CB editions publishes short fiction, poetry, translations and other work which, as the Guardian noted, ‘might otherwise fall through the cracks between the big publishers’. The first four books were published in November 2007. CBe titles have won a fiction prize and two poetry prizes and have been shortlisted for a translation prize and other awards. An overview of CBe (‘if it began as a publisher of last resort, it has become one of first-class tastes’), part of the online Guardian’s continuing series on small presses, can be read here.
The covers of the books, which (with the occasional exception) feature simply the title and author’s name on manilla board, allude with respect and thanks to the paperback London Magazine editions published by Alan Ross in the late 1960s and early 70s. (For images of those books, see this interview.)
Jennie Walker’s 24 for 3 (McKitterick Prize, 2008), first published by CBe in 2007, is now published by Bloomsbury (and by Soho Press in the US). Christopher Reid’s The Song of Lunch, first published by CBe in 2009 and filmed for the BBC in 2010, is now published by Faber.
CBe titles – like those of many other small presses – are not usually stocked by the big chainstore bookshops and are only intermittently available on Amazon. CBe benefits most from purchases made direct from this site; delivery within the UK is free and the books are usually sent within 24 hours of ordering.
CBe receives no external funding, public or private, and relies entirely on sales of the books to stay alive. The photograph below was taken at the Free Verse book fair organised by CBe and held on 24 September 2011 in Exmouth Market, London. Conceived in response to the Arts Council cuts to several poetry organisations and publishers announced earlier in the year, the book fair was opened by Michael Horovitz and displayed the work of 23 independent poetry presses. The event will be repeated in 2012 in a larger venue.
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