Ortac Press
@ortacpress.bsky.social
Independent publisher of non-fiction and novels #MDANT ortacpress.com/shop
Great review of the The Bedevilments by John Gay from @drewgum.bsky.social. The book is out now!
Drew Gummerson@drewgum.bsky.social · 2w 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 · 3w agoSpiders 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 · 2mo 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 · 2mo 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...
👇👇👇
Stu Hennigan@stuhennigan.bsky.social · 2mo 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...
We are part of an upcoming Debuts event at Bàrd Books in East London on 16th September. Henry from Ortac will be there in place of John Gay, with notes and answers provided by John. The Bedevilments is a darkly funny and surprisingly touching tale of sex, dependence and anonymity. Out next month.
The MD list of Alternative National Treasures: Ortac Press 🙏 'They do all the right things, for all the right reasons, with total clarity and integrity'
Stu Hennigan@stuhennigan.bsky.social · 2mo ago
Nearly there!! 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼 Shelving pretty much done ✅ Books en route ✅ A few little bits n bobs to sort… but feeling confident for opening on Friday!! 📚🙌🏼❤️ #indiebookshop #booksky #indiebooks
On the best news ever. The Bearded Badger is back and opening a new bookshop. @beardedbadgerbooks.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/drewgumm...
On a new indie bookshop - the Bearded Badger is back.
Last week I was chatting to Paul Handley, chief guru and bookworm of all he surveys at Bearded Badger Books.
open.substack.com
Lengthy piece here following on from an interview question the great @heidijames.bsky.social asked about specific texts that have influenced Keshed. 5000 words and still not given a straight answer but if you join the dots some kind of shape may emerge. open.substack.com/pub/stuhenni...
Great thread from Stu on his and my publisher @ortacpress.bsky.social
Stu Hennigan@stuhennigan.bsky.social · 3mo agoTwo more of these already today, we've actually lost count. The buzz around it on Insta is just reward for Henry @ortacpress.bsky.social being bold enough to publish something so challenging in a risk-averse market, and i hope it brings the press to more peoples attention. 1/
In the shops tomorrow folks!
Turnaround Books@turnarounduk.bsky.social · 3mo agoAnother stunning novel from the author of All My Precious Madness, Mark Bowles has delivered to us this deeply tender novel How Do People Stay The Same from the wonderful @galleybeggars.bsky.social Released tomorrow, look out for the review blog coming soon... uk.bookshop.org/p/books/how-...
It's incredibly exciting to see Keshed by Stu Hennigan included in so many Booker Prize longlist predictions. For a tiny indie like Ortac, even being part of the conversation feels a bit surreal... @stuhennigan.bsky.social @turnarounduk.bsky.social @indiepressnetwork.bsky.social
Essay here on #ClimateChange, first published in 2023. See my SubStack post from earlier today for details, or click this link to dive straight in. open.substack.com/pub/stuhenni...
Burning Down the House
As promised earlier......
open.substack.com
There needs to an exemption for books, or getting anything to the EU will become impossible. It's already difficult and expensive enough, and we don't ship to the EU from our shop for this reason. The new tariff will impact trade sales to EU, particularly Ireland. Another blow. tinyurl.com/4jftjrvj
'Disastrous' new EU tariff deals 'significant blow' to publishers and bookshops
A new €3 EU tariff for small parcels introduced to tackle the influx of cheap Chinese imports could have potentially disastrous consequences for publishers already facing “thin” profit margins and pos...
thebookseller.com
