Top 10 Book Publishing Companies in Castries 2025

Castries, the capital city of Saint Lucia, is emerging as a lively centre for writers, storytellers, and publishers in the Caribbean. While small in size, the city has a growing creative community supported by local presses, cultural organizations, and international publishing service providers. Many of these companies help authors transform their ideas into published works, offering editing, design, printing, and distribution support. In 2025, Castries continues to strengthen its presence in the literary world, giving both new and established writers opportunities to share their stories across the region and beyond. The following list highlights the top 10 book publishing companies in Castries, each playing an important role in promoting local voices and expanding the city’s publishing landscape.

1. Barnett Ghostwriting

Barnett Ghostwriting is a larger, services-oriented company that provides writing, editing and package-publishing assistance to authors worldwide. While not a Castries-native press in the traditional sense, the firm appears on many regional service lists used by Caribbean authors seeking end-to-end help — from manuscript development to production and distribution support. For Castries writers who want a hands-off, project-managed path from draft to published book, companies like Barnett represent one kind of option: outsourcing the heavy lifting while retaining publication control.

• Services: ghostwriting, developmental and copy editing, formatting and publishing packages.

• Good for: authors who want an external team to manage the full process.

• Consideration: these services are often fee-based and vary in approach; ask about local distribution options.

2. Papillote Press

Papillote Press is an independent press with a strong Caribbean focus and a history of publishing work about the region — including books that document Saint Lucian writers and cultural life. Though their base and operations reach beyond Castries, Papillote’s catalog and editorial interest make them a familiar name for island authors seeking a press that understands Caribbean contexts and literary histories. Their projects often emphasise cultural preservation and literary scholarship.

• Services: selective acquisitions, regional anthologies and commemorative/historical titles.

• Good for: writers with culturally-focused non-fiction, local history, or literature that sits within Caribbean studies.

• Consideration: as a small press, submission windows and editorial priorities may be selective.

3. Jako Books / Jako Productions

Jako Books (often presented as part of Jako Productions) is a domestic publishing presence associated with St. Lucian authors and titles. They publish works that engage with local history, politics and contemporary life — helping to get Saint Lucian narratives into print and into national collections. For authors who write about local social and political themes or who are connected to Saint Lucian literary networks, Jako represents an accessible, locally rooted partner.

• Services: small-press publishing, local print runs, and promotion within the island’s cultural circuit.

• Good for: nonfiction and fiction rooted in St. Lucian society and history.

• Consideration: expect small runs and grassroots promotion — great for cultural reach, less so for global scale without supplementary distribution.

4. Saint Lucia Writers’ Forum

The Saint Lucia Writers’ Forum is a long-standing community organisation that doubles as a platform for anthologies, collaborative publications and writer development. While not a full-service commercial publisher, the Forum plays an essential publishing role: curating collections, mentoring emerging writers and facilitating staged publications (anthologies, chapbooks, event pamphlets). For many Castries authors, this forum is where early work finds its first printed home.

• Services: anthologies, workshops, critique groups and occasional small print projects.

• Good for: new writers seeking first publication, community projects, and contributors to themed collections.

• Consideration: forum publications are often community-led and may have limited print runs.

5. The Voice Publishing Co.

The Voice is Castries’ longstanding newspaper and publishing operation; beyond journalism, its archives, printing capability and editorial resources make it a practical contact for authors needing printing, local distribution or media visibility around book launches. The Voice’s role in the island’s publishing ecosystem is practical and infrastructural: printing, promotion and access to readers through established press channels.

• Services: printing, editorial support for journalistic and short-form publishing, promotional reach via newspaper and digital channels.

• Good for: authors who want strong local publicity and a reliable printer with established audience access.

• Consideration: editorial focus remains news and features; book publishing is usually handled as special projects.

