Nick Hern Books

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Nick Hern Books

The UK's leading specialist theatre publishers and performing rights agents. In 1990 the NHB imprint was taken on by Random House. www.nickhernbooksblog.com

Nick Hern Books came into being in June 1988, when Mr Nick Hern left Methuen to set up his own imprint under the aegis of Walker Books. It became a fully independent company on 1 January 1993 when Nick Hern acquired the list from Random House, and he subsequently won the Sunday Times 'Small Publisher of the Year Award' in 1994. The first title published by Nick Hern Books was Nicholas Wright’s Mrs

. Klein, which opened at the National Theatre in August 1988 before transferring to the West End and Broadway. There followed plays by Caryl Churchill, Arthur Miller, Mike Leigh and Stephen Sondheim, alongside theatre books by Simon Callow, Michael Coveney and Antony Sher. Follow NHB on Twitter:

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08/09/2025

We're excited to announce we'll be publishing Clarkston by Samuel D. Hunter alongside its West End run starring Joe Locke, Ruaridh Mollica and Sophie Melville.

A modern frontier story that blazes a trail through friendship, acceptance, love and the hope of new discoveries.

Clarkston was first performed at Dallas Theater Center, Texas, in 2015, and won a New Play Award from the Edgerton Foundation. It will receive its British premiere at Trafalgar Theatre, London, later this month, directed by Jack Serio. Playscript copies will be available at Trafalgar Theatre throughout the run.

Pre-order your copy now: https://www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/clarkston

Please note: due to territorial rights restrictions, we are NOT able to supply orders for Clarkston for delivery to customers in the US, Canada or Philippines.

29/08/2025

As August draws to a close, we’re taking a moment to look back at the seven fantastic plays we’ve published this month. 🎭📚

• Born With Teeth by Liz Duffy Adams
• Fat Ham by James Ijames
• Red Like Fruit by Hannah Moscovitch
• The Gathered Leaves (new edition) by Andrew Keatley
• Dear Young Monster by Pete MacHale
• Juniper Blood by Mike Bartlett
• The Lunch Punch Power Hour in Conference Room 4 by Caitríona Daly

Learn more about them – along with the rest of our recent publications – on our website:
https://www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/new-titles

14/08/2025

We're excited to announce we'll be publishing Born With Teeth by Liz Duffy Adams alongside its West End run starring Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel.

Christopher Marlowe – rockstar of Elizabethan theatre and notorious spy for the Crown – danger and seduction combined. William Shakespeare – jobbing actor and promising young playwright – dazzled by Marlowe, but with ambitions of his own. When the pair meet in the backroom of a pub to collaborate on a cycle of history plays, tensions rise as they navigate the perils of art under an oppressive regime, and flirt like young men with everything to lose…

An explosively entertaining duel of wits, words and powerplay, Liz Duffy Adams's Born With Teeth is a playful and daring imagining of the relationship between two literary icons. The play was first performed in Houston, Texas, in 2022, where it won several major awards. It will receive its European premiere at Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End this August, produced by Playful Productions, the Royal Shakespeare Company and Grain of Sand Productions, directed by RSC Co-Artistic Director Daniel Evans.

Learn more: https://www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/born-with-teeth

13/08/2025

Out now – Bruntwood at 20.

An anthology bringing together five of the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting's extraordinary winning plays in a wide-ranging selection reflecting the history and scope of the prize – and the inestimable impact it has had over the past two decades:

• Pretend You Have Big Buildings by Ben Musgrave (Bruntwood Prize, 2005)
• Winterlong by Andrew Sheridan (joint winner, 2008)
• Three Birds by Janice Okoh (Bruntwood Prize, 2011)
• Wish List by Katherine Soper (Bruntwood Prize, 2015)
• untitled f*ck m*ss s**gon play by Kimber Lee (International Award, 2019)

Also included is an incisive essay by theatre historian Rachel Clements on the impact of the Bruntwood Prize on the theatre landscape, as well as introductions by Sarah Frankcom and each of the selected authors.

The Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting is the largest playwriting competition in Europe. It has received over 17,325 submissions, and awarded prizes to thirty-eight different plays across its various categories.

Nick Hern Books is proud to have been the publishing partner for the Bruntwood Prize for Playwriting since its inception twenty years ago.

Learn more: https://www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/bruntwood-at-20

01/08/2025

July may have come and gone but the fantastic plays we published last month are here to stay, featuring four new plays, two anthologies, and two new editions! 📚 🎭

• Inter Alia by Suzie Miller
• Poor Clare by Chiara Atik
• The Estate by Shaan Sahota
• Ordinary Decent Criminal by Ed Edwards
• Royal Court Young Playwrights Award Winners 2025
• Bruntwood at 20
• Four Play (new edition) by Jake Brunger
• The P Word (new edition) by Waleed Akhtar

Learn more about them – along with the rest of our recent publications – on our website:
https://www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/new-titles

29/07/2025

NEW: Apply to join Nick Hern Books' Education Advisory Panel!

As the UK's leading specialist publisher of plays and books about theatre, Nick Hern Books is looking to assemble an advisory panel, comprised of teachers currently teaching English and / or Drama at secondary-education level in England.

