Could you begin by telling us a bit about the background of Legend Press and PaperBooks?
I set up Legend Press in 2005, having worked in publishing for two-and-a-half years, and initially ran it by myself from home. Starting with a short story collection (The Remarkable Everyday), we then published two novels in 2006 and have roughly doubled in size each year since, currently with 54 authors on our books. We now also publish a selection of non-fiction, have a business list – Legend Business – as well as offering a print-on-demand service, New Generation Publishing. We have also recently taken on the management of the newly launched Books etc site.
In 2007, I was approached by the previous owner of PaperBooks, Keirsten Clark, about taking on the company. Having previously recognised it as one of the most interesting new lists and having a huge amount of potential, I was delighted to acquire it and set up PaperBooks Publishing. We have ambitious plans for PaperBooks, generating a really strong brand for writers and growing alongside Legend Press.
Both companies are based at our small but well-formed office in London and I have the brilliant assistance of Marketing Director Lucy Boguslawski and Publishing Manager Lauren Parsons, as well as a number of regular freelancers. We are very excited about the books we have coming out this year, with great new writers such as Matthew Crow (Ashes) and Ruth Dugdall (Woman Before Me), Gurpeep Mattu (Sons and Fascination), newly acquired high-profile writers such as Zoe Jenny (The Sky is Changing) and further books for existing writers such as Mark Liam Piggott (Out of Office), William Coles (Mr Two Bombs), Nick Griffiths (Looking for Mrs Dextrose) and Paul Burman (The Grease Monkey’s Tale).
We’ve had lots of memorable moments, which make the tough days of trying to build ground-breaking lists worthwhile, but a couple that come to mind are: our second novel Salt & Honey by Candi Miller being promoted front-of-shop and being included in the World Book Day Top 10; the success to date of the Luke Bitmead Bursary, which we run in conjunction with Luke’s family; our independent sector schemes; and each new direction that works well, such as taking on PaperBooks, the business books, non-fiction, POD etc.
On a personal note, I have had some great experiences and have been lucky enough to be short-listed for - ever the bridesmaid – UK Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Young Publisher of the Year, Young Publishing Entrepreneur of the Year and long-listed for Enterprising Young Brit Award. Through the Prince’s Trust, I have also managed to meet the Prime Minister and been attacked by the Queen’s corgis at Buckingham Palace. So when all is said and done, I’m certainly building up a list of good stories to bore the grandchildren with.
What led you into publishing?
I graduated from Liverpool University with a degree in English Language and Literature and then worked in books and then magazine publishing. When looking to go back into books – where my heart lay – I had the idea one evening to start my own publishing company and thought the short story collection would be the perfect way to test whether there was something there to build from. And it has all developed from there really.
I had the idea for that short story collection when going for a pint of milk at my local shop in Stoke Newington, London, and thought that it would be fascinating to get inside everyone’s head (not literally) for a moment – all the drama, thoughts, variation would be remarkable and just from ‘everyday life’ – and that led to the short story collection, now due to launch its fifth book, Ten Journeys, in April.
I graduated from Liverpool University with a degree in English Language and Literature and then worked in books and then magazine publishing. When looking to go back into books – where my heart lay – I had the idea one evening to start my own publishing company and thought the short story collection would be the perfect way to test whether there was something there to build from. And it has all developed from there really.
I had the idea for that short story collection when going for a pint of milk at my local shop in Stoke Newington, London, and thought that it would be fascinating to get inside everyone’s head (not literally) for a moment – all the drama, thoughts, variation would be remarkable and just from ‘everyday life’ – and that led to the short story collection, now due to launch its fifth book, Ten Journeys, in April.
What are you currently looking for in terms of submissions?
We are probably annoyingly unspecific, but aside from not publishing children’s, and genre fiction such as fantasy, sci-fi, genre thrillers etc, we are just looking for submissions that excite us, offer something new and for which we can see a place in the market, or a place we can generate. In terms of new writers, I guess we are looking for powerful new voices - voices with new things to say and that will appeal to a huge number of readers.
We don’t have a set length we look for – though if anything is particularly short or long that will be taken into account when making our decision, but if it works, it works. We ask for 3-4 sample chapters and a synopsis to be emailed to us at submissions@legend-paperbooks.co.uk
Further to that, what's likely to excite you about a manuscript or make it stand out from the rest?
A tough one to describe, and Simon has copyrighted the word ‘X-Factor’, but it is just that moment when you think there is really something here, something original, new, exciting – that doesn’t necessarily mean through great drama, can be through style, humour, confidence etc. We get a lot that we feel are not at the level we’re looking for, a lot that are competently written but lack the stand-out factor, and then the few gems that really excite you.
A tough one to describe, and Simon has copyrighted the word ‘X-Factor’, but it is just that moment when you think there is really something here, something original, new, exciting – that doesn’t necessarily mean through great drama, can be through style, humour, confidence etc. We get a lot that we feel are not at the level we’re looking for, a lot that are competently written but lack the stand-out factor, and then the few gems that really excite you.
What do you prefer NOT to find in a submission? What are some of the traits you feel authors should avoid when submitting their work?
Errors in the actual submission process can be frustrating – e.g. full novels, novels that aren’t complete past the three chapters, synopses longer than the sample sent (should be no more than a page each for the synopsis and any covering letter/email). In relation to the actual text, I often find that writers can try a bit too hard; I understand the drive to standout, as per above, but the best authors have developed a confidence and understanding of their style, which is vital. Also, don’t talk at the reader and/or try to educate them – you need them with you and they want to be left alone to take their own experience from the book. Think about the person who your book will appeal to – doesn’t have to change your work completely, but it is a thought process we will go through.
I also get frustrated when writers try to compare themselves to best-selling/high-profile authors. I know some publishers encourage this in submissions, but I am looking for something new – if we could afford him, we would already have a Philip Pullman.
Errors in the actual submission process can be frustrating – e.g. full novels, novels that aren’t complete past the three chapters, synopses longer than the sample sent (should be no more than a page each for the synopsis and any covering letter/email). In relation to the actual text, I often find that writers can try a bit too hard; I understand the drive to standout, as per above, but the best authors have developed a confidence and understanding of their style, which is vital. Also, don’t talk at the reader and/or try to educate them – you need them with you and they want to be left alone to take their own experience from the book. Think about the person who your book will appeal to – doesn’t have to change your work completely, but it is a thought process we will go through.
I also get frustrated when writers try to compare themselves to best-selling/high-profile authors. I know some publishers encourage this in submissions, but I am looking for something new – if we could afford him, we would already have a Philip Pullman.
Do you accept unsolicited manuscripts and, if so, how should authors submit their work to you?
Yes, we’re one of the few publishers still accepting unsolicited manuscripts and even though this means our small team has a huge number to work through, we're passionate about finding those gems and it’s part of the lifeblood of publishing.
These can be sent by email attachment (Word or PDF) to submissions@legend-paperbooks.co.uk
In special cases, we will still accept hard copy.
For further details, visit the websites:
For further details, visit the websites:
