Legend Press

Joe's Work Experience - A story of submissions, locksmiths and Nicholas Parsons

Hello there

I'm Joe, currently on my last day of work experience here at Legend Press and Paperbooks. I'm a third-year student at Kingston University and soon to be a student at City where I'm going to do an MA in Publishing. I've been thinking about going in to publishing for a couple of years now but these last two weeks have been my first real experience of it. And luckily, especially seeing as I've already organised my course, I've loved it. I've mostly been looking at submissions and helping to research certain things, which I've really enjoyed, but I've also learnt loads from just listening to and watching what goes on in the office of an independent publisher like Legend Press and Paperbooks.

My highlight: Reading submissions - This has been great. As someone that loves writing and feels strongly about new and orginal writing, it has been a great feeling to read something brilliant that has moved me and pass it on to Tom or Lucy with my words of praise.

My lowlight: Embarrassingly turning up two hours late on my last day (today) - A long story involving drunk flatmates, broken keys, locksmiths and an evacuation from St Paul's station.

My funniest moment: Revealing in a conversation about Nick Griffith's Who Goes There that I'm a total Doctor Who geek - My knowledge that Nicholas Parsons appeared in the 1989 seventh doctor serial The Curse of Fenric was what gave me away...

Anyway, that's all. Thanks to everyone at Legend and Paperbooks for having me and hopefully I'll be back here soon.

Joe

Voices of the World author series

Sarah Ladipo Manyika will be speaking at the Young Professionals International Forum as part of their Voices of the World author series. The event will take place in the World Affairs Council Auditorium in San Francisco.

Details of the event be found by clicking here

It is really exciting that Sarah is involved in such an interesting series of events and we look forward to hearing more about it after.

Sarah's novel 'In Dependence' is available to buy from the online shop.

Order your copy now - £7.99 

Order Overseas copy - £9.99 (inc P&P):

Lucy

Editotum - go and see

A good friend in publishing has recently opening a new online bookshop called Editotum, which you should go and see. It has a good range and with great plans for the future - and also excellent news to hear of a new bookseller appearing. Good luck with it Chris, and I was also very pleased to see a Legend Press title, EIGHT HOURS, the third in our short story series, appearing as a featured promotion title. And Chris has even read it - what more can you want from a new bookseller?

Tom

Update on our partnership work...

As, hopefully, followers of Legend Press and Paperbooks will know, we are trying to build something unique, new and that will be at the forefront of the future of publishing, here from our low resource but high energy desks. And that includes, in addition to doing everything we can for the success of our publishing lists, several partnerships we work with. And to provide an update on the most recent:

Kingston University Press - we're working the newly-formed and very exciting KUP on their first titles and hopefully onwards with the success of the latest university publisher. Work has already started on its first titles, with much in the pipeline, and we will update you when the first launches are announced.

YouWriteOn - working with what I believe is now the UK's biggest writers' site has been a great experience. Following work with their package and critique services, the free publishing iniative, using Lightning Source POD, has been a hugely ambitious, challenging and ultimately rewarding project. We're pleased that there have been so many stories of success (several of which can be viewed at youwriteon.com) and all remaining writers are in production or should have been updated as we aim to the complete the first round shortly. With work ongoing into the system, the service should go from strength-to-strength and be of benefit to many more writers in a bright future.

Business book(s) - we're also very excited about launching the first in hopefully a series of business books with The Shashoua Fund. The first will be focussed on the emerging economy in Morocco and we've already received an enthusiastic reaction to date. Launch details will follow shortly and we hope, in such troubling global financial times, highlighting one of the economies quickly growing will be a welcomed tonic.

Right, from my 5am start I have been feeling very productive so I had better clear more work before meetings start and emails arrive etc (and that very strong cup of coffee wears off). But, it's great to be involved in these partnerships, and we have a few more exciting initiatives to annouce as the year progressess...

Tom

The famous A1 road...

 I don't normally take too much about roads, mainly through not having much to say about them, but my eyes have been opened by Andrew Blackman, author of the fantastic ON THE HOLLOWAY ROAD, which launches next month.

