Pitch Publishing Ltd
9 Donnington Park
85 Birdham Road
Chichester
West Sussex
PO20 7AJ
Email: info@pitchpublishing.co.uk
If you are contacting us to submit a proposal for a new title, please carefully read our submissions guidelines.
Pitch Publishing Limited - registered in England (company number 04405674)
"Pitch capture the real spirit of sport with entertaining and clever ideas. They work out what the aficionado would want to read, and then deliver it with great verve."
Paul Hayward, three times winner of the Sportswriter of the Year Award
Pitch Publishing is the UK's leading and most-prolific independent sports publisher, with a vast catalogue covering football, cricket, rugby, boxing, golf, athletics and other sports. Founded on the Sussex coast in 2002 Pitch was recently described by the Sports Bookshelf website as a "beacon of hope for aspiring or established sports authors" - and has now published hundreds of successful sports books, with a number being recognised nationally as outstanding written work.
Awards
Click here to view our awards section in the Pitch Amazon Store
2023 - Hope and Glory by Anthony Broxton - Longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year
2023 - Black Swan Summer by Max Bonnell - Australian Cricket Society’s Cricket Book of the Year
2023 - Scrum Queens by Ali Donnelly - Shortlisted for the Lord Aberdare Literary Prize
2023 - Dear John by John Lloyd with Phil Jones - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2023 - Elephant in the Stadium by Arunabha Sengupta - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2023 - Heart of Midlothian, 51 Shirts by Grant Young - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2023 - The Cup by Richard Whitehead - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2023 - The Roger Federer Effect by Simon Cambers and Simon Graf - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2023 - Warrior by Tris Dixon - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2023 - Scrum Queens by Ali Donnelly - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2023 - Brazil 1970 by Samindra Kunti - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2023 - Between Overs by Michéle Savidge - Longlisted for the MCC and Cricket Society Book of the Year Award
2023 - Flares Up by Niamh McAnally - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2023 - The Power of Belief by Beth Shriever and Sarah Juggins - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2023 - Between Overs by Michéle Savidge - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2023 - Swallows and Hawke by Richard Parry and André Odendaal - Longlisted for the MCC and Cricket Society Book of the Year Award
2023 - The Elephant in the Stadium by Arunabha Sengupta - Longlisted for the MCC and Cricket Society Book of the Year Award
2023 - Laker and Lock by Christopher Sandford - Longlisted for the MCC and Cricket Society Book of the Year Award
2022 - The Elephant in the Stadium by Arunabha Sengupta - Shortlisted for the Cricket Writers’ Club Book of the Year Award
2022 - The Colours of Cricket by Philip Brown - Shortlisted for the Cricket Writers’ Club Book of the Year Award
2022 - Love of the Game by Ricky Hill with Adrian Durham - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2022 - Never Surrender by Mark Peel - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2022 - The People's Wimbledon by Richard Jones - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2022 - Always Believe by Olivier Giroud with Dominique Rouch - Winner of Best International Autobiography at the British Sports Book Awards
2022 - Eighty at Eighty by Sir Geoff Hurst and Norman Giller - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2022 - Whose Game Is It Anyway? by Michael Calvin - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2022 - The Miracle by Vasilis Sambrakos - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2022 - My Seventy Years of Spurs by Norman Giller - Longlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2022 - West Midlands Turf Wars by Steve Tongue - Longlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2022 - Too Black to Wear Whites by Jonty Winch and Richard Parry - Shortlisted for the MCC and Cricket Society Book of the Year Award
2021 - The Thin White Line by Nick Greenslade - Winner of the Cricket Writers’ Club Book of the Year Award
2021 - Too Black to Wear Whites by Jonty Winch and Richard Parry - Shortlisted for the Cricket Writers’ Club Book of the Year Award
2021 - Too Black to Wear Whites by Jonty Winch and Richard Parry - Shortlisted for the Lord Aberdare Literary Prize for Sports History
2021 - Out of the Darkness by Matt Piper and Joe Brewin - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2021 - Barbed Wire and Cucumber Sandwiches by Colin Shindler - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2021 - The Unforgiven by Ashley Gray - Winner of Best Cricket Book at the British Sports Book Awards
2021 - Dead Man to Iron Man by Paul Smith - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2021 - How to Run a Football Club by Jim Keoghan - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2021 - British Football’s Greatest Grounds by Mike Bayly - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2021 - The Thin White Line by Nick Greenslade - Shortlisted for the MCC and Cricket Society Book of the Year Award
2021 - The Unforgiven by Ashley Gray - Winner of the MCC and Cricket Society Book of the Year Award
2021 - Barbed Wire and Cucumber Sandwiches by Colin Shindler - Shortlisted for the MCC and Cricket Society Book of the Year Award
2021 - The Hollow Crown by Mark Peel - Longlisted for the MCC and Cricket Society Book of the Year Award
