Sort of Books

Sort of Books is an independent British publishing house founded in 1999 by Mark Ellingham and Natania Jansz, who had previously founded the Rough Guides travel-book series. The company was established as a selective publishing venture rather than a high-volume commercial house. Its stated identity is based on finding and maintaining books that readers will want to discover and rediscover, a positioning reflected in a deliberately small publishing programme. The press began with Chris Stewart's memoir Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia. Stewart had been the original drummer of the rock band Genesis before moving to rural Spain, and the memoir became a major commercial success, selling more than one million copies according to reference material about the company. The performance of the launch title gave the young house an unusually strong start, while also establishing an interest in distinctive, accessible narrative nonfiction. Sort of Books has generally released only a handful of titles each year, described as approximately three or four carefully chosen books annually. Its list spans contemporary fiction, literary nonfiction, popular science, classic fiction, memoir, essays, biography, and works that resist straightforward categorisation. Authors and subjects associated with the list include Kathleen Jamie, Jonathan Buckley, Lore Segal, Simon Lewis, Sophie Hannah, Stefan Zweig, Alexander Baron, Robert Kunzig, Wallace Broecker, Jane Bowles, and Paul Bowles. A particularly important area of the catalogue has been the work of Finnish artist and writer Tove Jansson. From 2012 onward, Sort of Books published a range of books by and about Jansson and has been credited with helping to renew interest in her work beyond the Moomin characters for which she is best known. The press has also kept Peter Blegvad's Leviathan in print, describing the book as a genre-defying collection of comic strips, wordplay, puns, and ideas. The name Sort of Books itself refers to the first record made by Blegvad's band Slapp Happy, linking the company's identity to literary and musical experimentation. The publisher's catalogue has received recognition in both science publishing and literary fiction. Robert Kunzig's Mapping the Deep: The Extraordinary Story of Ocean Science won the Aventis Science Book of the Year in 2001, an award now associated with the Royal Society Science Books Prize. In 2022, Sort of Books achieved its most prominent literary distinction when Shehan Karunatilaka's The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida became the first novel from the house to appear on the Booker Prize longlist. It was later shortlisted and won the 2022 Booker Prize, awarded at a ceremony at London's Roundhouse on 17 October 2022. The win made Sort of Books, by some distance according to the cited reference material, the smallest independent publisher to have produced a Booker Prize winner. The company has also been identified as an example of an independent press bringing distinctive and emerging work to readers despite operating with fewer resources than large publishing groups. Its business model and editorial reputation centre on selectivity, longevity, and the cultivation of books with lasting appeal rather than on a broad seasonal output. The available reference material does not establish a separate corporate parent, public listing, precise headquarters, current executive structure, or financial data. Its official website remains the principal public-facing source for the active publishing house and its catalogue.

Sort of Books was established in Britain in 1999 by Mark Ellingham and Natania Jansz, the founders of the Rough Guides travel series. Their new company adopted a markedly smaller and more selective publishing model than a mass-market publishing group. Rather than issuing a large seasonal list, Sort of Books has been described as selecting only around three or four titles a year. Its editorial promise is centred on books that readers will want to discover and return to, combining new writing with rediscovered or enduring works. The company's launch title was Chris Stewart's Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia. Stewart, formerly the original drummer of Genesis, wrote about his life in rural Andalucia after leaving the music business. The memoir became a substantial success, reportedly selling more than one million copies, and gave Sort of Books a prominent first publication. It also established a pattern that would recur in the house's list: books with strong individual voices, accessible subject matter, and an appeal that extends beyond a narrow specialist readership. Over time, the press developed a catalogue covering contemporary fiction, nonfiction, popular science, classic literature, memoir, essays, and works that combine literary, visual, or intellectual forms. Its authors and subjects include Kathleen Jamie, Jonathan Buckley, Lore Segal, Simon Lewis, Sophie Hannah, Stefan Zweig, Alexander Baron, Robert Kunzig, Wallace Broecker, Jane Bowles, and Paul Bowles. The list is notable for its mixture of new and established writers and for its interest in books that may not fit neatly into standard commercial categories. Science publishing became an early area of distinction. In 2001, Robert Kunzig's Mapping the Deep: The Extraordinary Story of Ocean Science won the Aventis Science Book of the Year, an award now known as the Royal Society Science Books Prize. The recognition demonstrated that the house's small scale did not prevent it from competing in major specialist and literary fields. From 2012 onward, Sort of Books published a range of books by and about Tove Jansson, the Finnish artist and writer associated internationally with the Moomins. The press has been credited with helping to spearhead a revival of interest in Jansson. This activity illustrates its broader role as a curator of literary and cultural work, not merely as a publisher of newly written commercial fiction. The company also maintains distinctive backlist titles. Among them is Peter Blegvad's Leviathan, a collection of comic-strip work built around wordplay, puns, and ideas. Sort of Books has identified the title as an important part of its identity and has linked its own name to the first record made by Blegvad's band Slapp Happy. This connection reflects the house's affinity for books that combine literary, visual, musical, and experimental sensibilities. In 2020, Sort of Books was included in a global list of independent presses identified as introducing new talent. The recognition placed the company within a wider international discussion about the role of small publishers in bringing unusual and high-quality work to market. Independent presses were presented as capable of producing distinctive catalogues even without the financial and distribution resources of major publishing groups. The most significant milestone in the company's history came in 2022. Shehan Karunatilaka's The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida became the first novel published by Sort of Books to appear on the Booker Prize longlist. The novel subsequently reached the shortlist and won the prize at the award ceremony held at London's Roundhouse on 17 October 2022. The result gave Sort of Books an unusually prominent position in British and international literary publishing. Reference material describes it as, by a considerable margin, the smallest independent publisher to have produced a Booker Prize winner. The available sources do not provide a verified headquarters address, ownership structure, current managing personnel, financial results, or public-company information. The official website remains the principal source for the house's current catalogue and public activities.