Holloway Road forms part of the A1, also known as the 'Great North Road', and is in fact steeped with history, from Dick Turpin to The Pickwick Papers. And it even has it's own Wikipedia page - take note:

'The highwayman Dick Turpin's flight from London to York in less than 15 hours on his mare Black Bess, is the most famous legend of the Great North Road. Various inns along the A1 claim Turpin ate lunch there that night, or stopped for a respite for his horse. Harrison Ainsworth, in his 1834 romance Rookwood, immortalised this with a spirited account of this ride. Historians argue that Turpin never made the journey. They argue that the ride was by John Nevison, known as "Swift Nick", born and raised at Wortley near Sheffield and a highwayman in the time of Charles II 50 years before Turpin, who to establish an alibi rode from Gad's Hill (near Rochester, Kent) to York (some 190 miles (310 km)) in 15 hours. Even more unreliable evidence links highwaymen with the Ram-Jam Inn at Stretton, Rutland. The A1 passes a few feet from the door.

In literature the Great North Road features in the Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens. Part of the J.B. Priestley novel The Good Companions features the Great North Road; represented to the northerner Jess Oakroyd as the gateway to such exotic destinations as Nottingham. The Lord Peter Wimsey short story "The Fantastic Horror of the Cat in the Bag" by Dorothy L. Sayers features a motorcycle chase along the Great North Road.

The Great North Road and A1 are also celebrated in song. Near the southern end, signs saying "Hatfield and the North" inspired the eponymous 70s rock band Hatfield and the North. The A1 is mentioned in The Long Blondes' song "Separated By Motorways", along with the A14. The A1(M) is mentioned in the song "Gabadon" by Sheffield band Haze and the 'Great North Road' is mentioned in Mark Knopfler's song "5:15 AM", from the album Shangri La.'

Quite a history and I will be taking a close watch as I swing (or trundle) through the roads on my bike when I go home later - amazing the stories each one may contain.

And make sure you buy Andrew's novel - it's absolutely fantastic.

Tom

Book tip for In Dependence

In Dependence by Sarah Ladipo Manyika has been reviewed on international website readme.cc.

"Tayo and Vanessa, two lovers who meet in their prime during the 1960s but only finally may decide to go on living together more than forty years later, after both of them have lived a life devoted to a cause, are at the centre of this skilfully crafted first novel by Sarah Ladipo Manyika. The intellectual climate of the 1960s – jazz, Bob Dylan and sexual liberation – provides the background for a narrative that is likely to appeal to readers who enjoyed Eric Segal’s Love Story or the famous movie..."

To read the review in full click here.

Lucy

8 Rooms authors announced

 We are pleased to announce the 8 authors chosen to be part of the new short story re-invented collection '8 Rooms' are:

D.E. Rhylis - The Photo on the Bookcase

Emma Seaman - Intimacy

Rebecca Strong - Expecting

Guy Mankowski - A Body of Strangers

Andrew Kirby - A Galaxy far far away

C. J. Carver - Prisoner 83217-3601

Mark Kotting - The Dream Catcher

Miranda Winram - A Room of My Own

Thank you to everyone who submitted stories for the collection, we received hundreds of submissions and we have really enjoyed reading and discussing them over the last few months. The standard was extremely high and we are delighted to be publishing these 8 talented authors.

Lucy, Lauren and Tom

Review of In Dependence

In Dependence by Sarah Ladipo Manyika has received an excellent review on London website Catchavibe this week. Below is a taster:

"The novel begins in an engaging way and one’s interest is immediately piqued both by the insight into the Nigerian way of life, and on the intense and conflicting emotions Tayo struggles with as he prepares for life as a student in England. Through Tayo we are taken on an historical journey from the Empire, through the post-colonial period and into modern day Africa. We also follow the rollercoaster of intense passionate feelings of both Tayo and Vanessa as their lives unfold and life choices are made. Throughout, the author makes use of many languages, underscoring how interesting and fraught life can be when a mixing of cultures occurs. The style is deceptively light considering the historical scope and the honest exploration of complex emotions. The novel ends on a lovely poignant note, there is no easy ending, but the reader is nevertheless left with a sense of hope."

