Founded on a passion for literary excellence, Comma Press is a not-for-profit publishing house that specialises in the short story. Our aim is to put the short story at the heart of contemporary narrative culture and to celebrate the power of the form to transcend boundaries, whether they be cultural, linguistic or disciplinary. Through innovative commissions, collaborations and digital initiatives, Comma has developed and championed cutting-edge (often marginalized) voices from around the world, and provided opportunities for writers to reach new audiences and to step outside their usual comfort zones. Our translation imprint has published collections and single stories from over fifteen languages, including works by Sema Kaygusuz, Pawel Huelle, Atef Abu Saif, and Iraqi refugee Hassan Blasim, described by the Guardian as perhaps ‘the greatest writer of Arabic fiction alive’.
Comma is also committed to supporting aspiring writers in the UK, offering a robust programme of courses and networking events, including the National Creative Writing Fair. We also support independent publishing through the Northern Fiction Alliance, a trade body formed to showcase writers and publishers from the region on an international level.