Big News: THREE Unsolicited Press Titles Just Made Major 2025 Literary Lists
Some news deserves champagne. Some news deserves a megaphone.
This news deserves both — and maybe a middle finger raised lovingly in the general direction of the corporate publishing machine.
Because this week, three Unsolicited Press titles were named to major 2025 literary lists. That’s right. Without a marketing department, without six-figure ad budgets, without bowing to trends or gatekeepers — our authors carved their own space on two of the most competitive roundups of the year.
And it feels damn good.
The River People & Mosaic Named to Lit Hub’s Top 100 Notable Small Press Books of 2025
Lit Hub’s annual 100 Notable Small Press Books list is essentially the Oscars for independent publishing—fiercely curated, deeply respected, and known for spotlighting the work that truly matters.
This year, two Unsolicited Press authors earned their place on that list:
THE RIVER PEOPLE by Liz Kellebrew
A haunting, lyrical, gorgeously crafted work that moves like water—patient, powerful, and unforgettable. Kellebrew’s storytelling is rooted in intimacy and landscape, and Lit Hub naming this one of the year’s most notable small-press books is an honor that feels exactly right.
MOSAIC by Laura Gaddis
Gaddis delivers a tender, sharp, and devastating book that explores grief, identity, and survival in fragments that come together with astonishing clarity. Small-press innovation at its absolute finest.
Both books earned their place among the most daring, inventive, and necessary writing coming out of independent publishing this year.
Read the full list here: https://lithub.com/100-notable-small-press-books-of-2025/
MOUTH by Kerry Donoghue Named to Debutiful’s Best Debut Short Story Collections of 2025
Debutiful is the hub for discovering first-time authors, and their “Best Debut Short Story Collections” list is as competitive as it gets.
We’re thrilled—ecstatic—to share that: MOUTH by Kerry Donoghue…has been named one of the best debut short-story collections of the year.
MOUTH is raw, fierce, and fully alive—stories that bite, whisper, and haunt their way into your bloodstream. Donoghue’s voice is the kind of debut magic that reminds readers why small presses take risks in the first place.
See the full list here: https://debutiful.net/2025/11/25/the-best-debut-short-story-collections-of-2025/
Why This Matters (And Why We’re Letting Ourselves Brag a Little)
Small presses like ours aren’t upheld by shareholders or conglomerates.
We’re upheld by:
writers who refuse to water themselves down
editors who choose art over algorithm
readers who understand that real literature doesn’t need corporate permission to matter
When our books make lists like these, it’s more than recognition — it’s validation that the old systems aren’t the only way forward.
It’s proof that independent and women-led presses (hi, that’s us) can build our own tables, publish our own canon, and raise our voices without apology.
So yes, we’re honored. And yes, we’re celebrating.
But also?
To the corporate publishing machine and all the gatekeeping it loves: small presses aren’t going anywhere.
Spread the Word & Support the Books
If you want to support voices that aren’t manufactured for mass appeal:
Buy the books directly from us
Request them at your library
Share this announcement
Tell your book club
Leave a review
Every act of support for small presses is an act of resistance.
And today, resistance tastes especially sweet.
Here’s to Liz Kellebrew, Laura Gaddis, Kerry Donoghue — and to every indie author rewriting the rules.
🖤 Unsolicited Press
