How I started my press with Ssnake Press
Interview by: Jemima Skala
Though things have been looking fairly grim for the future of small independent presses in the UK of late, it’s encouraging to still see people making a good go of it, keeping the spirit and ethos of independent publishing alive. James Bennett of Ssnake Press is very much one of them; he started Ssnake as a small hand-printed publishing press focusing (for the moment) on short fiction.
I exchanged emails with James over the course of a couple of weeks to learn more about Ssnake’s ethos, design and plans for the future.
“I appreciate a beautiful and well-made book, but I also want to publish writing that’s so good you’d read it off a piece of scrap paper or a badly scanned PDF.”
How did you get the idea for Ssnake and what made you want to start your own imprint?
The idea to start some kind of publishing project had been floating around in my head for years. I think I just got to a point where it felt like now or never. So many factors come into it. In my twenties I was more focused on my own writing and translation practices. I was reading a lot, and very widely. I was also giving a lot of feedback to friends of mine who are writers (and they were doing the same for me). While all this was going on, I was on the fringes of the publishing scene: doing small freelance jobs as a reader or translator, publishing stories in literary magazines. I think two things happened: 1) I got tired of complaining about risk-aversion in publishing and good work not finding a home, and 2) I finally felt confident enough and ready to try my hand at it, albeit on a small scale.
Regarding the name, it's not really meaningful in relation to the press. I just wanted a unique word that would allow me to get all the URLs and usernames. And I was thinking about how it would work in a logo too. Ssnake with two S’s just came to me and I thought it sounded and looked cool. My friend, the artist Jazmin Key, then designed the logo, which I love. She’s great. We met waiting tables at the same restaurant. She’s just done the cover for the next Ssnake book: Robert Gluck’s Purple Men 2000.
How did you work with Jazmin to decide the look and feel of the press? I like how consistently ‘Ssnake’ they all feel, even though they use different colours and typefaces.
As for the look and feel of the press, I guess it’s easy to be consistent because I’ve only done two handmade pamphlets to date. A lot of that was decided in the moment. I looked at a lot of smaller books and thought about what size, what paper felt good in my own hands, as a reader. Physical bookmaking was totally new to me. I’ve really enjoyed learning how to do it, and I think it was a great way to start the press, and tell a story, but my ultimate goal is to be a paperback publisher. People love the handmades though, so maybe they'll continue as special releases. In any case, I’m not done with them yet. After the first Ssnake paperback later this year, I’ve got two more handmades in the pipeline for early 2026. But the most important thing to me is the writing. I appreciate a beautiful and well-made book, but I also want to publish writing that’s so good you’d read it off a piece of scrap paper or a badly scanned PDF.
How have you figured out the kind of writing that you want to publish and how have you made connections with writers?
The output of the press is very much based on my personal taste. That's the great thing about running it on my own: it's an editorial dictatorship. I don't feel able to describe it in great detail, because a lot of it is based on feelings and instinct. "Ambitious and adventurous" is a description I've used repeatedly, and I think that gives a good broad idea of what Ssnake is about. I like writers who are trying to blaze their own trail, and who work with the medium of prose in a conscious, questioning way.
In terms of making connections with writers, the first two pamphlets were by friends of mine whose writing I've loved for years. The third book is a re-issue of an out-of-print story by Robert Glück, a well-known American writer. I reached out and pitched the idea to him. I do have open submissions, which people can read about on the Ssnake Press website (ssnakepress.com). I also try to go to literary events and meet new writers that way.
Yeah, tell me more about how the Robert Glück one came about, was it literally just as simple as getting in touch?
I’ve been interested in re-issues for a long time. Reading into the margins of the past has been a big part of how I’ve developed my own sensibilities. When I first started reading Bob Glück, most of his stuff was out of print. The same goes for many other gay authors of the late 20th century. A lot of really distinct, interesting small-press publishing happened between Stonewall and the internet. When I started a press, I knew I wanted to be part of the effort to preserve that writing, which has been spearheaded by the likes of NYRB and Semiotext(e)—my two big publishing heroes. Purple Men 2000 by Glück came to mind as an obvious choice. It’s such a fun read and a great showcase of his style and talent. I also love when short texts get released as slim single volumes.
In terms of approaching Bob with the plan, it wasn’t completely cold. I asked Dennis Cooper if he would introduce us to each other over email, which he kindly agreed to do. From there I pitched the re-issue, and luckily, Bob liked the idea.
I first started chatting with Dennis in the comments section of his blog a few years ago, and ended up meeting him the last time I was in Paris. He’s been a great champion of Ssnake Press and also a great help to me personally. I’ve talked a fair bit with him about my thoughts, worries and ideas in relation to writing over the last few years, and he always has something wise and encouraging to say.
So what's the foray into paperback printing going to look like, and any exciting plans coming up for the next year or so?
Today I revealed the cover of Purple Men 2000 on Instagram. It’s my first attempt at designing a professionally printed cover, and I’m quite pleased with it. The only other things currently in the pipeline are two more pamphlets in early 2026, which I can’t say anything about yet, other than I want to launch one of them in Dublin and the other in Paris.
In terms of more paperbacks, that’s definitely the direction I want to go in, but I need to find the right texts, which might take a while. I’m on the lookout for longer manuscripts: novels, essay collections, things like that. I’d also love to team up with a distributor in the not too distant future, to reach more readers through bookshops.
And if you want a real scoop—I’m probably going to move to Paris next year, and I’ll be taking Ssnake Press with me. There’s an interesting independent publishing scene there, in French and English, where Ssnake could fit in really well. I’ve been in London for five years and loved it, but I’m starting to feel the need for somewhere a bit cheaper and more liveable, without losing that big city feeling. I have friends in Paris, I speak French and I have an Irish passport. So it feels right.
Ssnake Press is an independent publisher based in London. They publish ambitious and adventurous writing.
Jemima Skala is a writer and editor from London. Her work has appeared in Dazed, The Guardian, Plaster Magazine and more. She has an essay pamphlet forthcoming with tallfingerpress, and writes the Substack A procession of magnetic moments.