6. Saint Lucia National Trust — Publications

The Saint Lucia National Trust publishes guides, reports and books that document the island’s natural and cultural heritage. These publications are research-driven and often used in schools, tourism and conservation contexts. For authors of environmental histories, heritage projects, or place-based non-fiction, the National Trust’s publications represent an institutional avenue to reach civic and educational audiences.

• Services: institutional publishing (guides, reports, educational materials).

• Good for: heritage studies, conservation writing, and community history projects.

• Consideration: editorial selection aligns with conservation and heritage mandates.

7. Hardback Publishing

Hardback Publishing appears in local social media and community listings as a small Caribbean imprint focused on portraying West Indian culture and creativity. Micro-presses like Hardback typically manage short print runs, local launches and close collaboration with authors on design and production. For writers seeking hands-on editorial relationships and tangible, well-crafted local editions, a micro-press model can be ideal.

• Services: boutique production, local design choices, community distribution.

• Good for: literary fiction, poetry, and illustrated cultural books.

• Consideration: distribution beyond the island is usually limited unless additional arrangements are made.

8. Island Voices Publishing (community imprint)

Island Voices Publishing is cited in regional lists as a grassroots imprint that collaborates with community writers to produce anthologies and memoir collections. These kinds of community-based imprints often originate from cultural projects, schools or collective initiatives and help surface voices that might otherwise go unheard. For Castries writers interested in collaborative projects or themed anthologies, Island Voices is a typical model to consider.

• Services: anthologies, community collections, themed chapbooks.

• Good for: poets, memoirists and community storytellers.

• Consideration: publishing frequency is project-dependent.

9. Papillote-affiliated and regional partners (e.g., Caribbean independent presses)

Beyond the island-specific names, a number of Caribbean-focused independent presses and regional partners regularly handle Saint Lucian titles or offer distribution and editorial partnerships useful to Castries authors. These include small UK/Caribbean hybrid presses and publishers that specialize in regional literature and scholarship. Authors who need editorial expertise plus wider regional reach often pursue these partnerships.

• Services: selective acquisitions, distribution into diaspora markets, and regional editorial networks.

• Good for: authors seeking a bridge between local reputation and regional/UK markets.

• Consideration: submission policies are selective; regional presses often prioritise literary or culturally significant works.

10. Community and educational presses / project publishers

The final category encompasses ad hoc presses, school publishing projects, university or NGO reports, and small teams that print conference proceedings, school textbooks and community histories in Castries. These publishers are often project-driven rather than permanent houses, but they matter: they create local opportunities for authors, and they frequently collaborate with writers, historians and educators to get texts into print. Examples include university-linked projects, NGO publishing arms and special interest series.

• Services: project-based publishing, educational printing, local distribution for reports and books.

• Good for: authors with curriculum or NGO-funded projects, and those documenting community histories.

• Consideration: budget and scope depend on project funding.

How to choose a publisher in Castries

1. Clarify your goals — local reach, regional distribution, or a print-and-sell community edition — and match the publisher’s strengths to those goals.

2. Ask about print runs and distribution — many Castries projects are produced in small batches; ask how copies will reach bookstores, libraries and online buyers.

3. Confirm rights and contracts — especially if you want to retain international rights or pursue digital distribution outside Saint Lucia.

4. Consider hybrid approaches — community presses or institutional publications plus a regional partner (or a service-company for production) can combine local authenticity with wider reach.

5. Use local networks — writers’ forums, the central library and The Voice’s publicity channels remain among the most effective ways to find collaborators and launch readers.

Conclusion

Castries’ publishing scene in 2025 is a mosaic: institutional publishers, community imprints, long-standing media houses and external service providers all play complementary roles. For many St. Lucian authors the most realistic route to publication combines local partners — who know the culture, the audiences and the festivals — with regional or service-based collaborators who can handle production, distribution and marketing beyond the island. Whether you seek a community anthology via the Writers’ Forum, a heritage title with the National Trust, a local print run through The Voice or a full service package from a professional writing house, Castries today offers pathways for writers at nearly every stage of their publishing journeys.