our story

September Publishing is an independent publisher of an award-winning list of illustrated and non-fiction print and ebooks. Our focus is on books that will expand readers’ worlds, either feeding their passionately held interests or inspiring new journeys in literature and art. In 2020 we published our first children’s books and in 2021 the first of our full-length fiction and audio books.

We were founded in 2014 with a clear mission to be a fair-share publisher – an imprint determined to ensure authors received a decent share in the sales success of their books. We are also unusual in that we place creative collaboration high on our list of priorities and skills; determined always to work with the best creatives and consultants. The September team have always worked remotely, meaning a consistent team and a business whose profits are funnelled back into the books, not into expensive overheads. Over time we have worked with some of the best designers in the UK, developed fine new talent with our intern programme, and built careers and long-term publishing programmes with new literary writers, artists and subject experts.

September won a BA Small Press of the Year Regional Award in 2020 and 2021, and in 2023 we were Highly Commended. In 2020 we were also nominated for the IPG Newcomer Award and were a beneficiary of the Arts Council Culture Recovery Fund. We have published books with English Heritage and the Van Gogh Museum and sold rights to our titles in multiple languages and territories. In 2021 we are beginning a process of reviewing our carbon footprint and the sustainability of our practices and partnerships.

OUR TEAM

Hannah MacDonald

Publisher and Founder

After twenty years of publishing at Andre Deutsch, Random House and HarperCollins, Hannah founded September. She specialises in a creative approach to shaping books with debut authors, brands and personalities. She has published multiple top ten bestsellers across memoir, media, sport, history and led many start-up projects: from fiction lists to apps. She is also the author of two well-received novels, The Sun Road and Julianna Kiss, and a winner of a Betty Trask Award for first novels. Starting an independent publisher was a natural extension of a life-long, escapist pleasure in buying, reading and – above all – sharing good books. @septemberbooks

Charlotte Cole

Editorial Director

With September from the beginning, Charlotte is a respected commissioning and managing editor, although she works across all areas of the company. She began her book publishing life at The Women’s Press in 1994 and went on to become editorial director at Ebury Publishing. Working remotely with September has allowed Charlotte to move back to Cumbria, and she would particularly love to hear from writers and creatives based in the north of the country. @wordsandwoofs

Sue Amaradivakara

Consultant Publicist

Sue has worked in books and arts publicity for over fifteen years. At Random House, Sue was publicity director across four imprints, Chatto & Windus, Harvill Secker, Square Peg and Yellow Jersey Press. She left in January 2013 to co-founded PR Collective. Since then she has worked with a variety of publishers on individual book campaigns on a wide range of high profile projects. Authors she has worked with include Julian Barnes, Ian McEwan, AS Byatt, Clive Stafford Smith, Toni Morrison, Nigella Lawson and Martin Amis. @SueA1001

Rachel Quin

Marketing Consultant

Rach is a freelance marketing professional with over eight years of experience and a passion for books, digital marketing and, most importantly, cats. Previously inhouse at HarperCollins developing award-winning marketing campaigns, she now works across publishers with clients including Canongate, Hachette, Penguin Random House, Faber, Bloomsbury, HarperCollins and now September Publishing! Based in Canterbury, she spends her free time gazing adoringly at old buildings and visiting historical sites. @RachelMayQuin

Plus the office animals