My Week at Valley Press

(Note from JM: presenting a guest post from a young lady named Stephanie, who spent the week of 5th-9th November helping out in the Valley Press office. If you missed her fellow intern Madeleine's post about the same week, you can catch it here.)

Having been generously offered a week's work placement at Valley Press, I was very excited to get started and engage in some hands-on work, and become more closely involved with books at their editing and production stage. Having only done internships at larger publishing houses before, I had not yet had the experience of working directly with the books and their contents, and so it was something I was very eager to be a part of.

Much to mine and fellow intern Madeleine's surprise, we were given an opportunity to do so on the same night that we arrived in Scarborough! The manuscript in question was due to be sent to the printers the next day, and so valiantly our fresh, new team of brilliant editorial minds (including Valley Press' own Jamie McGarry and local author Felix Hodcroft) took on the roles of proof-readers and typesetters in order to get the manuscript prepared on time. I couldn't have asked for a more hands-on project than that to kick-start the week!

The following day Madeleine and I were given the opportunity to help edit an anthology of poems soon to be published by an author whose name must sadly be kept in the dark for now.  After a lunch in a nearby cafe at which it seemed Madeleine consumed a lake-full of Haddock chowder (a challenge I gamely predicted she would not manage - see, who's to say interning can't be fun?) we delved into a poetry-filled afternoon, fulled by tea, coffee and biscuits provided by our gracious host.

Proving that great minds do not, in fact, necessarily think alike, Madeleine and I disagreed on our opinions of the vast majority of the poems; however, as a collection we both, including Jamie, agreed that the anthology is definitely something special.  The poet's ability to display his subject matter in such a thought-provoking manner was a breath of fresh air to me; his portrayal of everyday and universal situations from such a unique angle and perspective was certainly impressive. We did attempt to come up with equally thought-provoking ideas for the front cover illustration, but this was something that continued to have us stumped throughout the week. I have to admit, though, that Madeleine had the edge in this task; she came up with a few quite interesting ideas while I struggled to come up with anything nearly as constructive!

Dinner that night consisted of home-made quiche (divine) and cocktails (awesome!) provided by Madeleine's aunt; not that I'm saying that all interns would be given such a treat; but I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the good company, good drinks and great food. Madeleine and I agreed that the internship was beginning to feel like a holiday even on our first day - we were enjoying the work and the people and, as Madeleine correctly described it, it felt more like an 'editorial retreat' than an work placement!

Tuesday saw Jamie, Maddy and I taking a trip to The University of Hull, Scarborough Campus to give a talk to some undergraduates taking English degrees (at which a previous intern was coincidentally sitting in the audience). Jamie managed to quell one student's misconceptions of the poetry publishing world, proving that publishing poetry is a safe and cost-effective venture into the world of publishing, rather than the risky manoeuvre that the student supposed it to be. (Note from JM: that's that sorted then!)  Madeleine gave details of her MA, her past work placements and how she had managed to get to where she was in her publishing career path. I decided to start giving out names of organisations and societies that I'd been involved in which allowed me to gain my work-experience placements, as they were what led me to the opportunities to get involved in interning. As a lovely surprise afterwards, the lecturer Kevin Corstophine took us for drinks and a delicious dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant as a thank you on the behalf of the university. With perks like those I'd give as many talks as they'd want!

(That night we also took a trip to see the new film, Skyfall. Any work placement that involves James Bond films is a successful one for me!)

Madeleine did come up with some magic advice for breaking into the publishing world that kept us tickled for most of the week: "Just live your life." Unfortunately this nugget of wisdom was not shared with the student body, however Jamie and I understood perfectly what she was getting at: live your life, and gain contacts that can help you progress and get your foot in the door. In the world of publishing, networking is everything.

On Wednesday we took a trip to the university at York, where we listened to readings from the very smart and immensely interesting James Nash, author of Some Things Matter, 63 Sonnets (published by Valley Press). We managed to sell numerous copies of his book at the stall that Jamie had set up, and rightly deserved, as his collection of sonnets were witty, amusing, and touching all at the same time. It was a pleasure to hear him read. We were also treated to readings from the brilliant David Tait and the music of Izzy Isgate.

