Top 3 Books From 10 Small Publishers 📚 My Favourite Books!

[@jenvcampbell]

Let me know your favourite publishers/books in the comments section below. ☺ I hope you're having a good Sunday! xx

[@Phillybookfairy]

Anticipatory grief is something I’ve experienced quite a few times and so I’m putting that Honorifics collection on my tbr thank you for sharing ❤

[@blackraven7774]

Hi Jen, I'm usually a fantasy reader but I've been watching your videos for about 3 years and have developed a deep love for literary fiction and poetry. Thank you 📚🌹📚🌹

[@jenvcampbell]

Hurray for all the genres! x

[@blackraven7774]

Fantasy is and will always be my first love...just feels good to expand my literary genres 🌈💃📚🌹

[@kathleenwalsh3556]

Thanks Jen from a near freezing point Anzac day. No Celia Dale books at my library. Sigh. You may have made a vid on this topic below but wd love to know about how much control you, as an author, have on your book covers. Plus anything about publishing really, the background stuff such as roles of editors, copywriters and the like.

[@jenvcampbell]

I have a whole playlist of videos about the publishing industry; just go to the main page of my channel and scroll down to find it ☺️ as for book covers, here’s a video on that m.kzbin.info/www/bejne/nGTVqqJ6gbarZsU x

[@copascribe7472]

A Bookshop Crawl sounds like the best day ever! Can't believe I've never thought of this! Thanks, Jen!

[@YourTrueShelf]

Absolutely brilliant video! So helpful and one I will refer back to. I read Ill Feelings on your recommendation, and really want to read more by this publisher. I only have one persephone book which I read and loved (No Surrender by Constance Maud). Really enjoyed 💛 xx

[@staciaoparowski8608]

This video was wonderful- now my tbr pile is soooo much taller!! I would like to mention a couple small presses that I really love, one being Swan River Press based in Ireland. The second is Luna Press in, I think, Scotland. ❤ thank you so much for this video! Cannot wait to start reading!

[@jenvcampbell]

Thanks! I'm familiar with Luna but not with Swan River Press, so I'll have to check them out. x

[@Larissa_KD]

I loved this video, I am only just beginning to notice different publishers and it's really eye-opening. This video pushed me to get an ebook subscription of my favourite Dutch small publisher (Das Mag) which I was thinking about for a while now, where I get all their 2023 books, so exciting!

[@jenvcampbell]

☺️♥️

[@Evegalewitz]

Picked up at Daunt’s Marylebone The Ladies Pond ages ago. I don’t know why I haven’t read it yet. Maybe this summer. I am sort on a binge of Irish books since March. Another great video. I love hearing reviews from your singular perspective. 😊

[@Jennie-O-2023]

Thanks for some great suggestions again! I've just ordered The Book Collector 😊

[@jenvcampbell]

🙌🏼

[@mradcaqbdb]

I will always recommend The Many by Wyl Menmuir from Salt. I loved this gorgeous book and still think of its imagery today. I paused the video a couple of times to look at the Salt and Daunt websites as I haven’t seen what they’ve been doing recently. As a result, I’ve got 5 more books on my wishlist! I must, must, must get to Persephone in Bath. I adored the beautiful walk from St Pancras to their old location in Bloomsbury and was a bit crushed when I heard they had moved. But they moved to gorgeous Bath! I will be adding a trip there to my next visit to London. I’ve got a whole wishlist just for Persephone! And you’ve reminded me that I must get to Creatures of Passage!!! It was the first book I bought when last year’s longlist was announced and I don’t know why I haven’t picked it up yet. Lovely video!

[@jenvcampbell]

Don't forget Mr. B's, George Bayntun and Toppings! I'll have to get back to Bath too, one of these days. I hope you have a lovely time when you get there ☺ x

[@lindysmagpiereads]

Hello Jen, I’m a new subscriber. You mentioned books I love-Strange Beasts of China; Cold Enough for Snow; Rental Heart; Indelicacy; Drive Your Plow-so our reading tastes overlap, and I feel confident about seeking out many of the others you recommend. My favourite small press is Arsenal Pulp in Canada. It’s hard to pick a favourite from them, but the first that comes to mind is Chelsea Vowel’s speculative short story collection: Buffalo Is the New Buffalo.

