If independent diverse publishers disappear, so do the stories they fight to publish. Support Hashtag Press and protect inclusive books.
Mission statement:
Hashtag Press exists to publish the stories that bigger publishers often overlook.
For ten years, we’ve championed diverse voices, launched debut authors, and helped readers see themselves reflected in books.
But independent publishers are under enormous pressure, and many are disappearing.
If independent presses disappear, many of these stories disappear with them.
We want to make sure that doesn’t continue to happen.
Ten years ago, Hashtag Press was founded with one simple but powerful belief:
Everyone deserves to see themselves in stories.
Since then, we’ve dedicated ourselves to publishing inclusive, representative, entertaining and meaningful books for children, teenagers and adults. We’ve championed underrepresented voices, supported debut authors, mentored emerging talent, and created opportunities for writers who may otherwise never have been given a chance.
Our proven track record…
We’ve helped launch bestselling and award-winning authors including Sana Rasoul, Sara Liyanage, Attiya Khan.
We’ve built award-winning campaigns around beloved series including Emily Knight by Abiola Bello, Baller Boys by Venessa Taylor and A Girl… by Jessica Taylor-Bearman.
We launched an imprint in 2020 called Hashtag BLAK to celebrate under-represented love stories, celebrating love in all its forms, publishing Annabelle Steele, Jackie Khalilieh, and B Wheeler.
We have a small non-fiction list featuring authors including Suzy Rowland, Steph Nimmo.
Hashtag Press is well-known for its diverse YA books, from suspense thrillers to coming-of-age stories, by authors including Denise Brown and Yousra Imran, and debuts like Sarah Morrell.
Committed to building the next generation of authors, we published three anthologies of prize-winning short stories showcasing young writers from all over the world, including hosting a launch party in London for the first title - The Originals. Many of the writers have gone on to study creative writing!
Over the years, we’ve been nominated for myriad prizes. Hashtag Press has been named a finalist for The British Book Awards Small Press of the Year SE England two years running (2025 and 2026), won The Black British Business Awards 2023: Rising Star Arts & Media, and received Publisher of the Year at The People’s Book Prize.
Our books have been nominated, shortlisted and won respected awards including Carnegie, The Week Junior Book Awards, Spark Book Awards, Best YA Crime Novel - CrimeFest, and The People’s Book Prize.
We co-founded The Diverse Book Awards, now in its seventh year, to celebrate and spotlight inclusive books across the UK and Ireland, helping shine a light on stories and authors too often overlooked by mainstream publishing.
We're proud of every author we work with and every book we've published. Many of our authors have spoken at schools, libraries, festivals and major industry events across the UK.
But more importantly than any award, accolade or achievement, we’ve helped readers feel seen.
We’ve helped children discover books where they finally recognised themselves.
We’ve helped teenagers feel less alone.
We’ve helped authors tell stories the industry said were “too niche”, “too risky” or “too difficult to market”.
Why now?
Right now, those stories matter more than ever.
Around the world, we are seeing increasing challenges to diverse books, with titles featuring LGBTQ+ characters, race, disability, cultural identity and difficult real-world conversations being removed, restricted or banned in schools and libraries. What began as a growing crisis in parts of the US is now starting to emerge here in the UK too.
At the very moment young people most need access to inclusive stories, many of those stories are becoming harder to publish, harder to champion and harder to protect.
At the same time, independent publishing is facing enormous financial pressure.
Rising production costs, shrinking margins, economic uncertainty, reduced investment in diversity initiatives, and the long-term impact of the pandemic have placed huge strain on small independent publishers across the UK.
Over the past year alone, we’ve seen respected independent publishers close their doors, including publishers far larger and better funded than us.
We are determined not to become another statistic.
Hashtag Press remains one of the UK’s few truly independent, diversity-focused publishing houses. We believe these stories deserve to exist. We believe readers deserve choice. We believe publishing should reflect the real world, not just the safest commercial option.
We believe:
• children deserve to see themselves in books
• young people deserve stories that reflect the world around them
• readers deserve access to diverse voices and perspectives
• talented writers from all backgrounds deserve opportunities
• debut authors deserve a chance
• publishing should not only belong to celebrities or the already privileged
We are incredibly proud of the legacy we’ve built over the last decade. But now we need support to protect what comes next.
Our goal is to raise at least £35,000 to:
• stabilise Hashtag Press for the future
• continue publishing inclusive stories & supporting authors and readers
• building opportunities for us and other indie publishers by organising annual showcases to enable books to reach a wider audience with greater visibility
• continue creating opportunities for underrepresented voices
If you believe in diverse stories, independent creativity, inclusive bookshelves and protecting opportunities for future readers and writers, we would be incredibly grateful for your support.
How can you help?
If you’re unable to donate right now, we get it, but you can still help! One of the most powerful ways to help small publishers is simply to buy one of their books! If you purchase a Hashtag Press book directly from www.hashtagpress.co.uk we’ll make a bigger margin and the author will get a bigger royalty! You can also recommend our books to a friend, request one from your local library, review one online, and of course, share this campaign with others.
Every single action matters. Your help will make a difference.
Because stories matter. Representation matters. Independent publishing matters.
And together, we can help ensure these stories continue to exist for the next generation.
Thank you,
Abiola, Helen & Pauline x
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 14th July 2026 at 11:59pm