About

Ember’s

An independent publisher of short, practical books.

The house

Small on purpose

Ember’s is an independent publisher with a narrow catalogue. Rather than cover every subject, it keeps to books that help a reader do something. You pick one up, you use it, and it stays within reach afterwards.

Titles are added when there is something worth saying, not to keep a schedule. Each one has to stand on its own, whatever it happens to be about.

Being small is the point. It keeps every title short enough to be made properly, and it keeps the publisher close enough to the reader to hear when something is wrong.

How the house works

The rules

Written, illustrated and laid out in house. Nothing is outsourced, nothing is bought in.
Short by design. A book that gets used beats a book that gets admired.
Published when it is finished. The catalogue grows on its own clock, not on a calendar.
Kept narrow on purpose, so every title has to earn its place.

The catalogue

Built to be used

Whatever the subject, the approach does not change: plain language, real numbers, and nothing padded out to look substantial.

Some titles are made to be consulted. Others are made to be kept open on a desk or a counter. None is written to be skimmed once and thrown away.

See the books

The publisher

Get in touch

This is a small house, which means every message reaches the person who made the book. There is no form and no ticket number. Write, and it will be read.

Comments on the booksA page that did not make sense, a step that needed a different approach, a number that has moved since it was checked. All of it is useful, and what is wrong gets corrected.
QuestionsWhich title to start with, whether a book suits the work you do, or anything the site does not answer. Ask directly.
Ideas for the next bookThis is the part I want most. If you keep wishing a particular book existed, say so. The catalogue is short because it is chosen, and the choosing goes better with readers in it.

Write to

Replies within two working days. If you would also like to hear when the next book is out, say so in the same message and it will be noted.