What is your
connection to Nottinghamshire?
I have lived in Nottingham for over 25 years, having first
arrived in 1985 to work for the Royal Society of Chemistry which was based on
the University of Nottingham campus. Our children were born and raised in
Nottingham and Pewter Rose Press was set up here. Our first two authors came
from Nottingham, which was how we got off the ground.
What do you publish?
We currently publish single author short-story collections,
and novels and we published the Writing School Leicester Anthology in 2011. All
our books are available as paperback and ebooks (epub and kindle).
Do you prefer short
stories or novels? How do they compare?
I don’t have a preference for either. It depends on the
story. Some stories lend themselves to the length of a novel, others work
better in a shorter form. Short stories allow a focus on a particular aspect of
life and have the ability to conjure up a scene or character that resonates.
Short stories are great for reading a complete story in a limited time, e.g.
when commuting to work. They lend themselves to being read out loud – it’s always
a pleasure to have a story read to you, whatever your age!
Novels allow a story to be explored in greater breadth and
depth, giving the reader the opportunity to submerge themselves in the world of
the story.
Both forms can be equally imaginative and demanding.
What do you consider
to be the main responsibilities of a publisher?
To bring quality writing to the public. We aim to set a
quality standard - of writing, of story and of production (either physical or
electronic). It is the responsibility of the publisher to select writing and
stories that are imaginative and stimulating for the reader. After selection,
the publisher works with the author to edit the work, removing errors in the
text. A cover is designed and the book is produced.
What do you hope to
see in a submission?
A submission should be fairly polished. The story or stories
should be imaginative, coherent and consistent within their own framework, with
good grammar and spelling.
We look for work that treats readers as intelligent,
interested people who want to see the world from lots of different points of view.
We don’t publish genre specific books (such as crime,
horror) because there are other publishers who specialise in these areas
What are the common
reasons you reject a submission?
We reject a submission if the story is muddled or very
predictable or if the writing itself is poor and if I can’t imagine who would
buy the book.
What keeps you going
as a publisher?
We are very proud of our authors and they have produced
great writing that deserves to be read. Being able to publish these writers is
a delight.
What’s next for
Pewter Rose Press?
The market for physical books is shrinking while that for
electronic books is growing. Pewter Rose Press has plans to expand its digital
presence. We will also continue to publish short story collections and novels,
in both physical and electronic forms. We have just launched a couple of short
story collections - November Wedding by Frances Thimann and Brushstrokes by
Heather Shaw and are working on a second collection of stories by Vivien Jones
and a first collection by Brindley Hallam Dennis.
No comments:
Post a Comment