[@jenvcampbell]

Thank you for the recommendation ☺️ x

[@Lindorm1]

This was a treat! Thank you. I found Salt through you, so thanks for that too!

[@markosilov3911]

I'm also thinking of reading 'Moving Parts' soon! 'The Sad Part Was' was super-fun.

[@jenvcampbell]

I’m excited to get to it. I loved the first story in The Sad Part Was in particular ☺️

[@elizabethgriffith8684]

Thanks for some unique recommendations:) *runs to buy creatures of passage*

[@jenvcampbell]

Happy reading! x

[@benreadsgood]

Thanks Jen - for some reason I always struggle to choose between Persephone titles, and they all end up sounding quite intimidating. Great to get some recommendations, and I live in Bristol so it’s only a 10 minute train away to visit the shop. I shall have to go and get some advice in person! I am a huge fan of Daunt, because not only is their quality control incredible, but they produce the most beautiful, high-quality paperbacks you can get. I love them!

[@jenvcampbell]

Got to love those French flaps on the Daunt books. Please tell Persephone that I say hello! x

[@amongstthebookshelves]

Thank you so much, Jen, for sharing your favourite reads from all these small presses. I have made an extensive list of the books I would like to read - my top 3 being Cold Enough For Snow, Moving Parts and all of the Strangers Press releases 😊 I loved Indelicacy and really need to purchase my own copy as I still think about it many months later. I also really enjoyed Where the Wild Ladies Are. I hope you have a lovely week 🌸

[@jenvcampbell]

I hope you have a lovely week, too, Lauren! x

[@tirarosaurioreads]

I think I must have missed something while reading "Cold As Snow" because I loved the beginning of the novel and the end, but I couldnt see an arch as such for any of the characters, is it just me? For me some of the scenes mid-book didnt bear much relation to the rest of the book. In general I felt like this could have worked better as a short story but again I'm ND and not sure if I'm missing something.

[@TheUnabridgedMe]

Hi Jen, thanks for your wonderful content. As a mature, distance learning student studying history and English literature I love your videos. Slightly away from this videos content, I wondered where you would advise adults to start reading if they were new to your writing? I’m pretty snowed with university reading but am trying desperately to allow myself a small amount of time in the evenings to read ‘just for me’ so I am keen to learn of and read varied and new literature. I hope you are well and thanks again. Take care, Tx!

[@jenvcampbell]

Depends what you’re in the mood for, but it sounds like a short story collection could be good for you in this situation? Easy to slot in amongst other things. www.waterstones.com/book/the-beginning-of-the-world-in-the-middle-of-the-night/jen-campbell/9781473653559 x

[@jenvcampbell]

And thanks ☺️♥️

[@poorni4742]

I read Braised Pork by An Yu out of your recommendation, it was a really wonderful read. Thank you !!

[@jenvcampbell]

☺️ so glad you enjoyed it x

[@agob157]

Thank you to you- my favourite recommender!!! Love from Vancouver island ❤

[@Radhaindra]

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk is one of my favourite books! I am exited for you to read it for the first time! 💜

[@rosegreensummer]

i hope you can help me with my mother's present, because persephone are good for she cos she loves 1930s/1940s esp. Molly Panter-Downes

[@curioushmm9027]

i'm so glad creatures of passage is on my to be read pile and i'm glad to be reminded to order strange beasts of china and at the pond. this was so interesting... i need to learn more about small publishers on my side of the pond.

