Small Presses Challenge UK Literary Culture Amid Corporate Dominance and Political Activism in 2025

In 2025, small presses in the UK took a stand against the trends of corporate publishing while tackling political issues. They released an open letter highlighting the dangers posed by institutional pressures and escalating production costs. Their advocacy included support for BDS/PACBI and calls for the UK government to eliminate biometric checks for students from Gaza. Among their notable releases were Haia Mohammed's The Age of Olive Trees from Out-Spoken Press, along with impactful creative nonfiction by Will Rees, Emily LaBarge, and So Mayer. Poetry collections, such as Oluwaseun Olayiwola's Strange Beach, pushed back against conservative narratives. C.D. Rose's We Live Here Now earned the Goldsmiths Prize. Since 2006, author earnings in corporate publishing have plummeted by 60%, while public arts funding has drastically declined. Small presses also reflected on their histories with works like After Words: Visual and Experimental Poetry.