Legend Press

Bitmead Bursary winner shortlisted for new prize

Just over a month since the fantastic Luke Bitmead Bursary Award Night and the winner, superb novel On The Holloway Road by Andrew Blackman, is already receiving a huge amount of interest and we can't wait to publish it early next year.

And as a further great sign, Andrew told me yesterday that it had also just been shortlisted for the Dundee International Book Prize. Lucky now that we got in there first with Andrew and this excellent novel! Proving a very deserved winner in a strong field of finalists.

Tom

Fire Horses in first ever View from Here Magazine!

Mark Piggott's interview with View from Magazine has now been published in their first ever printed magazine. The magazine gave a great review of Mark's fantastic book Fire Horses read here!

This brilliant magazine is only available in America at the moment, but it will hopefully be coming to the UK soon. Preview the magazine by clicking here

Order your copy of Fire Horses now - £5.99  Remember you can read the first chapter of all Legend Press books now on the online shop.

Lucy

Newsflash: Harold Bishop to leave Neighbours!

Noooooooo!! It takes a lot, particularly at such a busy time, to interrupt the Legend Press/Paperbooks machine with external news, but this couldn't go unmentioned. Just found out that Harold Bishop is to leave Neighbours after 16 years of loyal service (not sure if that counts the five-year gap when believed dead (signified beautifully by a pair of glasses left on the beach) before returning with 'amnesia').

I have to admit I've lost track with Neighbours over recent years but can remember as a fairly regular slot in student life (well, with six hours of lectures a week) and maybe a little before and after... And after the initial shock of losing the wonderful Harold, my thoughts immediately turn to Lou (assuming he is still there?) - what is the silver-haired 'fox' going to do? Can there be Morecambe without Wise, Cannon without Ball?

All these questions... and the coffee shop, Madge's coffee shop?? Right, back to work anyway.

Tom

Silence - a gripping tour de force!

The fantastic 'Silence' by Josie Henley-Einion has been reviewed in Brighton's LGBT newspaper One80New as a 'gripping tour de force'. Read the article here! Although the review seems to call the book Silences this is an excellent review and includes quotes from Josie herself.

If you haven't managed to yet - Order your copy now - £5.99 

Lucy

Josie Henley-Einion interview

With the debate following Josie's blog on the Guardian website still raging on (three days and over 120 comments now - people apparently up in arms and feet down in support in equal measure (not sure that works but it's Friday so will call in some slack for once)), thought it was a good time to post another interview with the author herself - on the hugely-popular 'Struggling Authors' site.

Enjoy and look forward to keeping tabs with the blog as the response continues (with the Olympics ending and international break on the football, plus bored of publicity for Gary/Paul Gadd/Glitter, it gives me something to keep clicking onto for brief respites from work!).

Tom

PS Lucy is off today if you're trying to get in touch with her – some people with their long weekends, shouldn't really stand for it...

Free samples of each book now available!

As a new feature on the online shop you can now browse and read the start of each book before you buy! We hope these free samples will get you to try something you wouldn't normally read, or even send to others to sample!

Why not sample the start of the fantastic 'In Dependence' by Sarah Ladipo Manyika, out on 27th September by  clicking here!

Happy reading!

Lucy

Josie in the Guardian

Josie Henley-Einion's Guardian Book blog is now up, so click here to read. Please feel free to leave a comment on here or the blog! Josie comments on what it is like to be a lesbian author within the mainstream market.

"If I am judged by my book then I hope it is because the person judging me has actually read it, and therefore has a fuller, more balanced picture of what it is to be a "lesbian author" than those two words alone provide."

'Silence' is of course available to buy now from our online shop, along with all our other amazing books for just £5.99 each including p&p.

Order your copy of Silence now - £5.99 

Lucy

Aberystwyth

Josie was signing copies of her fantastic novel 'Silence' at Waterstone's Aberystwyth (I have a massive difficulty spelling this!) last weekend. Here are two pictures from the event. Josie will be travelling to Waterstone's Newport this Saturday for another signing. Josie will also be appearing on the Guardian book blog hopefully later today. If you would like to order a copy of this brilliant book (you do!) then follow the link below.

Order your copy now - £5.99 

Lucy

Piggott now in the Times...

A few days after writing a brilliant piece in the Guardian (asking why do we need literary agents, and the debate is still raging in comments left), Mark Liam Piggott, author of the unforgettable FIRE HORSES, is now in The Times, with the banks this time the subject of his ire.

And having just had a meeting to discus my own personal finances I can empathise! Very tricky times at the moment and the banks, more interested in their disappearing profit lines, don't seem to be doing much to make it much easier for the public.

