An Interview with Fly On The Wall Press
- Taylor Sandford
- 1 day ago
- 7 min read
It’s been a little while since the last post, dissertation deadlines will do that, but I’m thrilled to be back, and even more thrilled to share this interview with Isabelle Kenyon, the force behind Fly On The Wall Press.
Since launching in 2018, Isabelle has grown the press from a one-woman operation into an award-winning independent publisher, recently named Small Press of the Year (North) at the British Book Awards.
Earlier this year, I reviewed one of Fly On The Wall’s books: New Gillion Street, by Elliot J Harper. A fantastic sci-fi adventure - check out my review here.
In this interview, we talked about everything from the origins of the press and the realities of running it solo, to mental health, the importance of community, and the thriving literary scene here in the North.
First off, thank you so much for speaking with me. Tell me a bit about yourself. What book ignited your love for reading? What are you reading at the moment?
Isabelle
Hello! My name is Isabelle Kenyon, and I'm the Managing Director of Fly on the Wall Press, an award-winning political publisher of fiction and poetry which sparks conversations. I'm a writer myself - (so 'Inkheart' by Cornelia Funke, whereby characters are read out of books into the 'real world' with a 'silver tongue' may not be a surprise as the book which first sparked my love of reading!) Currently I am reading Mongrel by Hanako Footman which is a fantastic novel about 3 generations of women, tackling Japanese identity and a search for belonging.
What would you do for work if you weren’t involved in books?
Isabelle
Before I started my publishing company, I was working in theatre marketing - and I've never seen myself working outside of the Arts! I have a creative problem-solving brain. So, I would probably be running a marketing agency or managing a theatre PR department.
If you could recommend one title from your backlist to a new reader, which would it be?
Isabelle
'Lying Perfectly Still' by Dr Laura Fish is a solid start to being introduced to what our catalogue champions. It's a coming-of-age style of novella, and we follow 23-year-old Koliwe from Oxford, to Eswatini. Harrowing yet richly evocative, Lying Perfectly Still provides an insider's perspective on the horrors enabled by parts of the international aid community. As it gives voice to the silenced, this compelling novel forces Koliwe to confront both the complexities of her own past and the exploitations occurring under the guise of humanitarianism.
It's a gorgeously literary book and a testament to Fish's legacy.
Are there any upcoming releases you’re excited about?
Isabelle
Only a million! Our October novel 'The Water That May Come' by Amy Lilwall is a life-affirming, darkly humorous novel which follows 4 characters at the end of the world (or is it?) for Britain. Suddenly, we have become refugees ourselves - and must pass an intimacy law test to enter Europe... Lilwall's quirky voice has been much loved by booksellers and book clubs and I'm really excited to champion her second novel.
You founded Fly On The Wall Press in 2018, can you talk a little about that process? Is there any advice you would give to anyone looking to start their own press?
Isabelle
My path to founding a publishing company was quite unconventional: I actually went back and completed a formal business plan and vision in 2019, well after I'd already started!
It all began in 2018 when I put out a call for submissions for a charity poetry anthology titled 'Please Hear What I'm Not Saying.' The response was overwhelming: 600 submissions poured in from writers around the world. This incredible response was a testament to people's willingness to open conversations about mental health and their eagerness to support mental health charities through their art.
From those 600 poems, I selected work from 116 international writers. The process taught me invaluable lessons about creating, editing, and distributing a book — knowledge I gained entirely through hands-on experience.
The success of that first anthology and the joy of building a literary community inspired me to launch a second call for submissions. This time, the focus was 'Persona Non Grata,' exploring themes of social exclusion and homelessness.
Rather than treating this as just another individual book project, I decided to build the proper infrastructure for a publishing company: I secured warehousing, raised initial capital, developed our website, and established all the systems needed for sustainable operations.
From 2019 onward, we began publishing individual writer collections and gradually expanded into new genres while developing our audience each year.
Key Advice for Aspiring Small Press Founders
If you're considering starting a small press, focus on two essential elements:
Find your niche: You need a clear identity and audience. What unique voice or underserved community will you champion?
