AUGUST 2026

Every month, we spotlight five books that have received extra attention lately. Don't miss our August picks, all from independent literary publishers:

Beyond the Glittering World: An Anthology of Indigenous Feminisms and Futurisms (Torrey House Press | 9798890920300)—which “brings together twenty emerging and established Native women writers and writers of marginalized genders”—has received a 2026 American Book Award. Order now. 

Call and Response by Christopher Caldwell (Neon Hemlock | 9781966503149)—a collection of “speculative and fantastical stories [that] are thoroughly grounded in the realities, dreams, struggles, and relationships that animate queer lives”—is shortlisted for the 2026 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction. Order now. 

Perfect Victims: And the Politics of Appeal by Mohammed El-Kurd (Haymarket Books | 9798888903155)—“an urgent affirmation of the Palestinian condition of resistance and refusal" and "an ode to the steadfastness of a nation”—is longlisted for the 2026 Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize in Nonfiction. Order now. 

Helen of Nowhere by Makenna Goodman (Coffee House Press | 9781566897358)—a novel in which a realtor showing a house “speaks not only about the home's many wonderful qualities but about its previous owner, the mystifying Helen”—is longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize. Order now. 

May We Feed the King by Rebecca Perry (Transit Books | 9798893380620)—a novel following a curator who “becomes absorbed in the story of a king almost forgotten by history”—is longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize. Order now.

September is National Translation Month! Don't miss this roundup of fiction and poetry published by indie presses and translated from the Arabic, Bosnian, French, German, Italian, Korean, Montenegrin, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swedish.

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins September 15, with fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from independent publishers.

In our latest spotlight on an indie press, Misty Sanico of Bamboo Ridge Press—winner of the 2026 Firecracker Award in Fiction for Blood Work and Other Stories by Donald A. Carreira Ching—says, “We proudly champion the diverse voices of Hawaiʻi, embracing the rich linguistic tapestry of our islands—from Hawaiʻi Creole English (Pidgin) and ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi to the heritage languages brought by successive generations.”

In our latest spotlight on a print magazine, Hillary Brenhouse, editor in chief and publisher of Elastic—winner of the 2026 Firecracker Award in Magazines/Best Debut—says, “Elastic was born as a testament to the vitality and breadth, the wild expansiveness, of psychedelic art and writing. It was conceived as a space for artistic freedom, innovation, and experimentation.”

August is Women in Translation Month, and to help you celebrate, we've put together a roundup of poetry and fiction titles both written and translated by women—all published by independent presses.

Back-to-school is around the corner! To help bookstores and libraries encourage new readers, we’ve gathered this roundup of middle-grade novels to spotlight as school begins (and year-round).

Discover poetry, fiction, and nonfiction published last month by independent literary publishers—including Abode Press, Fernwood Press, Game Over Books, Graywolf Press, new words {press},Trio House Press, Tupelo Press, and more.