• 2022

  First Booker Prize longlist selection

  [1]Sort of Booksen.wikipedia.org

  The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida becomes the first Sort of Books novel selected for the Booker Prize longlist.

• 2022

  Booker Prize victory

  [1]Sort of Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Shehan Karunatilaka's The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida wins the 2022 Booker Prize.

• 2012

  Tove Jansson programme begins

  [1]Sort of Booksen.wikipedia.org

  The publisher begins issuing a range of books by and about Tove Jansson.

• 2001

  Aventis Science Book of the Year

  [1]Sort of Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Robert Kunzig's Mapping the Deep wins the science-book award now associated with the Royal Society Science Books Prize.

• 1999

  Sort of Books is established

  [1]Sort of Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Mark Ellingham and Natania Jansz launch the independent British publishing house.

• 1999

  First title: Driving Over Lemons

  [1]Sort of Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Chris Stewart's memoir becomes the company's launch title and later a major commercial success.

A highly selective independent literary press focused on distinctive fiction, nonfiction, popular science, classics, and enduring backlist works. Sort of Books differentiates itself through a small annual list, editorial curation, and a willingness to publish books that cross conventional genre boundaries.

• Memoir · 1999

  Driving Over Lemons: An Optimist in Andalucia

  Chris Stewart's memoir about leaving his former musical career and building a life in rural Andalucia. Published as Sort of Books' launch title in 1999, it became the house's best-known early commercial success and reportedly sold more than one million copies.

• Popular science

  Mapping the Deep: The Extraordinary Story of Ocean Science

  Robert Kunzig's account of the development of ocean science and the exploration of the deep sea. The book won the 2001 Aventis Science Book of the Year, giving the young independent press recognition in science publishing.

• Literary fiction · 2022

  The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida

  Shehan Karunatilaka's novel combines elements of a ghost story, detective narrative, political satire, and meditation on friendship, grief, and the afterlife in Sri Lanka. It was longlisted, shortlisted, and ultimately awarded the 2022 Booker Prize.

• Literature and cultural publishing · 2012

  Tove Jansson books and related works

  A range of books by and about Tove Jansson, published from 2012 onward. The programme extends attention beyond the Moomins to Jansson's broader literary and artistic work and has been associated with a renewed interest in her writing.

• Comic strip and experimental literature

  Leviathan

  Peter Blegvad's distinctive collection of comic strips, wordplay, puns, and ideas. Sort of Books has kept the work in print and identifies it as a title closely connected with the publisher's experimental cultural identity.

• 2022

  Publish The Seven Moons of Maali AlmeidaOther

  Background

  The press continued its policy of selecting distinctive literary fiction from outside the dominant large-publisher model.

  Action taken

  Sort of Books published Shehan Karunatilaka's novel, which was subsequently selected for the Booker longlist and shortlist.

  Aftermath

  The novel won the 2022 Booker Prize, becoming the company's most prominent literary success and the first Sort of Books title to win the award.

  Source

• 2012

  Develop a Tove Jansson publishing programmeStrategy

  Background

  The press expanded its interest in distinctive literary and cultural backlist material.

  Action taken

  It began publishing a range of books by and about Tove Jansson.

  Aftermath

  The programme was credited with helping to renew interest in Jansson's work.

  Source

• 1999

  Adopt a highly selective publishing programmeStrategy

  Background

  The founders created the house as an independent publisher with a deliberately small list rather than a broad, high-volume output.

  Action taken

  Sort of Books focused on hand-picked titles, generally publishing approximately three or four books each year across fiction, nonfiction, popular science, and related categories.

  Aftermath

  The selective model became central to the brand's identity and editorial positioning.

  Source

1. 1Sort of Booksen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Sort of Books official websitesortof.co.uk