Ortac Press
@ortacpress.bsky.social
Independent publisher of non-fiction and novels #MDANT ortacpress.com/shop
Short story collections are a notorious hard sell. So it has been with Saltburn. Here’s a review that might whet your appetite. And the hardest thing is spreading the word. So a share or a like would be nice. davesbookblog-daja.blogspot.com/2025/04/salt... renardpress.com/books/saltbu...
Saltburn – Renard Press
May the residents of the real Saltburn-by-the-Sea and neighbouring towns forgive my mermaids, my nuclear power stations, my foetus museums […]
renardpress.com
Great day at the Hackney Indie Press Fair on Saturday! Thank you to Damien @indienovella.bsky.social for organising and to Will at @indiepressnetwork.bsky.social. And thanks also to Selin Tamtekin for reading some new work as part of Scratch Readings, hosted by Tom at @scratchbooks.bsky.social.
This is one of my favourite reader reviews of Keshed. Succinct, totally snarky about mainsteam publishing in the subtext, and a reader who thought it was "magnificent." Awesome stuff, with thanks to DJ for taking the time to share this. @ortacpress.bsky.social @turnarounduk.bsky.social
Finished reading KESHED by @stuhennigan.bsky.social, then wrote (then deleted) some tedious posts about it this morning. Just read it; it's magnificent. Nobody in it goes on a journey - not that sort, anyway - no lessons are learned and it's neither wry nor uplifting (thank God). But it is art.
Consent & coming So much goodness in this episode Check out my links to listen to the full episode @ortacpress.bsky.social
The Hackney Indie Press Fair This Saturday (24th Oct) at Newington Green Meeting House. Very much looking forward to being part of this. Come along if you're in London! @indiepressnetwork.bsky.social @indienovella.bsky.social
John Gay is the latest guest on In Between Eden, an Australia-based podcast focused on the sex work industry hosted by @eden-tantric.bsky.social. It's a brilliant conversation, covering The Bedevilments, the industry from the client's POV, addiction, and more.
Eden Viridian@eden-tantric.bsky.social · last wk.I just have the best conversations on this podcast. Have you listened to the full episode with John Gay yet? @ortacpress.bsky.social
‘Take the protagonists of Withnail & I, make them aspiring poets and transplant them to a squat in 1980s Liverpool…soak the whole thing in the sad eternal beauty of the Blues…’ LATCHKEY by Jeff Young From Sacred Parasite @sacredparasite.bsky.social www.sacredparasite.com/product/jeff...
Jeff Young's LATCHKEY
Latchkey's narrator's girlfriend has just left for Venezuela, abandoning him to his bohemian ways. After the umpteenth robbery, and with the arrival of the Fingerprint Man and Pete the Three-Legged Mo...
sacredparasite.com
And there’s an interview to go with the radio show… substack.com/@jonathanwel...
An Interview with Drew Gummerson
‘My head is probably niche’: Drew Gummerson on his funny, strange and tender worlds
substack.com
Drew Gummerson@drewgum.bsky.social · 2w agoI’m on the radio on the Late Late Book Show. You can listen below. Talking books. open.spotify.com/episode/2ppV...
Another snippet from the conversation between John Gay and Eden about the sex work industry and The Bedevilments. Full episode out later on!
Eden Viridian@eden-tantric.bsky.social · 2w agoThe worker-client relationship. I discuss it with John Gay author of the Bedevilments @ortacpress.bsky.social
John Gay is the latest guest on In Between Eden. A podcast centred on the sex work industry, based out of Australia. This should be a great listen. Thanks Eden, for having John on the show! Out on Friday.
Eden Viridian@eden-tantric.bsky.social · 2w agoThe next podcast episode is out on Friday. It’s with John Gay author of The Bedevilments. A story about the clients perspective in the smeggs industry as well as experiences of addiction. @ortacpress.bsky.social
www.ortacpress.com/post/a-month...
A month of The Bedevilments, Richard Foster’s new book, and the Hackney Indie Press Fair
The Bedevilments by John Gay has been out for a month now, and early reactions have been coming in. One Goodreads reviewer said they picked it up for the cover and the premise, but stayed for the writ...
ortacpress.com
Great review of the The Bedevilments by John Gay from @drewgum.bsky.social. The book is out now!
Drew Gummerson@drewgum.bsky.social · 4w agoToday’s article is a book review of The Bedevilments by John Gay published by the excellent @ortacpress.bsky.social - check it out via the link. drewgummerson.substack.com/p/on-the-bed...