2021 - Cricketing Caesar by Mark Peel - Longlisted for the MCC and Cricket Society Book of the Year Award
2021 - Gunner, My Life in Cricket by Ian Gould - Longlisted for the MCC and Cricket Society Book of the Year Award
2021 - If Not Me, Who? by Andrew Murtagh - Longlisted for the MCC and Cricket Society Book of the Year Award
2020 - The Unforgiven by Ashley Gray - Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year
2020 - Out of the Darkness by Matt Piper and Joe Brewin - Longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year
2020 - A Life Behind the Lens, by Richard Pelham - Winner of the Sport Book Prize Renaud de Laborderie at the 2020 Sportel Awards
2020 - Gunner, My Life in Cricket by Ian Gould - Longlisted for the Cricket Writers’ Club Book of the Year Award
2020 - The Unforgiven by Ashley Gray - Longlisted for the Cricket Writers’ Club Book of the Year Award
2020 - Cricketing Caesar by Mark Peel - Longlisted for the Cricket Writers’ Club Book of the Year Award
2020 - Barbed Wire and Cucumber Sandwiches by Colin Shindler - Longlisted for the Cricket Writers’ Club Book of the Year Award
2020 - My Song Shall be Cricket, by Franklyn Stephenson and Dave Bracegirdle - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2020 - Even Heskey Scored, by Emile Heskey and Dean Eldredge - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2020 - Stories of Cricket’s Finest Painting, by Jonathan Rice - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2020 - An A to Z of Football Collectibles, by Carl Wilkes - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2020 - Lap of Honour, by Tim Hain - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2020 - A Life Behind the Lens, by Richard Pelham - Winner of Best Illustrated Book at the British Sports Book Awards
2020 - A Tournament Frozen in Time, by Steven Scragg - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2020 - Natural, by David Tossell - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2020 - Even Heskey Scored, by Emile Heskey and Dean Eldredge - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2020 - Tangled Up in Blue, by Stephen O'Donnell - Longlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2020 - The Pride of the Lionesses, by Carrie Dunn - Longlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2019 - The Beautiful Badge, by M Routledge and E Wills - Winner of Best Illustrated Book at the British Sports Book Awards
2019 - Waiting, by Richard Kelley - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2019 - Playing the Game, by Mark Peel - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2019 - Ambassadors of Goodwill, by Mark Peel - Shortlisted for the MCC and Cricket Society Book of the Year Award
2018 - Pironi, by David Sedgwick - Shortlisted at the RAC Annual Book Awards
2018 - The History Makers, by S Juggins and R Stainthorpe - Winner of Best Illustrated Book at the British Sports Book Awards
2018 - Over and Out, by Steve Neal - Winner of the Best Cricket Book at the British Sports Book Awards
2018 - Fearless Freddie, by Chris Evans - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2018 - Caught in the Middle, By Mike Procter and Lungani Zama - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2018 - Over and Out, By Steve Neal - Winner of the Cricket Writers’ Club Book of the Year Award
2017 - The Good Murungu, by Alan Butcher - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2017 - Richie, By Ian Heads and Norm Tasker - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2017 - His Own Man, by Timothy Johnston and Donald Macgregor - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2017 - Running Hot & Cold, by Doug Richards - Best Book at the 2017 Running Awards
2016 - Chasing Points, by Gregory Howe - Longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year
2016 - Moody Blue, By Marco Negri and Jeff Holmes - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2016 - The Iron Curtain, By Phil Larder and Nicholas Bishop - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2014 - The Great English Final, by David Tossell - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2014 - Can't Sleep, Can't Train, Can't Stop, by Andy Holgate - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2014 - Can't Sleep, Can't Train, Can't Stop, by Andy Holgate - Best Book at the 2014 Running Awards
2014 - The Sergio Torres Story, by Sergio Torres - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2014 - The Real Jeeves, by Brian Halford - Runner-up in the MCC and Cricket Society Book of the Year Award
2014 - Then Came Massacre, by Justin Parkinson - Long-listed for the MCC and Cricket Society Book of the Year Award
2014 - Then Came Massacre, by Justin Parkinson - Cricket Web Best New Writer of the Year Award
2013 - The Valiant Cricketer, by Alan Hill - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2012 - It's Not All About the Old Firm, by Scott Burns - The Scotsman's Best Scottish Sports Read
2012 - Can't Swim, Can't Ride, Can't Run, by Andy Holgate - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2012 - Tony Greig, by David Tossell - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2012 - Got, Not Got, By Derek Hammond and Gary Silke - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2012 - Sporting Chancer, By Ed Hawkins - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2011 - Animals, by Neil Clack - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards
2011 - Following On, by David Tossell - Runner-up in the MCC and Cricket Society Book of the Year Award
2010 - When Freddie Became Jesus, by Jarrod Kimber - Shortlisted at the British Sports Book Awards.
