Melville House Publishing

Melville House Publishing is a respected independent American publishing house headquartered in the DUMBO neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, with a secondary office in London.
History and Founding
The company was founded in 2001 by the husband-and-wife team of sculptor Valerie Merians and writer/journalist Dennis Loy Johnson. Their first publication was Poetry After 9/11, an anthology that was a surprise bestseller, which inspired them to continue publishing. The house is named after the famous American novelist Herman Melville.
Areas of Specialization
Melville House is known for its diverse and eclectic list that intentionally avoids a narrow niche. Their publications include:
Literary Fiction: Publishing a variety of novels and short stories, including works by debut authors.
Political & Activist Non-fiction: The press has a reputation as an “activist press” (left-leaning) and frequently publishes timely reportage and polemical books on current events, social issues, and politics.
Poetry: An essential part of their original publishing program.
Forgotten Classics & International Literature: The company gained international acclaim for its “The Art of the Novella” series and for rediscovering and translating neglected international works, most famously Hans Fallada’s Every Man Dies Alone, which became a worldwide bestseller.
Awards and Notable Authors
Melville House has published two Nobel Prize in Literature winners: Heinrich Böll and Imre Kertész. The press was awarded the Miriam Bass Award for Creativity in Independent Publishing in 2007 and was named “Best Small Press” by the Village Voice in 2009.
Their list also includes New York Times bestselling authors such as David Graeber (Debt: The First 5,000 Years) and Jenny Odell.