In 2024, Mike received a manuscript with an incredible backstory attached. Traditional publishers had turned down the proposal as too risky or not having a big enough market. Believing the book was too valuable to ignore, Mike decided to take on the project, and so North Deer Press was born.
Unlike traditional publishers, North Deer Press runs a hybrid model, meaning most of the costs of publishing are paid for by the author or a supporting investor. This model provides the author with editorial and design support leading to a professionally published book distributed globally via digital and physical retail channels. Since the publisher has reduced production costs to recoup, it guarantees the author a much greater percentage of royalties than a traditional publisher can offer.
Hybrid publishing also allows the publisher the freedom to be less selective than a traditional press. Of course, we want to share the very best books we can, but without silos of teams and dozens of shareholders to win over, our priority is the quality of the writing and story being told. This allows us to support the next generation of great writers and introduce the world to incredible stories worth telling.
Breaking Boundaries
The publishing industry can often feel slow at adapting to cultural change, and diversity remains a hot topic, both in terms of workforce and authors published. Our ethos of Breaking Boundaries is built in to everything we do, from operating a hybrid model to working with writers from non-traditional backgrounds. Whether fiction or non-fiction, we are particularly interested in LGBTQ+ and working class voices, first-time authors under 30 or over 50, and writers of ethnic minorities and the global majority. Why these groups in particular? Because these voices have traditionally been excluded or overlooked by publishers. While there are many great books by talented authors who do not fit this criteria, the aim is provide opportunities for different stories to be told and help launch writers who otherwise would miss out.
Another important part of North Deer Press is our location. For hundreds of years, London and Oxford have been central to UK and global publishing. We are based in Liverpool and proud of our Northern and Scouse identity. Opportunities for writers and publishers in the North of England are far fewer and more competitive than those in the South East, and celebrating writers from our region is key to upholding our ethos.