But, what money we do have we should spend wisely so would strongly suggest ordering a copy of the brilliant FIRE HORSES below – is even at a special web price of £2 off and definitely value for money!

Order your copy now - £5.99 

Ground-breaking novel from Anglo-Nigerian author

We are very excited about publishing Anglo-Nigerian author Sarah Ladipo Manyika's debut novel IN DEPENDENCE on 27th September. With IN DEPENDENCE, Sarah joins an exciting new generation of Nigerian writers, many of whom have gained international acclaim and are charting new literary territory. The novel is to be backed by a major promotional campaign of national and regional press.

From Lagos to Oxford: IN DEPENDENCE is a tragic love story fraught with post-war idealism, post-colonial disappointment, and the bittersweet taste of mistimed love. Sarah, who was raised in Jos, Nigeria, is a lecturer in English Literature at San Francisco State University.

Recent hit Nigerian writers include Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - who won the 2007 Orange Literary prize for fiction with ‘Half of a Yellow Sun' - Helon Habila, Chris Abani, Segun Afolabi, and Teju Cole.

These writers of post-independence Nigeria have inherited the mantle of a preceding cohort of writers including the Nobel prize winning Wole Soyinka and Chinua Achebe, who was awarded the Man Booker International Prize, fifty years after his 1958 novel, 'Things Fall Apart', went on to sell more than 10 million copies.

Sarah Ladipo Manyika's brilliant debut, published 50 years after Achebe's seminal work, is a moving and compelling love story set against the complex backdrop of history, race, and geography, intertwined with questions of identity, politics, and family secrets.

Order your copy now - £5.99 

Mark Piggott in the Guardian

It was great to switch on the computer this morning and see a fantastic blog on the Guardian website by our own Mark Liam Piggott, author of the frankly unforgettable FIRE HORSES. Mark asks what is the point of literary agents - having had two and then found success without one. He raises some very interesting points and I can see the comments are already starting to a fascinating piece. Please read and leave your own view on the debate.

From our side we have a fantastic relationship with several agents who are great to work with, though we have signed several of our most successful books from authors agent-free (we always recommend that they check contracts etc with the Society of Authors). This is extra interesting when considering many publishers no longer accept unsolicited manuscripts.

While there is still a role for good agents, I completely agree that their position in the industry will change. Publishing itself will be undergoing a necessary sea-change and, one of the more traditional elements, the world of agenting will need to redefine its role to survive.

But enough serious chit-chat, it's a sunny Friday, and you need to buy Fire Horse now at a fantastic £2 off discount:

Order your copy now - £5.99 

Tom

From our intern Emily...

After having come from work in Buenos Aires where my internship with a journalism company consisted of reading the paper for about an hour in the morning, a three hour sunbathing lunch break and then a ride around the city to film some of the more politically-engaged  citizens stage their daily riot, work with Legend Press has proved somewhat different.  Thank you all very much for your submissions which I’ve found highly entertaining, eye-opening and educational– there’s a diverse range of subject matter and the quality of the UK’s budding authors’ talent is startling. Sorry for those of you who didn’t make it through – maybe save your story-telling skills to spell-bound grandchildren who will no doubt listen avidly, wide-eyed with awe at the wisdom of one who can hold their interest for any amount of time, with respect and child-like fascination, and most importantly no criticism!

Unfortunately my month here is coming to an end and I soon have to face the real world. After a week I’m spending down in Cornwall with friends, which will hopefully exhaust any desire to go out and have fun for the upcomign year, it’s back to uni – of course reading some more books but in different languages this time, well perhaps not necessarily, depending on whether or not the language departments have  been kind enough to choose books for the reading list with an English translation available.  Good luck in becoming the next JK Rowling and for the rest of you, enjoy the Legend Press website!

Emily

And I'm eighteen again...

A day after feeling stressed about hitting the 3-0 tag next year, probably losing our 'young publishers' line in the process, it was heartening to hear that I am in fact 18 again - well, according to a profile on the British Council's Creative Economy website. Would be nice and not bad to be running Legend Press and Paperbooks one year after potentially qualifying as an Abba Dancing Queen (17 - couldn't think of a song with 18 in it). Although could actually be a mark out of a hundred for the picture, which is fairly hideous, but what can one expect from a mere teenager?

Yours youthfully,
Tom

In Dependence by Sarah Ladipo Manyika

In Dependence by Sarah Ladipo Manyika is published on 27th September - here is the fabulous cover!

 

From Lagos to Oxford: In dependence is a tragic love story fraught with the post-war idealism; post colonial disappointment; and the bittersweet taste of mistimed love.

