An independent publisher is opening a shop on Smithdown Road to bring industry "connections and knowledge" to Liverpool.
Dead Ink Books is an independent publisher currently based in the Baltic Triangle which was born out of a desire not to follow trends, but to lead them. The imprint, which publishes a range of literary fiction and non-fiction, focusses on finding and investing in authors who may not yet be known or commercially viable.
As an independent publisher in the north, Dead Ink Books wants to make the publishing industry more accessible for those outside London. Nathan Connolly, publishing director at the imprint, said the option of moving to London and working an unpaid internship wasn't the option for him.
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He added the imprint, born out a bedroom, has been allowed to grow through support from Arts Council England and "a supportive and passionate" readership. He told the ECHO : "The publishing industry is just so inaccessible, particularly if you're not from money or if you're not from the right kind of area.
"It can seem completely invisible to people to the point where some feel there's no point trying. Here in the north there's a really great community where all publishers support each other. I think the last five or so years can accurately be described as a kind of golden age for independent publishing in the UK and a lot of that has happened in the north.
"Being part of the network and working alongside writers to tell their stories comes with a responsibility to make yourself more accessible. That's where the idea for the bookshop came from."
Dead Ink Books has taken an empty unit on Smithdown Road to make the business "much more public facing". The shop, which will focus on stocking books from independent publishers, will also have the imprint's publishing office on site.
Nathan added: "It breaks down the barriers for the general public who might not understand how publishing works. It makes us more accessible if people want to come to us with ideas as well.
"We're obviously not in London so it can sometimes seem like an impossible task to try and break into the industry. But we hope we can bring those connections and the knowledge to Liverpool."
The journey to get to the stage where they are just weeks from opening the shop hasn't been easy. Nathan told the ECHO the publisher couldn't get a guarantor so had to pay a year's rent upfront.
The director said: "When we're faced with a problem we go to the people who believe in us most - our readers. We explained in frank and honest terms what the issue was and if they could help and they managed to raise about 50% of the money needed. We had over 300 backers."
But when it seemed like they were going to fall short of their target, a mystery donor came forward with the rest of the money to get them up to their target. Nathan added: "They weren't a hugely wealthy person who regularly does that sort of thing. They had some money available, they'd seen the project and wanted to make sure it happened."
The shop is looking to open its doors at the start of October. Nathan hopes it will become more than just a retail space, with plans for coffee, events and of course the publishing office also on site.
With the country in the midst of a cost of living crisis, it could seem a difficult time to be opening a physical space. But Nathan is confident of the shop's success due to the publisher's loyal customer base.
He told the ECHO : "There's going to be challenges but I think we started with a good idea and people clearly like it and are passionate about it. As long as we can repay the respect people have shown us to benefit the community around us, I think we're going to be okay."
You can follow Dead Ink Books' shop journey here.
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