Tickets for talks and panels are only available to Indie Press Fair ticket holders. BOOK HERE

You'll be emailed an access code to book them for free. 

Success in Small Press Publishing, chaired by Neil Griffiths

Neil Griffiths (Weatherglass Books) will speak with independent publishers with a range of experiences about what success looks like in small and independent publishing. He will be joined in conversation by Farhaana Arefin (Hajar Press), Sean Campbell (époque press), and Oscar Mathers (Oblique House).

Neil Griffiths is a novelist, publisher and founder of the Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses. His first novel, Betrayal in Naples, won the Authors’ Club Best First Novel Award; Saving Caravaggio was shortlisted for the Costa Best Novel Award (2007). His third novel As a God Might Be was published by Dodo Ink. His memoir The Wrong Son was published this year to critical acclaim.

Farhaana Arefin is the publisher and managing director at Hajar Press, an independent political publishing house by and for people of colour, which she co-founded in 2020. She is the editor of the elements anthology series, of which the first volume, The Hajar Book of Rage, was published in 2025.

Sean Campbell is the MD and Editor in Chief at époque press. He established the company in 2017 as a lifelong ambition to champion great literature, with the aim of seeking out unique and exciting new voices. In addition to the main imprint, époque press also hosts an online arts magazine, the époque press é-zine, which connects global artists working in different mediums in order to stir the wider pot of creativity.

Oscar Mather is an architect, printmaker and writer. He is the publisher of Oblique House. In parallel to practice he lectures in architecture and is pursuing a PhD at Kingston University, London.

The Indie Press Fair is a one-day celebration of independent publishing, hosted by Calico Projects at Manor House Library.

Independent presses will be exhibiting on the day, with books and other publications available to buy directly from them.

Running alongside the fair are four free talks and panels featuring authors, editors and publishers discussing their work and the world of small press publishing. These are bookable separately using an access code sent to Entry Ticket holders by email, so buy your ticket early to guarantee a place.

Entry includes a free drink on arrival (before 2:15pm) and buffet food during the day. A pay bar will be on site.

Talks and Panels

Talks and panels are free, but only bookable with an access code. You'll be emailed the code after buying an Entry Ticket, then use it to reserve your place at each session, spaces are limited.

Panel: Translation and Creative Practice, chaired by Erica Hesketh
1:45 PM–2:30 PM
Poet and translator Erica Hesketh leads a conversation on the craft of literary translation and its relationship to creative practice.

Koushik Banerjea (Animal Nightlife) in conversation with Andi Thomas
2:50 PM–3:35 PM
Koushik Banerjea talks about Animal Nightlife, a kaleidoscopic novel of hybrid human-animal lives navigating a dangerous, divided Britain.

Nell Osborne (Ghost Driver) in conversation with Neil Griffiths
3:50 PM–4:35 PM
Poet and novelist Nell Osborne discusses Ghost Driver, joint winner of the 2026 Queen Mary Small Press Fiction Prize, a shape-shifting tale of paranoia, disappearance and self-recognition.

Panel: Success in Small Press Publishing, chaired by Neil Griffiths
5:30 PM–6:30 PM
Neil Griffiths chairs a panel of independent publishers on the experience of small press publishing and what success looks like in the industry.