‘Book Works bring out some of the most thoughtful and engaging experimental text being published anywhere today. Kudos to them for keeping this up for so many years without any visible reduction in quality.’ – AA Bronson

The economic realities facing independent publishers in the UK, from inflation, particularly production costs, cuts to funding, changes to customs charges and the difficulties of a risk averse retail landscape have led to a crisis which threatens the ambitious work of independent presses who publish challenging books and create a home for writers and audiences ignored by the wider industry. In this precarious climate we are increasingly in need of further support not only on independent bookshops and their communities who support us but also the generosity of our Supporters, Readers Club to raise vital funds for each project and to ensure the longevity of the organisation.

For over 40 years Book Works has played a leading role in the contemporary arts scene with a unique position as makers and publishers of artists books. We create genuine opportunities for artists and writers at the emerging stage of their careers to develop new, ambitious and innovative projects through our diverse commissioning programme of open submissions, guest editorships, public events, exhibitions and publications.

We are delighted to share details of some of our 2026–27 commissions in development below. We hope you will consider becoming a Supporter, joining our Readers Club or making a donation to support our experimental, risk taking publishing and our programme of genre-disrupting works by emerging artists and writers. highlighted in a recent open letter by UK Small Press Futures,

Read about ways to support us here.

We closed 2025 with two artist books The Truth and Untruth of Stones by Lucy Skaer, and distinguish the limit from the edge by Theresa Hak Kyung Cha and Jimmy Robert, and the first publication in our New Writing Series, The Kingdom by Yoel Noorali, described as ‘blistering, funny, and brokenhearted, like the best human writing.’ by  Sam Lipsyte.

This new series, is dedicated to publishing outside the mainstream, with a focus on the emerging, out-of-print and off-kilter and forthcoming from the New Writing Series in 2026 are: Robert Frost, a poetic collaboration between Stacy Skolnik and Robert Frost. Poems from Robert Frost were awarded the 2025 Lisa Brannan Prize for emerging poets. Bad Omens, a lyric memoir on art and grief from poet Luke Roberts; and the first published novel from cult writer Robyn Skyrme, Old Owl and Matt, a road trip novel about a young man haunted by the memory of a radio play from his childhood, a play whose prescience threatens his present love-life.

The two winning commissions from our open call Satirical Strains, guest edited by Holly Pester, were announced in January. We received almost one-hundred submissions and we are delighted that Laura Elliott and Gro Pechüle have been selected to publish in this series.

Other titles to be published this year include: The Circle by Bouchra Khalili, the conclusion of her ten-year investigation into the Arab Workers’ Movement (MTA), which focuses on its theatre troupes, Al Assifa (the tempest) and Al Halaka (the circle, the assembly); Our Bodies Are Not the Problem a new graphic artists book by Olivia Plender; and the launch of DUMMY our new magazine of criticism dedicated to the obscure, difficult or overlooked. It will feature long-form writing on innovative, boundary-pushing work by artists and writers from historically underrepresented backgrounds and those supported by independent presses. Issue one is guest edited by Rachael Allen and Josie Mitchell and will be launched in July 2026.