For our second-to-last day, Jamie gave us the opportunity to look at submissions, a task I thoroughly enjoyed. Again, the three of us disagreed on many submissions, especially Madeleine and me, but it just showed that any we DID both agree on were definitely worth a second look. This task gave us an insight into what kind of submissions publishers receive and also what they look out for in terms of content and quality.

Friday was an interesting day for me; as Jamie had to be elsewhere on business, he asked if I could attend an Amnesty International book event at the Guild Hall in Hull (as that is where I live, conveniently!) As a sort of ambassador for Valley Press, I attended the book event where I met many of the authors that had contributed to the anthology, entitled Small Candles, that Jamie had helped produce.  We listened to readings of the poems by their respective authors, and I helped take photos of the readings too. The people were very lovely, providing us all with free tea and cupcakes, and I even got a personal mention in the thank-you speech for my attendance! What a lovely way to finish a brilliant 'editorial retreat'!

Do not underestimate the benefits of undertaking an internship at a small publishing company; in fact, if you want more hands-on involvement and a feeling of really contributing, then I would more than happily suggest Valley Press, and more generally the smaller publishing firms. They are not necessarily just a stepping-stone into bigger things, either, because I undertook two previous work placements at large London-based publishing firms before I came to Valley Press, and I enjoyed this placement just as much, if not more, and certainly took just as much from the experience. Thank you very much, Jamie, for allowing me to take part in such a fantastic work experience placement. I could not recommend it enough.

This week I have mostly been... interning at Valley Press!

(Note from JM: presenting a guest-post from a young lady named Madeleine, who spent the week of 5th-9th November helping out in the Valley Press office - her post can be thought of as a sequel to this classic effort. She accidentally announced one of next year's books in the second paragraph, I will edit the name back in when his book has been officially announced.  Enjoy!)

I was very excited to be part of the prestigious Valley Press team at the beginning of last week. And in fact, the work began as soon as I arrived! Settling down with a cup of Jamie McGarry's finest tea; he, Stephanie (who was also interning) and I began a rapid and enjoyable proof-read for a book that needed to be sent off to the printers quick-smart! What a fantastically immediate and immersive introduction to the world of independent publishing.

With a later start the next day, thanks to all our hard work, we started the process of editing a collection of poems from Leeds-based writer --------------. What an exciting new talent has been found. His poems are vibrant with insightful descriptions and witticisms of a very real and often touching regional world. In the office we had many disagreements on which poems to include in the collection, but this of course was all part of the dynamic nature of good editing. Plenty of brain-storming surrounded the issue of the front-cover design and consequently patterned our week's work. It actually kept me up well into the night trying to find inspiration! Stay tuned to see what will be the final stroke of creative genius from VP.

On Tuesday we visited the Scarborough campus of the University of Hull, to give a talk to the students about the realities and benefits of a career in publishing. We all had different perspectives to lend an elucidating hand to the young scholars; from Jamie's entrepreneurial point-of-view, to Stephanie and I as young publishers gathering our thoughts from our recent voluntary work. Stephanie was on fire with useful contacts and website suggestions, and it was satisfying to feel that we may be able to contribute to the mapping of someone's career path at such a turbulent time for employment.

We also visited York mid-week, and were treated to warm and diverting performances from musician Izzy Isgate, poet David Tait, and Valley Press poet James Nash in celebration of the latter's book Some Things Matter: 63 Sonnets. Manning the book-stall, we sold many copies of Nash's book amongst other Valley Press wonders.

Later on in the week we handled new submissions, of which there were a couple of hidden gems that must stay hidden for the time being!

In and around our hive of activity, we were also treated to the various hedonistic possibilities of the town. Most memorably... lunches at Café Venus and Bonnets, dinner and cocktails, Talking Heads tea-breaks and some (personally) traumatic yet hilarious audio-bursts of Keane, cake-sharing, James Bond, and walks along the beach.

I'll say it twice, and I'll write it again: I couldn't call my week at Valley Press work experience, even though we did put our heads together to get great wads of work to the next stage of publication. I think Jamie should be advertising editorial retreats!

Video: VP at Ilkley Literature Festival

All has been quiet on the blog lately - I've been too busy with production (check out the books page if you've not been keeping up), but the great eye of Valley Press will soon turn back to promotion, social media and the more ethereal elements of publishing, such as this blog.  Starting today, actually, as thanks to the incredible media guru that is Marcos Avlonitis, the entire Valley Press event from this year's Ilkley Literature Festival has been preserved on video, for your viewing pleasure.