[@jenvcampbell]

♥️

[@curioushmm9027]

@@jenvcampbell 😁

[@teagalore]

I loved At The Pond! Similar to yourself, I read Nina Mingya Powles beforehand. I do like swimming (haven't tried cold water swimming) however it's very relaxing to read about people swimming ☺️

[@jenvcampbell]

Maybe it’s like watching other people speed clean; you feel like you’ve been productive yourself 😅 x

[@teagalore]

@@jenvcampbell haha definitely 😅 great video Jen thank you! Reminded me to check out Strange Beasts of China too 📚☺️

[@jenvcampbell]

@@teagalore You're in for a treat! x

[@micaelagonzalez71]

Hi! This is probably not the video to ask this haha, but you know a lot about retellings and fairy tales. And I'm looking for a retelling of The Pied Piper of Hamelin. I've always been strangely interested in that dark story but can't find a retelling or re-adaptation that adds depth to it. Do you know of any? Thanks!

[@jenvcampbell]

I haven’t come across a direct one BUT The Chimes by Anna Smails always gave me Pied Piper vibes: “A boy stands on the roadside on his way to London, alone in the rain. No memories, beyond what he can hold in his hands at any given moment. No directions, as written words have long since been forbidden. No parents - just a melody that tugs at him, a thread to follow. A song that says if he can just get to the capital, he may find some answers about what happened to them. The world around Simon sings, each movement a pulse of rhythm, each object weaving its own melody, music ringing in every drop of air. Welcome to the world of The Chimes. Here, life is orchestrated by a vast musical instrument that renders people unable to form new memories. The past is a mystery, each new day feels the same as the last, and before is blasphony.”

[@micaelagonzalez71]

@@jenvcampbell so many retellings and no one picks this one up? My god. Haha. That book sounds intriguing! Thanks!!

[@jenvcampbell]

@@micaelagonzalez71 You can find a list of other retellings here: www.goodreads.com/list/show/45884.Pied_Piper_of_Hamelin_Retellings

[@anise8975]

Jen, you have to read Drive your plow. You just have to. It’s similar to Death in her hands but sooo much better, in my opinion.

[@jenvcampbell]

I’m going to; it’s our current Patreon book club book x

[@anise8975]

@@jenvcampbell yay! I’m not sure what happen to my patreon account, it’s just stopped without me actually doing anything. I need to check what happened because obviously I want to keep supporting you ❤️

[@jenvcampbell]

@@anise8975 ❤

[@ahbooks3]

‘Indelicacy’ is also one of my favourites. I didn’t think it made much of an impact at the time, but I find myself thinking about the story frequently

[@jenvcampbell]

It's definitely one that haunts you, isn't it? x

[@lisaparker3075]

Hi Jen, love your videos have been watching you now for ages😊. One of my favorite books ever is notes on a scandal by Zoe heller. Am always looking for books in that vein. Would you consider doing a video on books along that line ? I don’t know if you’ve read a good winter by Gigi fenster, I think she’s a New Zealand author and has that same creepy/obsessive element to it

[@jenvcampbell]

I'm always looking for more books like that ☺ I've read a few disappointments recently that have similar themes. I'll either make a themed reading vlog trying to find more, or will make a point of listing some in a different video. Thanks for the recommendation, too! x

[@lisaparker3075]

@@jenvcampbell ☺️thanks so much - look forward to it x

[@spexi513]

Creatures of Passage= loved that one too & your copy reinforces my belief that 🇬🇧 covers typically are cooler than the 🇺🇸 ones . Blahdiggityblah, ty for another 💎 of a video 📖 🪱 💚

[@jenvcampbell]

♥️

[@joelharris4399]

Just here to say hello! You and I share space in Poetry London's Spring 2023 Issue. Yeh, go figure😊

[@jenvcampbell]

Ah, fun! I'm still waiting for my contributor copy but when that arrives I look forward to reading your piece ☺

[@joelharris4399]

@@jenvcampbell same here, abd I'm looking forward to reading your piece too. Not so sure about the contributor copy, in any case, I'll definitely need to subscribe @ some point lol. Should be interesting. I've been following you for quite some time but I never thought we'd appear in the same literary magazine. This is so surreal! 😁

[@wendyvilla2904]

💚🖤