In a nutshell, we want to hear from you – the experts! – about the issues that matter to you, the barriers you're currently facing, and how we as a publisher might be able to help. We're keen to understand how we can best support teachers and students – whether that's in teaching set texts for assessment, or more generally getting to grips with plays in the classroom.

We're intently aware of the challenges teachers face, and as such, participation in the panel will be designed to fit around other commitments. Additionally, everyone who takes part will receive a £100 voucher to spend on NHB-published books and plays from our website!

(Please note: as this is a new initiative for us, we've chosen in the first instance to focus on England only, meaning teachers from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are not eligible to apply on this occasion. We hugely value teachers from all parts of the UK, and hope to assemble other panels to include those from other regions in future.)

Head to our website for more information and to find a link to our quick application form*: https://www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/education-advisory-panel
*Applications are now open until 21 September 2025.

17/07/2025

Out 25 Sep – A Year of Creative Thinking: 366 Daily Inspirations for Writers and Artists by Jessica Swale.

Spark new ideas, hone your craft and unleash your creativity with 366 fun and rewarding activities – one for every day of the year (including leap years!) – to fire up your imagination and flex your creative muscles.

Whether being creative is a professional goal, your aspiration or simply your hobby, you’ll discover a storehouse of ideas and inspiration, along with insights from a wide range of literary and cultural figures – from T. S. Eliot to Quentin Tarantino, Jane Austen to Jimi Hendrix, Maya Angelou to George R. R. Martin, and Virginia Woolf to Paddington Bear.

Fun, engaging and pressure-free, this book is designed to supercharge your imagination and boost your creativity, helping you build a set of expressive tools that you can apply in all aspects of your life.

Pre-order at www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/a-year-of-creative-thinking

16/07/2025

After more than thirty-five years since he founded Nick Hern Books, Nick Hern is stepping back from day-to-day involvement – with a new leadership team appointed to continue his remarkable legacy.

Over a publishing career spanning more than fifty years, Nick has played a unique role in shaping contemporary theatre publishing. After a period as Drama Editor at Methuen, he founded Nick Hern Books in 1988, establishing it as a champion of new writing, and publishing a vast range of plays by both emerging and established playwrights. He also oversaw an influential list of practical theatre books, making NHB an essential resource for practitioners, students, educators and audiences alike. Nick will now assume the role of Founder, and will continue to take an interest in NHB, providing continued advice and support.

Under Nick’s leadership, NHB has become known for its distinctive commitment to quality, accessibility and the creative life of the theatre community. The NHB list includes multiple winners of theatre’s highest accolades including Olivier Awards, Tony Awards, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. NHB-published plays are also taught as set texts for GCSE, A level and various other accredited qualifications. NHB publications have been recognised with industry awards including multiple Theatre Book Prizes, the Sheridan Morley Prize for Theatre Biography, and Music and Drama Education Awards. The company was shortlisted for Specialist Consumer Publisher of the Year at the 2019 and 2023 Independent Publishing Awards, having previously won the Sunday Times Small Publisher of the Year Award in 1994.

Matt Applewhite has been appointed to the dual role of Publisher and CEO. Matt, who has been with NHB for over two decades, has played a central role in shaping the company’s output, operations and strategic direction as both Commissioning Editor and Managing Director.

Jon Barton becomes Chief Operating Officer, moving from his previous role as Head of Sales and Marketing. Within the editorial team, Maddie Hindes has been promoted from Associate Editor to Commissioning Editor for Plays.

Read more on our website: https://www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/leadership-changes-at-nhb-as-nick-hern-steps-back

11/07/2025

We're proud to publish the The Royal Court Theatre Young Playwrights Award Winners 2025.

The six winning plays have been published in a volume available as a free-to-download digital PDF.

These brilliant, accomplished plays were chosen from over one hundred and fifty entries submitted by young writers aged 13–18 from all over London, and are being performed as staged readings by professional actors during the Young Playwrights Award Festival at the Royal Court this week.

Read for FREE here: https://nickhernbooks.co.uk/royal-court-young-playwrights-award-winners-2025

27/06/2025

As June draws to a close, here's to the seven brilliant plays we've published this month!

Learn more about them – along with the rest of our recent publications – on our website:
https://www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/new-titles

24/06/2025

To mark celebrations, we're giving you a special chance to add to your collection of bookshelf favourites.

Get 40% off on this hand-picked selection of just some of the fantastic LGBTQ+ writing by NHB authors, using code NHBPRIDE.
🌈 https://www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/nhbpride

20/06/2025

📢 WE'RE HIRING! 📢

We're looking for a highly organised, detail-oriented Production Controller to oversee the production process of our new titles and ensure the ongoing availability of our backlist.

If you have existing production experience and are seeking a new challenge or the next step in your career, this is an exciting opportunity to join a small, dedicated team at a vibrant and dynamic independent publishing house which sits at the heart of the UK theatre industry.

⏲ Full time, permanent position
💰 £38,000 per annum

Applications must be with us by noon BST on Monday 7 July at the latest, with interviews conducted during the week commencing Monday 14 July.

See more and apply at www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/jobs

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