You can view the first part in the window below, and probably find the second, third and fourth segments at the end without much trouble (otherwise, click the links in this sentence).  The event features VP authors Jo Brandon, Cara Brennan and James Nash, but starts, as ever, with me trying so very hard to be a decent host.  Enjoy!





(P.S. I'm rather amused that I'm in the background of all the shots, looking like I'm waiting for my laundry to finish - there could be a remix where it's just me sat there, silently for half an hour (perhaps with some lift music playing - 'there was a little spanish flea' ect.)  Send in your attempts at this to win a prize... no, I'm joking.  Please don't).

Catch-up and New Interview with J.M.

Hello there - first of all, apologies for the lack of blog posts lately, I've been discovering just how much work really is involved in running a publishing operation... turns out, lots.  I feel confident now, however, that I stand astride the mountain of things to do, having not conquered it exactly but got in the right position to conquer it.  There have been countless events and book launches since my last post (feels like it anyway), particularly in June - some highly successful, some miserable failures, and a rare one or two that turned out pretty much as planned.  We don't have any more 'live dates' scheduled now till 8th September at the Poetry Book Fair, so the next month-and-a-half will be a rare chance for me to get everything up to date and catch my breath.

While all this publishing and eventing has been going on, no-one (except possibly my mum) has expressed a desperation for blog posts, so they have fallen by the wayside - the last really interesting post by me was March 3rd.  I promise to remedy this situation in the remainder of 2012, and maybe even shed some light on what went on during these past few months.

Cover for the last Inpress catalogue.

I assume you've been keeping up with our publishing programme while I've been 'away' - if not, check the homepage.  My next job is to make pages for all the books coming out in the second half of 2012, ideally before the release of the next Inpress catalogue, which will (for the first time) feature our titles.  And in this manner, we arrive at the meat of this post; the catalogue also features an interview with yours truly on the subject of - you've guessed it! - Valley Press, and you lucky blog readers don't need to wait till the catalogue has been printed to read it, as the full version is featured below.  The questions were asked by Inpress chieftain Rachael Ogden.

---

RO: What was the impetus behind setting the company up?

JM: I have had a peculiar interest in publishing throughout my life – at the age of 6, I was filling exercise books with stories, then adding ‘front matter’, a blurb and even a barcode.  I can’t really explain this behaviour (then or now), except to say it must have been hard-wired from birth!  I continued to experiment with publishing whilst at university, under the name ‘Valley Press’, so after graduation – having struggled for eight months to find any sort of gainful employment – I felt I had no choice but to get some more books printed and give it a proper go.  The rest is history.

RO: What is the primary focus of the press?

JM: Up to now, Valley Press has been responsible for a certain type of poetry – the word ‘accessible’ springs to mind, but never simplistic or banal.  Poetry that would satisfy someone with a wide knowledge of the medium, but also work that anyone could get something from; poetry that doesn’t exclude.  That’s my particular passion and area of expertise, but as readers of this catalogue will see (blog readers: just imagine it), during the next six months I’m experimenting with a few other genres – in the hope me and VP can continue to make ends meet.

RO: What do you think small independents contribute to the publishing landscape?

JM: Well for a start, more books – which is never a bad thing (until it comes time to move house, of course!)  More opportunities for authors to get their work in print, and more opportunities for readers to discover new books, and new ways of discovering books.  Also, with independents there is a great scope for specialisation, of topic and of region, which does wonders for our literary diversity.

RO: What are your aspirations for the company?

JM: This is an easy one – I would like to put in place an infrastructure that could take any book, edit and produce it to be the very best it could be, and market it in such a way that it was brought to the attention of (or perhaps, put in front of) everyone who could gain something from it.  I think at heart, this is the goal of all publishers – no-one really goes into this for the money!

I know this catalogue reaches people in many areas of the industry, so I’d like to say – if anyone has any tips, advice or questions for me, I’d love to hear from you on jamie@valleypressuk.com.  I’m still at a quite early stage in my career, and when I started I knew absolutely nothing; so I still have a lot to learn, and I find a good way to speed that process up is to be honest and ask.

