Unnamed Press is an independent publisher based in Los Angeles, California. Unnamed Press publishes

literary fiction Literary fiction, mainstream fiction, non-genre fiction or serious fiction is a label that, in the book trade, refers to market novels that do not fit neatly into an established genre (see genre fiction); or, otherwise, refers to novels that are ch ...

and

non-fiction Nonfiction, or non-fiction, is any document or media content that attempts, in good faith, to provide information (and sometimes opinions) grounded only in facts and real life, rather than in imagination. Nonfiction is often associated with be ...

, with an emphasis on debuts by women, underrepresented voices and people of color, as well as internationally focused speculative and fantasy. Its art director, Jaya Nicely, is an LA-based illustrator and designer.

History

Unnamed Press was founded in 2013 by C.P. Heiser and Olivia Taylor Smith after meeting in 2011 at the ''

Los Angeles Review of Books The ''Los Angeles Review of Books'' (''LARB'' is a literary review magazine covering the national and international book scenes. A preview version launched on Tumblr in April 2011, and the official website followed one year later in April 2012. ...

'' and was originally intended to be an ebook-only publisher, focused on genre fiction set outside of the United States. The press began with early success in publishing global fiction from Deji Bryce Olukotun (''Nigerians in Space''),

Kristiina Ehin Kristiina Ehin (born 18 July 1977) is an Estonia, Estonian poet, translator, singer and songwriter. Ehin studied at University of Tartu with a degree in philology and specializes in folklore. In 2004, she acquired master's degree in the Estonia ...

(''Walker on Water''), and

Kazi Anis Ahmed Kazi Anis Ahmed (Bengali: কাজী আনিস আহমেদ) is a Bangladeshi writer, publisher and businessman. He is a co-founder and publisher of the English-language daily newspaper ''Dhaka Tribune'', online news portal ''Bangla Tri ...

(''Good Night, Mr. Kissinger''). It quickly evolved to a traditional publishing model, and now releases between 12 and 15 print titles per year. In 2018, Unnamed Press reached a milestone of 50 books published. Unnamed Press is distributed by

Publishers Group West Publishers Group West (PGW) is a book distributor founded in 1976 in Berkeley, California, which distributes to bookstores in the U.S. and internationally. They were the largest distributor of independent presses in the U.S. in the 1990s. In 2007, ...

Publishing

Authors published by Unnamed Press include Pulitzer Prize-winner

Dale Maharidge Dale Maharidge (born 24 October 1956) is an American author, journalist and academic best known for his collaborations with photographer Michael Williamson. Maharidge and Williamson's book '' And Their Children After Them'' won the Pulitzer Prize ...

, Man-Booker Prize-winner

Jennifer Croft Jennifer Croft is an American author, critic and Translation, translator who works from Polish language, Polish, Ukrainian language, Ukrainian and Rioplatense Spanish, Argentine Spanish. With the author Olga Tokarczuk, she was awarded the 2018 Man ...

Fariha Róisín Fariha Róisín (born 1990) is an Australian-Canadian writer. She released her debut poetry collection ''How to Cure a Ghost'' in 2019 and her debut novel ''Like a Bird'' in 2020. Her first work of non-fiction was written in 2022, ''Who is Wellne ...

Ken Dychtwald Kenneth M. Dychtwald is an American entrepreneur, gerontologist, psychologist, and lecturer. He is a co-founder and chief executive officer of Age Wave, a California Bay Area-based consulting and research company focused on the implications of ...

, Alex Espinoza, Bethany C. Morrow, Jessie Chaffee, Malu Halasa,

Agnès Desarthe Agnès Desarthe ( Naouri; born 3 May 1966) is a French novelist, children's writer and translator. Biography Desarthe was born 3 May 1966 in Paris. She is the daughter of the pediatrician and writer Aldo Naouri. She is married to filmmaker , so ...

, Saad Z. Hossain,

Stefan G. Bucher Stefan G. Bucher (born 1973) is an American writer, graphic designer and illustrator. He works through his design studio, 344 Design.Sullivan, Jenny "Graphic Design America 3 – Portfolios From The Best And Brightest Design Firms From Across Th ...

, Margaret Wappler, Janet Capron, David Ulin,

Henrietta Rose-Innes Henrietta Rose-Innes (born 14 September 1971) is a South African novelist and short-story writer. She was the 2008 winner of the Caine Prize for African WritingLindesay Irvine"Henrietta Rose-Innes wins £10,000 Caine prize" ''The Guardian'', 8 J ...

, Merle Kröger, James Boice (writer),

Janice Pariat Janice Pariat is an Indian poet and writer. She was born in Assam and grew up in Shillong, Meghalaya.Rao Chaini, Sanjitha (15 October 2012)"A Tale Can Be Told In Many Ways", ''Business World. ''Retrieved 30 August 2013.Staff writer (31 August 2 ...

, J.M. Servin, among others. In 2016, Unnamed author Esmé Weijun Wang was selected as a

Granta ''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story’s supreme ability to describe, illuminate and ma ...

Best Young American Novelist for her debut novel ''Border of Paradise'', released by the press that same year. Esmé was also selected as a 2018

Whiting Award The Whiting Award is an American award presented annually to ten emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry and plays. The award is sponsored by the Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation Mrs. (American English) or Mrs (British English; standard E ...

winner for her forthcoming collection of essays from

Graywolf Press Graywolf Press is an Independent publisher, independent, non-profit publishing, publisher located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Graywolf Press publishes fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Graywolf Press collaborates with organizations such as the Co ...

. In 2017, Unnamed published ''After the Flare'' by Deji Bryce Olukotun — a follow-up science fiction thriller and sequel to the first book issued by the press (''Nigerians in Space''). ''After the Flare'' was named a finalist and won Special Citation for the 2018

Philip K. Dick Award The Philip K. Dick Award is an American science fiction award given annually at Norwescon and sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society and (since 2005) the Philip K. Dick Trust. Named after science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, ...

. In 2020, Unnamed author

won the nonfiction

William Saroyan International Prize for Writing The William Saroyan International Prize for Writing is a biennial literary award for fiction and nonfiction in the spirit of William Saroyan by emerging writers. It was established by Stanford University Libraries and the William Saroyan Foundation ...

for ''Homesick''. Croft won the 2018 Man Booker International Prize for her translation from Polish of Olga Tokarczuk’s ''Flights''.

References

{{reflist Book publishing companies based in California Publishing companies established in 2013 Small press publishing companies Literary publishing companies Companies based in Los Angeles 2013 establishments in California