The Indigo Press announces new titles for 2019 as it celebrates first birthday
The Indigo Press—the publishing arm of the MILD Group—last night announced the acquisition of four new books for 2019. The announcement came as the publisher celebrated its first birthday at an event marking the publication of Sulaiman Addonia’s Silence is My Mother Tongue, its third title since launch. The publication marks the end of an exciting first year for the press, whose other 2018 are These Bones Will Rise Again by Panashe Chigumadzi and Wonder Valley by Ivy Pochoda.
Commenting on the new titles, Publishing Director Ellah Wakatama Allfrey said:
“Our 2019 books reflect the ambition of The Indigo Press to publish work that interrogates some of the most urgent issues of our time. Our writers come from vastly different countries but the books are united in their exploration of subjects of universal importance. Through literary fiction, crime, and non-fiction, it’s a list that I hope will encourage us all to think about the subjects these writers have focused on with such passion – the rights of individuals to express their sexuality free of persecution or the threat of violence; the rise of women’s voices in pursuit of justice; the challenges of living in a digital age and the toll polarisation and religious fundamentalism takes on our humanity.”
Titles confirmed for The Indigo Press 2019 publishing programme are:
The Clothesline Swing by Ahmad Danny Ramadan (March 2019)
A UK debut from the Syrian-Canadian author and LGBTQ activist Ahmad Danny Ramadan, The Clothesline Swing is an epic story of two lovers anchored to the memory of a dying Syria, inspired by One Thousand and One Nights. The book is winner of the Independent Publisher Book Award for Gay/Lesbian/Bi/Trans Fiction, was longlisted for Canada Reads 2018, shortlisted for the Evergreen Award 2018 and was a finalist for the Lambda Awards 2018. The book was named among the Best Books of 2017 by the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star .
The Divinities: Drake & Crane Book 1 by Parker Bilal (May 2019)
The Divinities is the first in an addictive new London-set crime series from Parker Bilal, the acclaimed creator of the Makana novels, described by The Guardian as “everything you could want in a detective series.” In this first instalment of the new series, Bilal introduces two protagonists, Detective Inspector Calil Drake and Dr Rayhana Crane, in a thrilling tale of betrayal in the wake of the War on Terror.
I Choose Elena by Lucia Osborne-Crowley (September 2019)
An essay on trauma, recovery and the true cost of sexual violence, I Choose Elena is a searing, cathartic debut that explores survival, memory and silence. Written by Lucia Osborne-Crowley, a lawyer and investigative journalist, specialising in news, political analysis and women’s issues, the book will be the latest addition to the publisher ’s ‘Mood Indigo’ series: long-form essays by leading international writers that respond to pressing social and political issues of our time.
The Twittering Machine by Richard Seymour (September 2019)
The Twittering Machine is a dazzling reflection on the inversion of the internet ’s utopian promise into paranoia, anxiety and malice by leading political writer and broadcaster, Richard Seymour. Seymour ’s previous books include Against Austerity (2014, Pluto Press) and Corbyn: The Strange Rebirth of Radical Politics (2016, Verso Books). Commissioning editor of Salvage, his writing has appeared in The Guardian, London Review of Books, ABC Australia and Al Jazeera.
Commenting on the Press’ first year, CEO, Susie Nicklin, said:
“I am proud to publish Sulaiman – whose writing recently received an endorsement from this year ’s Man Booker Prize winner Anna Burns – and all our authors at The Indigo Press, and to be working with colleagues in retail, foreign rights licensing and live literature to bring the best contemporary voices to the reading public.”
Founded by CEO Susie Nicklin, The Indigo Press is part of a portfolio of book businesses, which also includes long-established international rights specialists The Marsh Agency, award-winning independent bookshop Dulwich Books, and a successful live events series, that includes three literary festivals.
Notes to Editors
Commonwealth rights (excluding Canada English language), and World translation rights excluding French and Hebrew, for The Clothesline Swing were acquired from Nightwood Editions, Canada
World rights (all languages) were acquired for The Divinities: Drake & Crane Book 1 from Euan Thorneycroft at A.M. Heath
World rights (all languages) were acquired for I Choose Elena from Lucia Osborne-Crowley
World rights (all languages) were acquired for The Twittering Machine from Karoline Sutton at Curtis Brown
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