---

What I'm really looking for at the end, I think, is an offer of a better (i.e. less stressful and more lucrative) job!  Anyway, hope you gleaned some small enjoyment from that - if you've heard all those particular thoughts and stories before, you're obviously a keen follower of VP and won't mind a bit of repetition.  Pretty soon, the story of my early childhood book creation (and subsequent unemployment) will be as familiar and enjoyable to you as a black-and-white lunchtime film on BBC2.  I expect.  Anyway, see you shortly, for more enlightening chapters of the Valley Press story!

A Retirement Note

The first ever Valley Press book cover.

Don't worry, it's not me retiring - that would be a short career!  (Though it is a tempting thought.)  This post is just to announce that as of this week, VP0001, The Waiting Game, is officially 'out of print' and no longer available anywhere.

Viewers with a strong historical memory will recall The Waiting Game was written by myself when I was 19, so to some extent it was the perfect text to experiment on, as far as publishing goes.  The retiring edition is (to put it mildly) not quite as professional a job as the current VP titles, so when Amazon sold their last copy this week, I decided not to print any more - thus, the book is now out of print.

However, I have kept two copies of this edition - one for the 'archive', and one extra one which I will be attempting to sell for an extraordinary price from this point onwards.  If anyone would like to get in with an offer early, you know where the contact page is - don't be shy!  And I may well do another edition at some point... we'll see.

In print for 3 years, 221 days, TWG holds the record for 'VP book in print for the longest time'.  This will be broken on May 10th 2013 by Nigel Gerrans' Tenebrae, assuming I keep printing that one!  (If you're wondering about VP0002, that's been unavailable for a while... I was just too busy to tell you... same deal with the 'spare copy for extraordinary price' there.)  I like to keep an eye on these records - keeps me occupied!  As ever, lots of exciting new books in the pipeline; keep your eyes on the site and subscribed to the newsletter for all the details.

Valley Press 'Highly Commended' in National Business Award

A couple of weeks ago I reported that Valley Press had been shortlisted for the Lloyds TSB Enterprise Awards, which (if you read that post) you'll recall was a competition 'to find the best student and graduate entrepreneurial talent across the country'.  This is the post that announces whether or not I can now describe myself as such - the answer is a tentative 'yes'.  VP was 'highly commended' at the North East heat on the 29th February, and can now display the handsome logo you see on your right.

That's pretty much the only prize for 'highly commended', but it's still something to be proud of; apparently there were close to a thousand entries, sixteen of which won a cash prize, and fourteen of which were commended.  So if you like, we can now declare VP is one of the top thirty graduate businesses in the country - not too shabby!  Especially as many of the other companies were serious business players, employing a dozen staff, revolutionising a particular type of technology and turning over in a month what VP manages in a year... and those were just the ones I beat.

This is not just good news for me and Valley Press; by commending VP, the judges have acknowledged that literature (poetry, even) can be the base for successful business activity - a powerful (and unusual) statement from four high-powered banking executives!  Turned out most of them were quite into books, even.  The competition involved me making a two-minute pitch and answering five minutes of questions; during the latter the judges managed to argue briefly amongst themselves whether ebooks or paper were best.  You can't escape that debate!  At the end of the day, when the commendation was announced, VP was described as a 'beautiful business' - I'd obviously touched a few heartstrings, perhaps reminded them of happy childhood days curled up with a tatty paperback.

The VP table at the awards 'do' - I brought the books!

More than anything, the awards formed the basis for a nice day out - I was accompanied by VP author Felix Hodcroft, who did a great job of talking up the operation while I was busy refining my pitch.  The organisers, judges and fellow finalists were brilliant too; unfailingly cheery and friendly.  I noticed amongst them was former The Apprentice and Dragon's Den contender Leon Doyle, a serious player (and seriously tall - when he and Felix stood next to each other, I came up to their chests, and felt like I was back in primary school.  He was one of the ones I beat, by the way - not that I want to rub this in, or anything.)

A wider angle on the table - there's Leon in the back, to the right.