Define your values: How do you want to operate and communicate with your community? Your values will guide every decision from manuscript selection to marketing approaches.
The strength of your mission and the authenticity of your community engagement will ultimately determine your success more than perfect business planning from day one.
I believe that Fly On The Wall is almost a one-person team, is this still true? If so, how do you cope with the workload? How do you balance creative, editorial, design and marketing?
Isabelle
Yes, this is ultimately still true - though we are in the process of expanding. Essentially, Sarah-Jayne Kenyon (my mum!) has been proofreading our books for the last few years (and has been helping with novel submission reading this year!)
I find delegation difficult because of the complexity of the publishing industry, the training needed, and the finances available to hire (as we are totally unfunded - something which the majority of publishers in the North have) but I've started to outsource a few hours of admin a week to a virtual assistant, which is going well so far.
It is really tough to be a one-woman publisher at this scale (we've been around 7 years, and we have about 80-90 books now released!) but it's also a financially squeezed industry - so I cultivate a variety of skills, and I invest in myself in those respects (especially my mental health) so that I can wear lots of hats
Your first publication was an anthology about mental health called Please Hear What I’m Not Saying. Is there a reason you chose this topic as your first publication?
Isabelle
Yes indeed! I wanted to pick a social topic which others would feel passionate about getting involved in - and at the time, mental health was still not well discussed, and there weren't many anthologies on the topic (thankfully now there are lots!) I was also fresh out of university, having moved to Guildford briefly for my first full time job in theatre (I was there for just under a year) and was feeling lonely - so community and mental health were on my mind.
What was the experience of working on an anthology for the first time like? And how did you evolve from publishing this anthology into publishing other formats like short stories, poetry, and novels?
Isabelle
I think because I was used to directing and producing theatre, managing cogs comes intuitively to me! But naturally, I wasn't expecting to get 600 submissions, and that was a lot of pressure - I had no systems in place for communication yet. But you only need to experience something once to know what you'd do differently next time - and I constantly improve the business and how we operate, so that we can grow
When I approach publishing a new genre, I first establish if there is a readership for it within our existing audience - publish one as a wildcard, get feedback, and then launch a season of short stories, for example, like we did in 2021, as a subscription with signed postcards!
Equally, I constantly ask myself if there is still a readership for genres we already publish.
You’ve been named Small Press of the Year (North) at the British Book Awards in 2024 and have been finalists several times—how have these awards impacted FOTW Press?
Isabelle
The awards are amazing because they ask you to define quality in your own terms - rather than 'did you hit x amount of revenue'! I think the awards are a massive part both of how we grew in confidence but also how bookshops and other stakeholders regard us; since March 2024 we have grown exponentially.
You run the Northern Publishers' Fair at Manchester Central Library, why is this important to you/ Fly On The Wall?
Isabelle
I started the fair in 2019 because I had attended the London fairs and felt like a small fish in a big pond - it was overwhelming, and expensive to attend (we lost money overall).
But in Manchester at that time, we were only one year old, and were not being invited to the existing book fairs, so I created my own space, and invited publishers myself! It's been amazingly successful ever since, and I try to run 2 editions a year. A teacher said recently that his students now feel a career in the North is possible which is brilliant.
Is there any advice you would give to someone trying to break into the Northern publishing industry?
Isabelle
The first thing I would say is be as proactive as possible - attend fairs and book launches with business cards and portfolios, send hand-written letters to editors you want to work with, or start your own project - a podcast, a website, a bookstagram, and show initiative
We are launching a publisher training academy which can be found here... https://www.flyonthewallpress.co.uk/publishingacademy
There's a real need for it - and with an online course, discussion community and monthly webinars with industry experts, we hope to shape the job market for publishing hopefuls!
Thank you Isabelle for speaking with us at Northern Books!
– – – –
Talking with Isabelle was a reminder of why I started Northern Books in the first place, to celebrate the people proving that brilliant, ambitious publishing thrives far beyond the M25. Make sure to check out Fly On The Wall’s website, and pick up a book from them! I’ve linked all the books mentioned in this interview below. And if you’re looking to get into publishing yourself make sure to sign up to the publishing academy!
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