Sidekick Books
@sidekickbooks.bsky.social
📚 UK publisher of collaborative/hybrid poetry books since 2010, based in London and Cambridge. Editors: Kirsten Irving (@kirstenirving.bsky.social) and Jon Stone (@shotscarecrow.bsky.social).
https://linktr.ee/sidekickbooks
https://linktr.ee/sidekickbooks
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Sidekick Books
@sidekickbooks.bsky.social
· Nov 15
Hi everyone! We're a small press publisher of collaborative poetry books with mixed media and pop culture elements. We've been featured in the Guardian's top 10 poetry anthologies of 2018, won a Sabotage Award and commissioned work from hundreds of poets.
Can you host? We're peering round the castle door at the queer history of fictional #vampires and their hideouts, over on Substack.
sidekickbooks.substack.com/p/can-you-ho...
sidekickbooks.substack.com/p/can-you-ho...
November 10, 2025 at 4:54 PM
Can you host? We're peering round the castle door at the queer history of fictional #vampires and their hideouts, over on Substack.
sidekickbooks.substack.com/p/can-you-ho...
sidekickbooks.substack.com/p/can-you-ho...
Reposted by Sidekick Books
Strange Tales 72, 1959. Art by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko.
November 6, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Strange Tales 72, 1959. Art by Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko.
In case you haven't seen our latest trailer, hop inside the dark coach for the Vampire's Castle! 🦇🧛♀️🏰
youtu.be/HnrunnHfLgg?...
youtu.be/HnrunnHfLgg?...
Ten Poets Spend the Night in a Vampire's Castle
YouTube video by Sidekick Books
youtu.be
November 6, 2025 at 1:10 PM
In case you haven't seen our latest trailer, hop inside the dark coach for the Vampire's Castle! 🦇🧛♀️🏰
youtu.be/HnrunnHfLgg?...
youtu.be/HnrunnHfLgg?...
Reposted by Sidekick Books
Two new Cambridge Writing Centre events for your calendar! Firstly, on Friday 28th, a double book launch for @sidekickbooks.bsky.social 's latest anthologies, which feature a number of alumni from ARU's Creative Writing MA course. More details/booking: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/book-launc...
November 5, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Two new Cambridge Writing Centre events for your calendar! Firstly, on Friday 28th, a double book launch for @sidekickbooks.bsky.social 's latest anthologies, which feature a number of alumni from ARU's Creative Writing MA course. More details/booking: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/book-launc...
We're launching our two new 10 Poets books on 28th November at ARU, in a hybrid event you can join in-person or via Zoom! For more details, and to book ahead: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/book-launc...
#poetry #gothic #pirates!
#poetry #gothic #pirates!
November 5, 2025 at 7:14 PM
We're launching our two new 10 Poets books on 28th November at ARU, in a hybrid event you can join in-person or via Zoom! For more details, and to book ahead: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/book-launc...
#poetry #gothic #pirates!
#poetry #gothic #pirates!
We're keeping our Bats & Vampires #poetry Halloween sale on until firework night! Spread the word far and wide.
sidekickbooks.com/booklab/prod...
sidekickbooks.com/booklab/prod...
Halloween Special - Sidekick Books
Creatures of the Night pack: Battalion 148pp, ISBN 9781909560000 Ten Poets Spend the Night at a Vampire's Castle 64pp, ISBN 978-1-909560-41-3
sidekickbooks.com
November 1, 2025 at 4:00 PM
We're keeping our Bats & Vampires #poetry Halloween sale on until firework night! Spread the word far and wide.
sidekickbooks.com/booklab/prod...
sidekickbooks.com/booklab/prod...
Over on Substack, we dive into the process of designing 2018's Batallion. And is that a Halloween Special deal I see mentioned in the first para?
sidekickbooks.substack.com/p/cover-proc...
sidekickbooks.substack.com/p/cover-proc...
Cover Process: Battalion
Building a bat for Halloween
sidekickbooks.substack.com
October 28, 2025 at 10:35 AM
Over on Substack, we dive into the process of designing 2018's Batallion. And is that a Halloween Special deal I see mentioned in the first para?
sidekickbooks.substack.com/p/cover-proc...
sidekickbooks.substack.com/p/cover-proc...
A short Substack post on 'Terms & Conditions Apply' by Nikki Marrone, from Ten Poets Spend the Night in a Vampire's Castle.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
'Terms and Conditions Apply' by Nikki Marrone
“A chance,” says the former actress, “not a contract.”
substack.com
October 24, 2025 at 1:06 PM
A short Substack post on 'Terms & Conditions Apply' by Nikki Marrone, from Ten Poets Spend the Night in a Vampire's Castle.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Sidekick does Substack! With the publication of 'Ten Poets Spend the Night in a Vampire's Castle', we've set the stage for an epic duel.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Vampires vs. Pirates
Poetry with teeth ... and cutlasses. And capes and sunken dishes.
substack.com
October 20, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Sidekick does Substack! With the publication of 'Ten Poets Spend the Night in a Vampire's Castle', we've set the stage for an epic duel.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Clawbear is our Halloween mascot!
October 20, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Clawbear is our Halloween mascot!
This year's #nationalpoetryday theme is 'play'! How about a #poem and a #dicegame from the same book? Here's Abigail Ottley's 'The Sea Always Wins' ... 1/2
@poetrydayuk.bsky.social
@poetrydayuk.bsky.social
ABIGAIL OTTLEY / The Sea Always Wins - Sidekick Books
Abigail Ottley The Sea Always Wins or, The Ageing Wreck Diver Speaks of the Ocean (after Roland Morris of Penzance, Cornwall) The sea is an indifferent lover. She may be your delight, your mistress, y...
sidekickbooks.com
October 2, 2025 at 3:55 PM
This year's #nationalpoetryday theme is 'play'! How about a #poem and a #dicegame from the same book? Here's Abigail Ottley's 'The Sea Always Wins' ... 1/2
@poetrydayuk.bsky.social
@poetrydayuk.bsky.social
Don't they look pretty together? Soon to be joined by a dark sister ...
sidekickbooks.com/booklab/prod...
sidekickbooks.com/booklab/prod...