The number of texts, emails and Facebook messages I received on the day was quite staggering - it seems most of the town was rooting for me, particularly after the article on your right appeared in the Scarborough Evening News.  It's rare in publishing that you find yourself competing with anyone in such a direct fashion; poetry awards are decided in secret and announced via email newsletter, and competition between publishers for your custom is done in bookshops with none of us around (unless I'm hanging out near the poetry section trying to influence you, which isn't unheard of).  So in a way it was nice to have a focal point, an us-versus-them moment where people could really get behind VP.  That being said, after the ceremony, me and Felix dropped in on James Nash for a light editorial meeting about his upcoming collection of sonnets, and it served as a helpful reminder of what I'm really in this for - in case all the showbiz got to my head!

Apparently the Enterprise Awards will be a yearly thing, and while winners can't enter again, commended businesses can - so I'll be back, without question, for the 2013 competition!  And until then, back to business as normal; look out for details of new book releases on the blog and on the site soon.

VP Books 'at Large' in Yorkshire

As I wander round the county in search of further sales and acclaim, there are some very pleasant occasions when I unexpectedly stumble across a Valley Press book.  Here is some photographic evidence from the last few months of the books 'on location', arguably in their natural habitat - the bookshop...

Norah Hanson's Love Letters... in the window of Waterstone's Hull.

Steve Rudd's Pulse in WHSmith Driffield (travel section).

...and on the counter with 'Angry Birds', an unlikely pairing!

Four copies of Jo Reed's Stone Venus in Waterstone's Scarborough.

Apologies for the quality of the pictures - all taken with my phone, the best equipment I had to hand!  If you, gentle reader, should happen to see any of our books in a shop near you (and you've got a lot of time on your hands), why not write in and let us see it!  Frankly, it's how I get my kicks.  If you'd then like to forward a picture of the empty shelf, after they've all been bought en masse, that will be even better...

Valley Press Nominated for National Business Award

I'm delighted to report that Valley Press has been shortlisted for the Lloyds TSB Enterprise Awards, a competition 'to find the best student and graduate entrepreneurial talent across the country'.  Whether this is me has yet to be ascertained - the first prize is a cash injection of £50,000, but to get my hands on that I will need to out-talk representatives from eight other businesses at the Yorkshire and North East heat on the 29th Februrary, in Leeds, and then a further fifteen finalists in Liverpool on the 13th March.

Suffice to say, if I do win the first prize (or even the £5,000 local prize), things will be changing around here!  Expect to see a Steve Rudd blimp hovering over your town, Jo Brandon on the side of a London bus, and Norah Hanson paraded through the streets of Hull in a sedan chair... (if the organisers are reading this, please note this is not my formal answer to the question: 'how would you invest the winnings?')  I'll be keeping the blog up-to-date with news on VP's progress in the awards, and you can read more and follow the whole thing on the official site: www.lloydstsbenterpriseawards.com

Valley Press Fest! - London

Friday 27th January 2012 - The Horseshoe, London, UK

At the end of January, myself and three plucky authors took our Valley Press 'wares' to the nation's capital, and put them on stage at an unlikely (but superb) venue, The Horseshoe on Clerkenwell Close.  I had been recommended The Horseshoe by the landlord of a different venue; this original venue was recommended to Jo Brandon by Tom Chivers, the guy who runs Penned in the Margins - one of the few publishers who could claim to be doing a better job than me, with similar resources - though he is five years older!  So it was recommended by a guy who knows a gal who knows a guy who I reckon knows what he's talking about; I took this as reassuring and pressed on with the booking.  It was excellent though, not to mention affordable; a bit like the 'Queen Vic' off EastEnders, but more poetic (on this occasion at least.)

As with all the recent events, a complete (and completely ace) photographic record has been provided for us by Marcos Avlonitis - see the whole set of photos at this link.  Really, do have a look; I was calling this guy a genius from the moment he first turned up at a gig, and his photos have just been getting better and better since then.  We actually did some posed snaps this time too, starting with the one below, which shows the entire starting lineup...

The protagonists: Norah Hanson, Jamie McGarry, Jo Brandon and Steve Rudd.

As you can see, I took a rather-more-overt-than-usual part in this gig, reading a poem from the Snail Diaries between each of the other writers' 15 minute sets.  The mindset behind this can be best compared to Sir Alex Ferguson being so invested in a Manchester United FA Cup Final that he can't bear it anymore, and races onto the pitch to take the deciding penalty himself.  I had invested an amount of money very close to £100 in setting up and promoting this London event, and I'm sad to say that's a sum of money Valley Press can ill afford to fritter away at this time of year - so I headed for the pitch, determined to do my best.  And it worked!  Although it's probably not considered polite to mention money on a polite publishing blog such as this, I ended up doubling my investment by 10pm.  We live to survive February!  (I bet Tom Chivers doesn't have to sweat over this sort of thing... but then he is five years older.)

