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, Einaudi in Italy and Unionsverlag in Germany). 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.  

Free Verse 2013: the poetry book fair, organised by CBe, Chrissy Williams and Joey Connolly, will be held at the Conway Hall, London, on Saturday,7 September. Last year’s book fair, held at Candid Arts in London, provided a platform for 50 poetry publishers to present and sell their work direct to the public. Over half the publishers attending came from Scotland, Wales and other regions of the UK, with travel costs subsidised by funding from Arts Council England; national poetry organisations also participated. The book fair built upon the success of an initial celebration of the range and quality of poetry publishing in the UK organised by CBe in 2011, and has become an annual event. (Photo courtesy Véronique Dubois.)