 

In 1963, when "the winds of change" are sweeping across Africa, Tayo Ajayi sails from Nigeria to England to take up his scholarship at Balliol College, Oxford. He has every intention of doing well, and returning as a leader to his newly independent country. Little does he know that his mother's worst fear will be realised, and that he will fall in love with an English woman, Vanessa Richardson, the only child of an ex-colonial officer.

This is Tayo and Vanessa's story - how they are first drawn to each other, and remain in love in spite of family and societal opposition. In dependence is a story of unfulfilled love fraught with the weight of history, race and geography and intertwined with questions of belonging, aging, religious faith and family secrets. This is also a story about the complexities of contemporary Africa, its diaspora and its interdependence with the rest of the world.

To pre-order this book follow the link below:

Pre-order your copy now - £5.99 

Lucy

Josie in the Pink Paper

Josie has been mentioned in the UK's largest Gay and Lesbian Newspaper The Pink Paper. They reported the story of 'Silence' being Waterstone's Welsh book of the month last week.

Josie was also interviewed for strugglingauthors.co.uk last week - to read the interview click here.

To order this fantastic book follow the link below!

Order your copy now - £5.99 

Lucy

Nominating a book by its cover...

And more great news for SILENCE by Josie Henley-Einion – the book cover, designed by the wonderful Gudrun Jobst, is to be nominated for a Book Cover of the Month award. Gudders to her friends, or Miss Jobst to me, works away behind the scenes but her hard work is the first thing anyone sees when they pick up a Legend Press book so she deserves a huge amount of credit - gute arbeit Gudders (she also tried to teach me German one ill-fated Sunday afternoon...)

Order your copy now - £5.99 

Tom

Josie at Swansea...

The Henley-Einion Tour continues for her fantastic novel SILENCE,which is currently Welsh Book of the Month. Following a launch in Cardiff, Josie was at Swansea Waterstone's on Saturday and it sounds like it was another great hit. And as I'm sure was the icing on the cake, I believe book buyers included my father, who coincidentally was on holiday in Swansea for the week. No doubt he asked for a discount!

Order your copy of the hotly-tipped novel right here:

Order your copy now - £5.99 

New online book club!

 

Legend Press and Paperbooks are launching a new online book club, where members can purchase books half-price and can discuss the monthly book of choice via an online forum. Special editions of books will also to be arranged. We hope all authors will be able to get involved.

Those interested in joining simply need to email bookclub@legend-paperbooks.co.uk for full details and to register.

 

We're always looking to be as interactive with the reader as possible and see the growth of book clubs as fantastic news for the book market. That’s why we’re excited about creating our online book club and look forward to lively and informed discussion, as well as understanding more about what today’s reader wants.

 

Lucy

See Josie reading from Silence!

This fantastic book is hitting the headlines everywhere - order your copy at a special discount below:

Order your copy now - £5.99 

'Author's memory lives on in publishing deal'

Following the exciting announcement just over a week ago of the winner of the first Luke Bitmead Memorial Fund Bursary, the press have been beating the door down. Well, not so much ours but more that of Luke's mum and sister and winner Andrew Blackman. And they deserve all the praise they get - Elaine and Tiffany have done an unbelievable job arranging the prize during such a difficult period after losing the unforgettable Luke, and Andrew is a fantastic writer who we can't wait to work with.

Here is one of the press clippings - a feature in The Hendon Times - and we'll try to post some of the others up as they come in.

In the meantime, if you haven't bought a copy (or two) of Luke's definitely amazing debut novel White Summer, you have a lot of answer for. Correct this right now (plus you'll love it) :

Order your copy now - £5.99 

Tom

Remarkable Everyday republished on 30th August

News of the relaunch of Legend Press' first ever book 'The Remarkable Everyday' is spreading on strugglingauthors.co.uk

The website also advertises the call for submissions for our 2009 Short Story competition, guidelines can be found through the link on the right.

‘Overlooked for far too long, the short story can encapsulate everything literature has to offer into a concentrated nutshell. Not only that, but when placed side-by-side, as a collective force, the stories can offer a unique diversity and range simply not possible in the standard novel, for all the latter’s great merits. Particularly in a society that is less inclined to wait and one that is in love with the quick and snappy, the short story seems designed to fit.’ Tom

Pre-order your copy now - £5.99 

Lucy

Silence is 'bang on the button'

Josie's novel 'Silence' received two excellent mentions in the press last week in the Metro and the Western Mail:

'"it deals with serious stuff that is bang on the button"

"not one for grannies"

Josie will be starting her mini-tour of Wales this Saturday at Waterstone's Swansea from 12 noon. If you haven't got a copy of this fabulous novel yet, why not order one now?!

Order your copy now - £5.99 

Lucy