Norah passes on some literary wisdom to Steve.

The London event actually turned out to be the most successful night for Valley Press of 2012 so far - the paying guests seemed to love it, and the authors were so enthused they vowed to reunite for a similar show in Newcastle next month; so look out for news on that.  As ever, I was filled with pride and delight as proceedings proceeded - though having run myself pretty much into the ground with events in the last couple of weeks, I find myself looking forward to a launch-free February!

Before I go, here's one last surprising development - due to the miracle of technology, for the first time ever you too can enjoy this leg of VP fest, wherever you are in the world!  I recorded the whole hour of entertainment on my trusty dictaphone, and present the file for your listening enjoyment below (or download the file, for iPods and so on, by right-clicking here, then click 'save as').  I'm the posh-sounding bloke who talks at the start, desperately trying to think of what to say, before falling back onto snail poems with relief - everyone else is introduced by name.



So enjoy that, and keep an eye on the homepage to hear news of future events.  Thanks for coming out, London - we'll see you again soon!

Valley Press Fest! - Scarborough

Saturday 21st January 2012 - Taylors Cafe & Books / Scarborough Public Library, Scarborough, UK

The official poster.

The genesis of 'Valley Press Fest' came in three stages: 1) Jo Brandon told me she was happy to do one more event while she was 'up North' for her launch, 2) a realisation that the strong sales I'd been enjoying before Christmas might not continue as strongly into January, which ideally could be compensated for with a big 'VP day', and 3) I noticed that the word 'Press' rhymes (a bit) with the word 'Fest', which is a perfect word to use when you are holding one day with multiple events.  Rejected ideas include 'Valley Presstival', and my old collaborator Howard Staveley's suggestion, 'Valley Press Conference' (see what he did there?)

Jo Brandon and Deirdre McGarry.

As I mentioned on the day, one of the great strengths of VP (which is still a very young operation, lest we forget!) is the sense of comradeship between authors - a real sense of working together, of a whole that is greater than the sum of its (already great) parts, and maybe even a sense of family... a slightly dysfunctional family perhaps, with me as everyone's strange cousin, but a family nonetheless.  The people performing on the 21st January were united by a love of literature, poetry in particular, and also by a shared experience... though everyone's road differs, they'd all experienced the 'Valley Press process' to get their books into print, so had a lot of experiences to compare.  I'm very much trying to foster the idea that the success of anyone helps everyone, and I think that's been taken on board.  As I looked around during the signing, and saw everyone talking to each other and getting on, I can honestly say I've never felt prouder.

Anyway, that's the sentimental bit taken care of!  The day had two parts, a signing (with short bursts of reading) in the new Scarborough independent bookstore/cafe Taylors, and a two-hour reading in the library.  Let me draw your attention immediately to the photographs of the day, taken by Marcos Avlonitis who I've raved about at length elsewhere - the man's a genius, enough said!  You can see some scattered around this entry, but also full sets on Facebook, from Taylors here and from the library here.  He's really captured the day, if you ask me - having a professional photographer on hand is invaluable, I plan to never go into battle without one again.

Steve Rudd and James Mcloughlin debate some important literary issues.

Our time in the cafe was an interesting experiment... not many books sold (five, if anyone's counting - apparently everyone was waiting to get them later!) and the people enjoying tea and coffee were a bit baffled at first by the onslaught of poetry, but I think they came around to the idea in the end.  Our progress was further hindered by me experiencing a problem at the bank on the way there, meaning for the first 15 mins there were just a lot of authors with no books!  When I did get there, I spent much of my time looking at submissions... I didn't see that coming!  People were quite right in thinking if they caught me off-guard, face-to-face, they'd have a good chance of getting their work read.  We'll see if anything comes of it... I told them to drop the final copies in at the front desk at Woodend in July, which allowed me to make good my escape.  But we will have to open submissions again soon, without a doubt - I'm spending much of my time at present thinking of the most effective way to receive them, the way that's easiest for me and least painful for the writers.  Any ideas, feel free to comment below!

