BRADFORD publishing company, Fox & Windmill, shortlisted for award at a prestigious publishing conference.

Fox & Windmill has been shortlisted for an award, in the category Start-up of the Year, at The Booksellers’ FutureBook publishing conference.

The company was founded in 2021, by two young Bradford women, Habiba Desai, 24, and Sara Razzaq, 25.

Fox & Windmill is a company that amplifies the voices of the South Asian community through works of fiction.

Habiba and Sara launched the company in March 2021 and have had a busy eight months.

Habiba, said: “It’s an absolute honour to have been shortlisted for an award at such a prestigious event.

“We know that Fox & Windmill is special, and we are bringing something new to this industry.

“Giving writers from under-represented backgrounds the chance to tell their story is important for so many reasons and that’s what we hope to achieve.

“So many people have reached out to us, and I can’t believe we get to represent Bradford at a national conference in London.”

The duo has been working on several projects including a podcast, where they interview different people within publishing about their roles to provide transparency and an insight into the industry.

Fox & Windmill is currently running a competition for South Asian writers in the North of England to be published in their anthology of short stories and poems.

Habiba and Sara will be attending the event at Bishopsgate, London on November 19, and could return as award winners.

Habiba added: “We’re so glad that the work we are doing is being recognised and we hope to continue working on our passion project.

“Fox & Windmill is important for Bradford, for the South Asian community and for the North of England in general.

“We’re proud of what we have achieved and excited by the projects we have coming up.”