The government is always harping on about the North South Divide and how their policies will seek to reverse this trend. BUPA, The BBC, the GMC, amongst others, have moved from London to Manchester. Leeds has become the second biggest financial centre in England, after London.HS2, assuming it goes ahead now, will, eventually, connect Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and other northern cities to each other, as well as to the London metropolis.
It is widely accepted that publishing in the UK is too white, too middle class and too London-centric. So, what are the chances of the big publishing houses moving to these northern cities? At present, most of the big publishers are global, with offices across the world in places like Sydney, New York, Toronto, Johannesburg. And their head offices are almost all in central London; often in leafy and grand squares, surrounded by Georgian townhouses. Bloomsbury’s head offices, for example, are found in the very sumptuous surrounds of Bedford Square. Faber and Faber are located just a few hundred metres away in Great Russell Street and the central London intellectual hub of Bloomsbury is also where Profile Books have made their home! The government is always harping on about the North South Divide and how their policies will seek to reverse this trend. BUPA, The BBC, the GMC, amongst others, have moved from London to Manchester. Leeds has become the second biggest financial centre in England, after London.HS2, assuming it goes ahead now, will, eventually, connect Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and other northern cities to each other, as well as to the London metropolis.
It is widely accepted that publishing in the UK is too white, too middle class and too London-centric. So, what are the chances of the big publishing houses moving to these northern cities? At present, most of the big publishers are global, with offices across the world in places like Sydney, New York, Toronto, Johannesburg. And their head offices are almost all in central London; often in leafy and grand squares, surrounded by Georgian townhouses. Bloomsbury’s head offices, for example, are found in the very sumptuous surrounds of Bedford Square. Faber and Faber are located just a few hundred metres away in Great Russell Street and the central London intellectual hub of Bloomsbury is also where Profile Books have made their home! Oxford has a number of renowned publishers, Oxford University Press being the most obvious example. There are, of course, already some smaller independent publishing houses outside London: Beggar Galley Press in Norwich, for example. And there are others in the big northern cities such as Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Liverpool. But, at present, there really aren’t any head offices of big publishing houses outside the Golden Triangle of Oxford, London and Cambridge.
The publisher “And Other Stories” was founded by Stefan and Tara Tobler in 2011 and originally based in high Wycombe; they have subsequently moved to….Sheffield! They wrote a fascinating article in The Guardian (Sept. 28th 2016 ) entitled “ A northern powerhouse really is coming – in publishing.” The article described their personal experiences and arguments to support their thesis. They are now part of an organisation called The Northern Fiction Alliance which aims to bring publishers in Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield together, with the aim of consolidating their resources, increasing their profile and attracting other publishers away from the beautiful south and to the dark, satanic mills of the north!
The article pointed out the attractiveness of the northern cities; overheads slashed, meaning profits up; vastly cheaper housing and a vibrant arts and cultural scene. If, post Covid-19, we are all going to have to work from home, connected to colleagues by technologies such as Zoom, then maybe this is the moment to consider swapping the big, expensive Bloomsbury head office for somewhere in Leeds, Sheffield or Manchester?
Beggar Galley Press in Norwich, for example. And there are others in the big northern cities such as Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Liverpool. But, at present, there really aren’t any head offices of big publishing houses outside the Golden Triangle of Oxford, London and Cambridge.
The publisher “And Other Stories” was founded by Stefan and Tara Tobler in 2011 and originally based in high Wycombe; they have subsequently moved to….Sheffield! They wrote a fascinating article in The Guardian (Sept. 28th 2016 ) entitled “ A northern powerhouse really is coming – in publishing.” The article described their personal experiences and arguments to support their thesis. They are now part of an organisation called The Northern Fiction Alliance which aims to bring publishers in Leeds, Newcastle, Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield together, with the aim of consolidating their resources, increasing their profile and attracting other publishers away from the beautiful south and to the dark, satanic mills of the north!
The article pointed out the attractiveness of the northern cities; overheads slashed, meaning profits up; vastly cheaper housing and a vibrant arts and cultural scene. If, post Covid-19, we are all going to have to work from home, connected to colleagues by technologies such as Zoom, then maybe this is the moment to consider swapping the big, expensive Bloomsbury head office for somewhere in Leeds, Sheffield or Manchester?
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