From East End to Sheppey: How Independent Publishing is Powering Local Pride

When Darren Laws moved to the Isle of Sheppey with his wife five years ago, it was curiosity, not commercial strategy, that first led him to explore the island’s coastline, heritage centres, and small businesses. But what began as personal discovery has since evolved into a compelling business story that’s seeing success beyond just book sales. His latest publishing project, The Isle of Sheppey Tour Guide and Brief History, is more than a regional guide; it's a blueprint for how independent publishing can amplify overlooked communities, support small businesses, and foster local economic resilience.

Laws, founder and publisher at Caffeine Nights Publishing, has never followed a conventional path. Raised in a working-class household in the East End of London, he left school at 15 without sitting a single exam. His early career began not in publishing but in a photographic lab. “My education didn’t come from classrooms,” he says. “It came from the mobile library, the cinema, and later, from my own determination to carve out something that didn’t exist for people like me.”

After founding a writing group in Maidstone in the 1990s, ‘The Write Idea’, supported by the local council, Laws quickly saw how working-class writers were overlooked by a literary establishment dominated by middle-class gatekeepers. To challenge that, he launched a website in the early days of the internet, 24/7 Caffeine Nights, which evolved into Caffeine Nights Publishing in 2007. Since then, the press has published over 150 books by more than 50 authors, championing stories and voices traditionally excluded from the mainstream.

Caffeine Nights has long focused on genre fiction, crime, horror, steampunk, with a mission to disrupt the market using early innovations like print-on-demand and digital distribution. But The Isle of Sheppey Guide marks a strategic expansion into hyperlocal, community-focused publishing, underpinned by the same ethos: platforming the voices, stories, and businesses that larger publishers ignore.

“When I moved to Sheppey, I went looking for a guidebook that gave me context, not just about the history, but about where to go, what to see, where to eat,” Laws says. “There was nothing that felt current or detailed. So I began compiling one myself.”

What sets this guide apart from traditional tourism titles is its deep integration with the local business ecosystem, particularly in the hospitality and leisure sectors. Laws made a key decision early on, not to charge local businesses for inclusion. “I’ve always believed that the role of publishing isn’t just to sell books. It can be a tool for economic development and local pride. Including businesses at no cost created trust, and in return, those businesses have embraced the guide and helped distribute it widely.”

Although the publication has sold out its first run and is moving quickly through its second, Laws is cautious not to frame it as a sales success story alone. Instead, he points to the 95% of sales coming from island residents, proof of unmet demand in the local market. “That told me I wasn’t the only one looking for something like this. I’d identified a market gap that wasn’t just viable, it was vital.”

His work dovetails naturally with emerging Pride in Place initiatives across the UK, schemes designed to strengthen local identity and economic participation. “What’s happening here is a microcosm of what’s possible when publishing meets place-making. We’re putting Sheppey on its own map.”

Plans are already underway for an expanded 2027 edition, one that will include new sectors and evolve with the island. “This isn’t a one-off,” Laws says. “It’s a living document. And like Sheppey itself, it’s growing.”

In a publishing industry that still too often overlooks working-class talent and regional voices, Laws’ approach remains resolutely disruptive - and intentionally rooted in community. “Publishing doesn’t have to be about London offices and literary festivals,” he says. “It can be about lifting up the places and people who are doing something remarkable, just by being themselves.”

About Caffeine Nights Publishing
Founded in 2007, Caffeine Nights is an independent press specialising in crime, horror, and steampunk fiction, with a mission to amplify working-class and underrepresented authors. The company was an early adopter of digital and on-demand technologies and has published over 150 titles.
https://caffeinenightsbooks.com
[email protected]
www.IsleOfSheppeyGuide.com

Before you go… 
➡️ Do you have exciting news to share about your business?
➡️ Would you like to advertise to an audience of decision makers in Kent?
➡️ Would you like to feature in the Entrepreneurs Deep Dive section?
➡️ Do you have a job vacancy you’d like us to post?

Contact us today - [email protected]