New independent press to focus on male writers

Conduit Books, founded by Jude Cook, will publish literary fiction and memoir, “focusing initially on male authors”.

Cook believes the publishing industry has changed “dramatically” over the past 15 years as a reaction to the “prevailing toxic male-dominated literary scene of the 80s, 90s and noughties”, additionally citing a 2020 study that roughly 80% of editorial roles in the publishing industry were held by women.

"Stories by new male authors are often overlooked, with a perception that the male voice is problematic,” he said. Conduit hopes to publish a range of works relating to “fatherhood, masculinity, working-class male experience, sex and relationships, and negotiating the 21st-century as a man”.

Cook said they will not "seek an adversarial stance" nor "looking to exclude writers of colour, or queer, non-binary and neurodivergent authors".

It aims to publish three novels, short story collections or memoirs a year beginning in spring 2026.