2003 - The Server, by Spencer Vignes - Longlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year
SUBMITTING YOUR BOOK PROPOSAL
If you wish to propose a future Pitch Publishing title then the following guidelines will help you prepare your submission.
Your submission must include:
• Proposed title and sub-title
• Description of the book in no more than 300 words
• A brief overview of the structure of the book and, if applicable a list of chapters/sections
• Whether the book is already written, or an accurate timescale required to deliver the completed the manuscript
• Total word count of the book
• If the manuscript is completed, whether it's been edited, to what level and by whom
• Type of images and how you would like included
• Details of any previously published written work
It may also be useful to include:
• Source of images; please detail any potential costs of images if known
• How you envisage the finished product to look
• Cover ideas, including images which could be used
• Descriptive copy as outlined in our author guidelines (see below)
• Any competing or similar titles, previously published or due for release
• Any other information which may be relevant
When you are submitting your proposal, it's important to consider:
• We usually commission work 12-18 months, or longer, in advance of publication
• This allows us the required time to present and sell into key accounts
• Ideally, we like to receive manuscripts 4-6 months ahead of publication
• However, time-sensitive manuscripts can be delivered later
• We publish most titles in the trade's traditional book size formats
• These are: trade hardback, trade paperback and mass-market paperback sizes
• We typically print most books in mono, on bookwove paper
• Picture (plate) sections can be added on a coated stock with either black-and-white or colour images
We review submissions at set times throughout the year, usually quarterly, so you may not receive an immediate response (other than an auto-response to confirm we have received your submission).
Once we reach a decision on each submission, we do always try to provide feedback, even when rejecting proposals. However, due to the large volume of submissions we receive, this isn't always possible.
Click here for our house-style guidelines which you may find useful. If you are successfully commissioned, all manuscripts should adhere to these guidelines.
Please send submissions electronically to submissions@pitchpublishing.co.uk.
OPENING AN ACCOUNT
If you are a retailer or wholesaler and wish to stock our products on a trade basis, you will need to set up a trade account with our distributors Macmillan Distribution (MDL). To do this you will need to fill in an online account creation forms. Standard discount terms are available, and stock can be supplied on a sale-or-return basis. For more information please contact us. Our books are also available from our wholesale stockists, including Bertrams Books, Bookspeed and Gardners Books.
UK ORDERS
If you have an account with Macmillan, please place your orders as follows:
UK Trade Orders – MDL
Phone: 01256 302692
Email: orders@macmillan.co.uk
CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS
It may be easier to make one-off orders via our distributors MacMillan Distribution and pay by credit or debit card. Standard discount terms are also available on trade orders of this nature of £100 or more. For more information please contact us.
EXPORT ORDERS
If you have an account with Macmillan, please place your orders as follows (apart from in the USA or Canada, please see below):
Export Trade Orders – MDL
Phone: +44 (0) 1256 302890
Email: exportorders@macmillan.com
We also work with the following partners in these territories worldwide.
US AND CANADA: Customers in USA and Canada please contact our US distribution partners Trafalgar Square Publishing (Independent Publishers Group). They can be reached on +1 312 337 0747 or orders can be placed via orders@ipgbook.com.
AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND: Customers in Australia and New Zealand please contact our Oceania distribution partners Dennis Jones International. They can be reached at international@dennisjones.com.au or on +61418544589, or orders can be placed via internationalsales@gardners.com.
EIRE, SCOTLAND AND NORTHERN IRELAND: Customers in Eire, Scotland and North Ireland can follow the sales procedure above to open an account with MacMillan (see above), or contact our sales agent for this territory Jim Chalmers.
REST OF THE WORLD: For enquiries for the rest of the world please contact Gardners at internationalsales@gardners.com.
For enquiries for the rest of the world please contact us.
MARKETING
We may be able to offer various marketing support to booksellers – depending on the size of your order. This includes advertising and media campaigns; author appearances and other events in store; and in-store posters and flyers.
RETURNS
Provided stock has been purchased from our distributor MacMillan Distribution on a sale-or-return basis, we will accept returns on all stock, subject to the guidelines listed below. You will need to contact us for further information. Stock should not be returned to Macmillan, details will be provided on application.
Volume: The number of each title returned should not exceed the value of the last order of that title and returns (unless previously agreed) are capped at a total of 25% of your orders in the previous 12 months.
Age: No title is eligible for return until six months after the date of publication; or 18 months after the publication date.
Firm Sales: If a title is purchased on a firm sale basis a return request will be rejected.
Return of Stock: Once a return request is accepted, stock must be returned in saleable condition and at the expense of the returnee. Stock must be returned to our returns partner and NOT Macmillan Distribution.
Credit Value: The value of the credit is calculated on an average of all purchases of that title over the 12 months prior to date of the last order.