September 29, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Don't they look pretty together? Soon to be joined by a dark sister ...
sidekickbooks.com/booklab/prod...
sidekickbooks.com/booklab/prod...
Reposted by Sidekick Books
It’s halfway between Talk Like a Pirate Day and National Poetry Day and this shiny treasure has washed up on my shelf 🏴☠️⚓️🌊🏝️
September 24, 2025 at 3:55 PM
It’s halfway between Talk Like a Pirate Day and National Poetry Day and this shiny treasure has washed up on my shelf 🏴☠️⚓️🌊🏝️
You can now pre-order Ten Poets Prowl the Seas in Searc of Plunder, out next week, from our website!: sidekickbooks.com/booklab/book...
September 4, 2025 at 1:56 PM
You can now pre-order Ten Poets Prowl the Seas in Searc of Plunder, out next week, from our website!: sidekickbooks.com/booklab/book...
A little 15th anniversary post, with some photos of early Sidekick memorabilia!
sidekickbooks.com/booklab/2025...
sidekickbooks.com/booklab/2025...
15 Years of Sidekick: Memorabilia - Sidekick Books
We've been (quietly) celebrating our 15th anniversary this year, and have uncovered some early Sidekick memorabilia ...
sidekickbooks.com
August 28, 2025 at 8:49 AM
A little 15th anniversary post, with some photos of early Sidekick memorabilia!
sidekickbooks.com/booklab/2025...
sidekickbooks.com/booklab/2025...
Editors having a blast today testing a new tiny dice & coin role-playing game that will be published in the appendix of Ten Poets Prowl the Seas in Search of Plunder ...
August 21, 2025 at 5:42 PM
Editors having a blast today testing a new tiny dice & coin role-playing game that will be published in the appendix of Ten Poets Prowl the Seas in Search of Plunder ...
New sticker for our sand martin microbooks ...
August 21, 2025 at 12:35 PM
New sticker for our sand martin microbooks ...
Reposted by Sidekick Books
What an opening weekend we had!
Here's to the next five days!
#ForewordFestival #books #fringe #festival #literature
Here's to the next five days!
#ForewordFestival #books #fringe #festival #literature
August 11, 2025 at 2:07 PM
What an opening weekend we had!
Here's to the next five days!
#ForewordFestival #books #fringe #festival #literature
Here's to the next five days!
#ForewordFestival #books #fringe #festival #literature
Reposted by Sidekick Books
Not entirely sure I can live without this
July 23, 2025 at 9:46 AM
Not entirely sure I can live without this
On the Sidekick blog today, we talk speculative fiction, a forthcoming #folklore anthology and creative riches in the north-east with @nathanielspain.bsky.social, founder of new micropress @carnyxpress.co.uk. Link to interview in bio!
#sciencefiction #speculativefiction #indiepublishing
#sciencefiction #speculativefiction #indiepublishing
June 29, 2025 at 4:22 PM
On the Sidekick blog today, we talk speculative fiction, a forthcoming #folklore anthology and creative riches in the north-east with @nathanielspain.bsky.social, founder of new micropress @carnyxpress.co.uk. Link to interview in bio!
#sciencefiction #speculativefiction #indiepublishing
#sciencefiction #speculativefiction #indiepublishing
Last day for your Ten Poets submissions! We're seeking brave souls willing to spend a night with the soulless... 1/2
June 18, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Last day for your Ten Poets submissions! We're seeking brave souls willing to spend a night with the soulless... 1/2
Reposted by Sidekick Books
happy #independentbookshopweek to #poetrypharmacy where we spent a happy sunday morning launching #Afonydd in #BishopsCastle our only non-Wales event (so far). We had a lovely time in their new performance/workshop space The Lab, with lots of poets reading their own and other peoples poems.
June 18, 2025 at 1:37 PM
happy #independentbookshopweek to #poetrypharmacy where we spent a happy sunday morning launching #Afonydd in #BishopsCastle our only non-Wales event (so far). We had a lovely time in their new performance/workshop space The Lab, with lots of poets reading their own and other peoples poems.
Reposted by Sidekick Books
News! Thought Bubble @thoughtbubbleuk.bsky.social and Travelling Man @travellingmanuk.bsky.social Team Up to Provide Another Round of Micro-Bursaries in 2025 for Early Career, Marginalised Creators. www.brokenfrontier.com/thought-bubb... Great stuff!
Thought Bubble and Travelling Man Team Up to Provide Another Round of Micro-Bursaries in 2025 for Early Career, Marginalised Creators – Broken Frontier
Thought Bubble's micro-bursaries return with opportunities for disabled. trans/non-binary and creators of colour.
www.brokenfrontier.com
June 18, 2025 at 1:42 PM
News! Thought Bubble @thoughtbubbleuk.bsky.social and Travelling Man @travellingmanuk.bsky.social Team Up to Provide Another Round of Micro-Bursaries in 2025 for Early Career, Marginalised Creators. www.brokenfrontier.com/thought-bubb... Great stuff!
Two more days to get your submissions in!
June 17, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Two more days to get your submissions in!
Reposted by Sidekick Books
Couple of beauties in the post from @sidekickbooks.bsky.social 💫
June 5, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Couple of beauties in the post from @sidekickbooks.bsky.social 💫