About Level Up Publishing

Level Up launched in 2019 as one of the first dedicated imprints to embrace a genre which, until now, has largely been consigned to Amazon-only sales. It is our belief that LitRPG and GameLit can go global: from the preserve of a relatively small community of dedicated fans into a much broader, mainstream current of readers around the world.

A venture by Ockham Publishing Group, books published by Level Up start life with all the advantages of professional publishing - the editing development, distribution, publicity and retail sales - as well as the genre's usual access to online outlets.

With our first titles on their way, we are still accepting submissions. These can be made via our submissions section.

commissioning editor

Level Up is headed by Conor Kostick, who makes all final decisions with regards to the imprint's output, and mentors authors through and beyond the process. 

An ambitious imprint like Level Up requires the guidance of someone with a high-level of unique skills: knowledge and experience of writing professionally for the genre, active involvement in the LitRPG community, academic experience of training writers, formal experience of judging literature and a proven ability of mentoring authors.

Conor was appointed to this role in June 2018 and is almost uniquely qualified. Long before LitRPG evolved as a distinct genre, the 2004 release of Conor’s first book, Epic was a precursor to LitRPG, with the main character creating a swashbuckler in an online fantasy RPG in order to challenge the authorities, who use the game to manage the politics of their world. The book was a major international success.

Conor has lectured at UCD Dublin, tutored budding authors with the Irish Writers Centre, judged literary prizes such as the EU Prize for Literature and is a ministerial appointee to the Board of the National Library of Ireland.

During the first few years of the imprint, Conor will work will all the authors interested in being published by Level Up, passing on his skills and expertise, and ensuring they are given the best possible chance of mainstream literary success.