To read the review in full click here!

Lucy

An alternative Sports Personality of the Year from Mark Piggott

Some, like myself, may have spent a recent Sunday evening watching the annual TV-fest that is the Sports Personality of the Year (well, I flicked to other channels several times - where was their feature on the mighty comeback of Leicester City?).

While not a bad year for British sport, I have at times wondered about the name of the prize (and also about some of the previous winners...), and our very own Mark Liam Piggott, author of the fantastic FIRE HORSES, has offered his own alternative selection, the Sporting Non-Personalities of the Year

Feel free to add your own thoughts and candidates...

Tom

Andrew Blackman review

A review of Ernest Hemingway's 'To Have and Have Not' written by Andrew Blackman has been posted on Writer's website www.redroom.com. A book that some say Hemingway hated himself, Andrew's review makes for an interesting read:

"The main problem with the book is that it is schizophrenic. It's a cross between an adolescent high-seas adventure story and a social analysis of the effects of the Great Depression. Even if both could be crammed into one book, it's probably safe to say that fans of one genre are unlikely to be fans of the other.

The writing style, too, is schizophrenic, lurching from first person to third person, from one character's point of view to another's. Harry Morgan's character, too, changes. He starts out as a hard-drinking, hard-fighting Hemingway hero, but later on, as the whole idea of the book seems to change midstream, he becomes more of a Steinbeck-style poor old victim of the system. His wife and children then appear in the book, looking as if they have been grafted on to make him appear more sympathetic. Then rich people start to appear, being vile and self-obsessed but never fully drawn as characters. Their only role appears to be to act as "haves" to contrast against the "have nots"."

To read the review in full click here

Lucy

Finally some love in the Amazon

Thought I'd end the week on a positive note (thinking of starting to avoid news, at least when sober, as only seems depressing at the moment - miraculous air crash escape this morning aside). Have bemoaned in the past that for all the noise of supporting independents etc we were doing less than 1% of business through Amazon. Well, not completely sure what has changed, but had a record Christmas through the online mammoth - worked out at around 10% of our book sales.

Look forward to hopefully keeping this going in 2009 and using that as the springboard for multiplying these sales figures several times over. And it's not just through Amazon, we want to work with all our existing main outlets to find new highs and to find new outlets through which we can make huge successes of all our books. Here's to a top selling 2009 – and hope by the end of the year to be reading about it!

Tom

Some more coverage for Exclusively Independent...

          Two titles from the first selection of 'Exclusively Independent' have recently been mentioned on the author's blogs.

Megan Taylor, author of How We Were Lost says, "Congratulations to the six other selected writers (including the fabulous Shanta Everington ). Each of our novels will be freshly promoted across a range of independent bookshops, beginning initially in London. And just in time for Christmas too."

Shanta Everington, author of Give Me a Sign has also posted a message saying, "Give Me a Sign' was chosen for the first month's selection, from a wide range of submissions by many different publishers. The scheme is now in action and the books should be in a range of indie bookshops just in time for Christmas! Who knows whether it will boost the sales in these are uncertain times, but in any event, the panel chose my book. Hurrah!!!"

Lovely to hear such an enthusiastic response from the authors, and of course a congratulations is in order for all authors chosen for the first selection of Exclusively Independent.

Keep an eye out for any book signings/readings that may be taking place in a shop near you.

Any publishers wishing to submit titles to the project can do so this week.

Lauren

laurenparsons@legend-paperbooks.co.uk

On the Holloway Road

Here is the cover for the fantastic 'On the Holloway Road' by Andrew Blackman published on 28th February. The final book will features cover quotes from Zoe Jenny and Deborah Wright, best-selling authors who helped to judge the Luke Bitmead Writer's Bursary:

‘A beautifully written story about friendship and the longing for adventure in an increasingly demystified world, and the eternal question of what life is all about.’ Zoe Jenny

‘Blackman's wonderful book is a modern-day road trip filled with quirky characters and locations. He writes beautifully, making the mundane extraordinary and the everday fascinating.’ Deborah Wright

Blurb:
Unmotivated and dormant, Jack is drawn into the rampant whirlwind of Neil Blake, who he meets one windy night on the Holloway Road. Inspired by Jack Kerouac's famous road novel, the two young men climb aboard Jack’s Figaro and embark on a similar search for freedom and meaning in modern-day Britain.

