Independent publisher · London · Founded 2025Open to unagented submissions
Rhubarb Press

Independent fiction · London

Bold fiction from new British voices.

Rhubarb Press is a small, family-run London house. We publish thrillers, crime and literary fiction by writers who have not been heard yet, and we work with them from manuscript to market.

Coming soon

The first list

All titles
The Passenger by David Sturrock: two men in a car at night, rain on the windscreen, red tail-lights ahead
Coming soon

The Passenger

David Sturrock · Publication date to follow

Chosen by Felicity Narey: a stone font of dark rippling water beside a single candle in a church
Coming soon

Chosen

Felicity Narey · Publication date to follow

“Every great story deserves to be heard.”Rhubarb Press, incorporated August 2025

Rhubarb Press was formed in London with roots in Peckham, Cleethorpes and Dundee. We were set up to give unknown authors a voice in a crowded literary landscape, and to do it with care: proper editing, proper design, and a publisher who answers the phone.

We publish under the Rhubarb Press name across thrillers, crime and literary fiction, and our Cosy Crime imprint is home to the intimate, character-driven British mystery. Whatever the shelf, the book gets the same care.

Editorial
Structural and line editing by people who read the genre.
Design
Jackets and typesetting to the standard of the big houses.
Partnership
One point of contact from first draft to bookshop.

Submissions

We read unagented submissions.

Unlike the larger houses, we accept manuscripts directly from authors. We welcome fiction of every kind, including cosy crime for our dedicated imprint, as well as non-fiction, children’s and poetry.

  • WhatA complete novel of 70,000 words or more. We do not consider proposals for unfinished work.
  • SendA one-page query letter, a two-to-three page synopsis including the ending, the first three chapters, and a one-page author biography.
  • FormatWord or PDF, 12-point, double-spaced, surname and short title in the header.
  • TimingWe aim to reply within 12 weeks and ask for exclusivity while we read.
  • Please noteWe do not accept manuscripts written with or assisted by AI tools.

The Rhubarb Letter

Announcements, first chapters and the odd recipe.

An occasional letter from the press. New titles first, and nothing else.