Drawing in letter and spirit from the medieval dream poem, Piers Plowman, some unreliable half memories, and a stack of 400 year-old photocopies, S&F resurrects a lost world of drug-fuelled music tourists, disappeared squats and free festivals. @richardjamesfoster.bsky.social tinyurl.com/yc4fdd74
Delighted to announce my new book, Spiders and Flies, will be published by @ortacpress.bsky.social - out March 2027. Hearty thanks to Henry at Ortac, my designer Sevgi Tan and all who helped bring this into the world. Your pal, Richard
Ortac Press@ortacpress.bsky.social · last mo.Spiders and Flies 🕷️🪰 By Richard Foster A dream journey through the Dutch underground music scene of the 2000s-2010s. Foster resurrects a lost world – one preserved in mouldy gig flyers – until now. 3/3/27 More at tinyurl.com/478v3v8. @richardjamesfoster.bsky.social @turnarounduk.bsky.social
Spiders and Flies 🕷️🪰 By Richard Foster A dream journey through the Dutch underground music scene of the 2000s-2010s. Foster resurrects a lost world – one preserved in mouldy gig flyers – until now. 3/3/27 More at tinyurl.com/478v3v8. @richardjamesfoster.bsky.social @turnarounduk.bsky.social
Fun evening at Bàrd Books for their Debuts Night. I (Henry) went along on behalf of John Gay for anonymity reasons. Great lineup: Cenac Rollins, Josh Holton and Charlie Fox. All excellent-sounding books on indie presses. Thanks Kristin and Bàrd team for having us. Pick up The Bedevilments now!
Finished reading KESHED by @stuhennigan.bsky.social, then wrote (then deleted) some tedious posts about it this morning. Just read it; it's magnificent. Nobody in it goes on a journey - not that sort, anyway - no lessons are learned and it's neither wry nor uplifting (thank God). But it is art.
Wednesday at Bàrd Books in East London! The Bedevilments by John Gay will be part of Bàrd's September Debuts event. As John is anonymous, Henry from Ortac will be there to talk about the book and answer questions. Come along if you're in London! www.wearebardbooks.co.uk/event-detail...
Bard Debuts - September 2026 | Bard Books
Imagine a night of speed dating except the people selling themselves are the newest authors on the scene. JOIN US for the latest edition of a monthly night celebrating debut authors. Meet the faces be...
wearebardbooks.co.uk
Published today! The Bedevilments by John Gay – a short, potent book that’s funny, moving and full of hope. It explores anonymity, human connection and dependence, offering a nuanced take on the sex industry and a fascinating insight into this world. @turnarounduk.bsky.social
THE BEDEVILMENTS by John Gay Published in one week. ‘Clever, touching and captivating. I worked in brothels and lived in grungey apartments; I’ve been there myself, but still I couldn’t put The Bedevilments down.' — Kate Holden, author of In My Skin and The Winter Road @turnarounduk.bsky.social
I always look forward to the Baillie Gifford nominations because the prize spotlights so much great nonfiction, so it's a thrill to see London Falling on this year's longlist, alongside my brilliant colleague Anand Gopal and so many other fantastic books. 🙏 🙏 www.theguardian.com/books/2026/s...
Espionage, true crime and war: Baillie Gifford longlist revealed
Patrick Radden Keefe, Ben Macintyre and the Guardian’s Charlotte Higgins are among the 13 authors selected for the nonfiction award
theguardian.com
📕 BIG BOOK NEWS! All our beautiful books stocked in the shop are also now available online. 🥳
John Gay on 'man in a room' stories, and how The Bedevilments fits into this category. The piece references Paul Schrader, Jean Rhys, Mad Men and Bresson's Pickpocket. The Bedevilments is out in just under two weeks. Order a copy from our site, or your local bookshop. substack.com/home/post/p-...
Paul Schrader, Mad Men
A man in a room
substack.com
In the lead up to the publication of The Bedevilments, John Gay has been posting a series of pieces on Substack about the book, its themes, and the inspirations behind it. Here's one on anonymity, which is a central theme in The Bedevilments. thebedevilments.substack.com/p/anonymity-...
Anonymity in The Bedevilments
The Bedevilments is a novella about addiction, sex and anonymity.
thebedevilments.substack.com
This really is something special…
Richard James Foster@richardjamesfoster.bsky.social · 3mo agoSigned off final version of the cover of my new book yesterday. I’m delighted, it’s full of hidden ephemera, clues, nods & winks, deliberate mistakes & mystery; all in a beautiful design. My designer is very special. Can’t wait for you all to see it. News in good time, via @ortacpress.bsky.social
Signed off final version of the cover of my new book yesterday. I’m delighted, it’s full of hidden ephemera, clues, nods & winks, deliberate mistakes & mystery; all in a beautiful design. My designer is very special. Can’t wait for you all to see it. News in good time, via @ortacpress.bsky.social
The first chapter of The Bedevilments by John Gay is now up on the Ortac Press website. It's up on John Gay's substack too, but with an age restriction. Fair warning: it contains adult content (as does the extract here). www.ortacpress.com/post/the-bed... @turnarounduk.bsky.social
#BookSky 📚 This will be in the print version tomorrow morning as well 💪
Stu Hennigan@stuhennigan.bsky.social · 3mo agoScuse the clickbait headline which i didn't write, but the iPaper asked for some thoughts on the non-listing of Keshed despite huge public clamour. Actually a piece about diversity in publishing and advocating for small presses. This link sans paywall archive.is/QghKz inews.co.uk/culture/book...