Pulled along in Neil’s careering path, taking them from the pubs of London's Holloway Road to the fringes of the Outer Hebrides, Jack begins to ask questions of himself, his friend and what there is in life to grasp. Spiting speed cameras and CCTV, motorway riots and island detours, will their path lead to new meaning or ultimate destruction?

Lucy

Exclusively Independent Call for Submissions...

'Exclusively Independent' - our innovative scheme aimed at bringing independent publishers and bookshops together to highlight raw talent - is open for this months' submissions!

Each month the titles placed in stores throughout London, will be refreshed and maintain to offer a fresh and elite selection of talent from a variety of publishers.

If you submitted titles last month, then do email across the books you would like to put forward this time around.

It's always good to broaden the variety we have on offer so if the project is something you would like to be involved in then to email me and I can answer any queries you may have.

Additional information about the project can be read by clicking here.

Lauren
laurenparsons@legend-paperbooks.co.uk

A pic from Legend Press's new home...

We've managed to unpack most of the boxes and plug most things in, although still a few bits a pieces to sort out before everything is completely set-up (a kettle and cups for one (or two)).

But it's exciting to be at our new office and also to think of how it all started and where we've come to so far (being in first thing I did allow myself a satisfied glance at the wall of books before settling down and continuing the very difficult, challenging though rewarding business we work in).

The eagle-eyed of you will notice a mug on my desk with 'No.1 Granddad' engraved into it - my Christmas present from Lauren. And there was a time I was known as a young publisher...

But onwards, I think we're going to be very happy here, once kettle is bought, and we hope it will be the setting for many great successes for all of our authors and for Legend Press and Paperbooks generally!

Tom

8 Rooms cover

Here is the cover for the 2009 short story collection '8 Rooms' which is published at the end of March. We have been busy choosing the eight stories over Christmas and have enjoyed reading all the entries we have been sent. This year we received hundreds of interesting stories and we will be contacting all the authors with the final decision at the start of next week. 

Thank you to everyone that submitted stories and we look forward to publishing a brilliant and varied collection in March!

Lucy, Lauren and Tom.

Two interviews with Nick Griffiths!

Two interviews with Nick Griffiths author of the fantastic Who Goes There have been posted online this week, one on the popular Pod Cast site The Who Cast and one on the UK's top Sci-Fi mag website SFX.

Below is a taster!

SFX: How did you come up with the idea to do this book? 
Nick Griffiths: "There have been many times, as I rewatched an old Doctor Who story that I’ve gazed at a location and thought how great it would be to go there, to stand where the Doctor stood. The two that first really captured my imagination were the railway bridge from beneath which the Daleks and Ogrons emerged in Day of the Daleks, and the perfectly English village of The Android Invasion. It usually takes a good decade for me to act upon an idea, and so it proved. But once I’d started visiting these odd corners of Great Britain, always somehow evocative – even that old railway bridge in Southall – I was gripped by a compulsion to travel further and further, see what else was out there."

SFX: It sounds like an awful lot of research - you must have racked up a ton of miles on the road? 
Nick Griffiths: "It was and I did! Usually I can’t bear driving for ages, however these Who Goes There travels took me off the usual motorways and down leafy-boughed country lanes, so even between locations there were sights to see. Southern England – where so much of the classic series was filmed – really is gorgeous. Duck ponds, roses and thatch, among the fumes of ale. South Wales, too – where most all of the new series is filmed – has its stunning vistas."

Lucy

New year new location!

I hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year. Yesterday we were busy moving to our new office on Shoreditch High Street. Today we are busy unpacking boxes and recovering from the heavy lifting yesterday, but will be in good working order soon! It is exciting to be working in a different area, although we enjoyed Farringdon and are looking forward to exploring the area and finding a new favourite sandwich shop!

The new office address is:

Legend Press
Floor 3
221-222 Shoreditch High Street
London
E1 6PJ

Lucy