NOVEMBER 2026

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

Audition by Pip Adam (Coffee House Press | 9781566897310)—a novel that “explores carceral politics and the psychology of violence, and what healing from the harm of those systems might require”—is the winner of the 2026 Ursula K. Le Guin Prize for Fiction. Order now.

Hide by Carolina Ebeid (Graywolf Press | 9781644453773)—”a reinvention of visual poetry and personal history charting exile’s impact on memory, identity, and futurity”—is shortlisted for the 2026 National Book Award in Poetry. Order now.

I Imagine I Been Science Fiction Always by Douglas Kearney (Wave Books | 9798891060128)—a visual poetry collection that is “a sustained consideration of precarious Black subjectivity, cultural production as self-defense,” and more—is the winner of the 2026 Zora/Legacy Award in Poetry. Order now.

Centroeuropa by Vicente Luis Mora, translated from the Spanish by Rahul Bery (Bellevue Literary Press | 9781954276529)—a historical novel that is a “humane, spirited story of oppression, erasure, and endurance”—is shortlisted for the 2026 National Book Award in Translated Literature. Order now.

Cécé by Emmelie Prophète, translated from the French by Aidan Rooney (Archipelago Books | 9781962770415)—“an astonishing novel of raw beauty about gang life, sex work, and social media in Haiti”—is the winner of the 2026 Mass Book Award in Translated Literature. Order now.

November is Native American Heritage Month! To help bookstores and libraries celebrate, we’ve put together this roundup of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction to spotlight all month and year-round.

This month, we've put together a roundup of novels and short story collections with speculative and science-fictional elements, all from indie presses.

To help you continue to share titles from independent publishers, we’ve put together this roundup of essay collections published by indie presses.

In our latest spotlight on an independent publisher, Carmen Giménez, executive director and publisher of Graywolf Press, says, “Graywolf is deeply grateful for the thoughtful curation, personalized staff recommendations, and welcoming in-person events that booksellers create to help readers discover lesser-known titles from indie presses.”

In our latest spotlight on a print literary magazine, Brett Van Emst, editor of Midnight Mind Magazine, says, “We have some... great bookstores that carry us and other great publications.... A few examples are Boulder Bookstore in Boulder, Dog Eared Books in San Francisco, and The Fuzzy Needle in Wilmington—all managed by people we could sit down with and have a beer and talk about magazines for hours…”

Discover poetry, fiction, and nonfiction published last month by independent literary publishers—including Anvil Press, Book*hug Press, Feed Dog Books, Fonograf Editions, Rescue Press, Trio House Press, Tupelo Press, Type Eighteen Books, and more.