Monday 19 April 2021

Mulling it Over

 

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How we came to publish this one

This is our 2020 annual anthology. We always like to take a Christmas theme and ask our writers to subvert it. They did that very nicely.  

The title

The Christmas prompt was “mull” as in “mulled wine”. Naturally mulled wine features in many of the stories – as does the Island of Mull and of course “mulling it over”. We discovered also that a “mull” is a type of stony outcrop and also an implement in making books.           

Some notes about the process

The stories in this book all went through one or two stage of editing and had the normal three proof reads. Authors are invited to proof read, we conduct a technical proof read and we ask another editor, to proof read. The latter is one who hasn’t been involved in the initial editing.  

The cover

As we often do, we based our cover on a picture we found on pixabay. These are both copyright free and free to use. We do a search on the title or something similar. “Thinking” found the picture of the young man who is sitting pensively on what could easily be a part of the Island of Mull. We normally shy away from real life figures – readers prefer to decide for themselves what characters look like. But this figure represents everyman and anyway he has his back to us. We prefer wraparound pictures like this to having the back cover plain. The sky here allows plenty of space for title and burb.        

Some notes about style

A review on Amazon says it all:

‘I have enjoyed reading many of the stories in this book - they are really fun to read and they do trigger your mind. Quirky, funny, and unique, as different writers carry different voices to their stories. I am familiar with several of the writers in this collection, and I am also pleased to get to know new writers in this collection. 'The Island of Mull' is a great concept - we all have had plenty to mull over in 2020. It's a great collection of stories. Very well done!'

 

Who we think the reader is

As the subtitle says, this collection contains “tales to make you think”. Generally in these annual theologies we are neither womag nor too literary. We are somewhere in between. This is no exception.  

Finances

This book has some way to go to cover all of its costs but it continues to sell steadily. Our monthly statement gives a slightly false impression, however. It was edited and designed in-house. In other words the partners did the work for no fee or wage but take a share of the net sales revenue as it arrives. It has in fact covered it upfront costs.           

 

What else

We have published a record number of books in the last twelve months. We are pleased to have this within our collection. Because of the several lockdowns more books have been produced generally and more people have read books.

 

Review copies

It’s always great if you can buy the book and give us a review. Just click on the link  to be taken to our on-line bookshop. If you would like to review and you are strapped for cash, just get in touch for a free PDF or mobi-file.      

Saturday 3 April 2021

Whisky for Breakfast by Christopher P Mooney

 

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How we came to publish this one

Christopher signed up with our own Debz Hobbs-Wyatt to have his work edited. She spotted a great collection of short stories.

The title

The title came from one of the stories in the collection. This often happens. Sometimes a line in or even the title of one of the stories epitomizes the feeling of the whole collection.  

Some notes about the process

This went through the normal three stages of editing though it was very light in each case: Christopher and Debz had already done most of the donkey work.   

The cover

The brown on the cover and the title, indicate to us straight away that the material in this is sombre. Fortunately with short story collections there is no real genre to which we need to conform. Elements of the picture here and the fonts are shades of similar colours, giving the overall effect of something subtle. This entirely suits the tone of the book.

 

Some notes about style

Some of the reviews on Amazon give a useful indication of the style:

 

‘Whisky for Breakfast includes thirty-five pieces of transgressive fiction. Yes, the content - language, characters, scenarios, themes, etc. - may be considered shocking by some, but it's important to note this is obviously not the writer’s intent, nor does it dilute or in any way detract from the obvious quality of the writing. It's really great to read something provocative that gets you thinking! Loved it!’   

 

‘A superb read. I love to read but don’t make the time. I made the time for this. It shocks and entertains brilliantly. So descriptive and gritty.

 

‘Different to anything I have ever read! Brilliantly written and each story is written from a completely different perspective which is interesting to read.’

 

 

Who we think the reader is

This collection is not an easy read. It challenges the reader. So, this is for the reader who likes to be invited to think and who likes a literary style.

 

Finances

This book has some way to go to cover all of its costs but it continues to sell steadily.       

 

What else

We have published a record number of books in the last twelve months. We are pleased to have this within our collection.

 

Review copies

It’s always great if you can buy the book and give us a review. Just click on the link to be taken to Amazon. If you would like to review and you are strapped for cash, just get in touch for a free PDF or mobi-file.