Philip K. Dick Award.[10]

In 2020, Unnamed author Jennifer Croft won the nonfiction William Saroyan International Prize for Writing for Homesick. Croft won the 2018 Man Booker International Prize for her translation from Polish of Olga Tokarczuk’s Flights.

References

  1. ^ "Unnamed Press > About". Unnamed Press.
  2. ^ "Jaya Nicely > About".
  3. ^ a b Gross, Anisse. "Unnamed Press Creating Home For Contemporary Authors". Publishers Weekly.
  4. ^ Nawotka, Edward. "LA's Unnamed Press: Relatable Foreign Fiction, Unlikely Protagonists". Publishing Perspectives. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  5. ^ Ulin, David L. "Talking with the publishers of new L.A.-based Unnamed Press". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  6. ^ Ulin, David L. "How Small, Scrappy Local Book Presses Have Turned L.A. Into a Publishing Town". Los Angeles Magazine.
  7. ^ "Unnamed Press > Books".
  8. ^ "Granta 139: Best of Young American Novelists 3". Granta. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  9. ^ "2018 Whiting Award Winners". Whiting Foundation. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
  10. ^ "2018 Philip K. Dick Award Winner Announced". Philip K. Dick Award. Retrieved 18 April 2018.