Norah Hanson in full flow.

I was really impressed by everyone's performances at the library; it was well timed, and there wasn't a weak link in the chain... where are all those mumbling poets I occasionally see elsewhere (often after having paid several pounds!)?  Not here, apparently!  We also met one of my targets, which was to fill the room we half-filled last time... however, as I made this event free as well as waiting four months, I can't be sure which change led to the increase in numbers... it's just not scientific!  Anyway, as I say, the reading was a great success, and though we were chased out by the caretaker (apparently the library closes at 4pm on a Saturday, and not a second later), I think everyone went home satisfied.

I'd like to announce now that the next big Valley Press event will be in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, Sunday June 17th, all day at the Spa Theatre - put it in your diaries now, and I'll do more thorough advertising nearer the time.  I'd also welcome ideas; we have seven hours in total to fill on that day, and as of yet nothing planned!  Whatever we do though, if it's half as good as the 'Valley Press Fest', I'll be a happy man.  Hope to see you then!

A week after this event, some authors headed south for Valley Press Fest London - you can read all the details on how that went here.

Launch Report: 'Phobia' by Jo Brandon

Friday 20th January 2012, The Carriageworks, Leeds, UK

Host James Nash looks on during an exciting bit of poetry from Jo.

The relationship between Valley Press and dynamic young writer Jo Brandon - one for the ages, hopefully! - began on the 1st May 2011, when I happened across a short biography of her online and noticed she was 'currently working on a debut pamphlet', so sent an exploratory email to see if we could do something about that.  I was sending a lot of these emails at this point, and although some recieved positive replies, it was only Jo (and Jo's work) that inspired enough enthusiasm on both ends to see a publishing project through to completion - and the date of this completion was the 20th January 2012, when Phobia was launched in style at The Carriageworks theatre in Leeds.

Though according to the Poetry Society guidelines, we should call Phobia a 'pamphlet', that is something of a hotly disputed issue in the Valley Press offices - it is a book, and it is a collection of poetry, with only ten pages less than many of our previous publications, about which there was no confusion.  People ordering Phobia expecting a standard pamphlet, hastily stapled by the publisher the night before, will be in for a nice surprise, if I say so myself!  I've taken to calling it a 'pamphlet length collection', and I'd encourage you to do the same.

Jo hard at work signing - that's me in the background.

This was our first launch at The Carriageworks, and I was very impressed by the facilities provided - I suspect they could have been even better if I'd got the technical people on side earlier in the week!  Our host of choice ten times out of ten, Mr. James Nash, was on top form, and Jo told the full story about many of the poems, giving a lot of facts that were totally new to me - though the poem 'Gamophobia' is about cooking, the word actually means fear of marriage, hence the last line: 'see what harm can be done when you heat the ring.'  I must admit, this was also the first time I've seen Jo perform her work live, and I was not disappointed - I've see few people read with more confidence, animation and passion.  Often with young writers (particularly myself!) it's neccessary to talk in terms of 'promise', or 'this is one to watch' - but I really think Jo has got the whole package already.  She should take the poetry world by storm, and of course it's now partly my responsibility to see that through...

You can see a full set of photos from the launch at this link, all taken by the media mastermind that is Marcos Avlonitis.  If you're a regular visitor to the VP site, this name will not be unfamiliar to you - he also did the post-production work on the cover image which graces Phobia, which if you're wondering is an 'icon', probably of Mary, who is mentioned in one of the poems featured on the Phobia page.  I think it's time to admit this is the same Marcos who is credited in the acknowledgements - he's Jo's partner, but what a guy, and what a team they make!  He even set up a sound desk upon our arrival, and has recorded the whole gig; this will hopefully be appearing on the blog in due course, though as the man is a perfectionist this will be after he has removed any trace of noise from the air conditioning vent.  I pointed out to Marcos during the evening that, in the age of media, the man with the top camera, recording equipment and skills to use them is pretty much king - I think he agreed.

I'd like to formally thank everyone who came out to see Jo and James - there was a fantastic atmosphere of encouragement and support, and more than a couple of attendees from Leeds literary royalty, which is always great to see.  Blog readers can still grab the book, signed and otherwise, from the VP site here - you might also like to read about 'Valley Press Fest', which Jo attended the following day, in the report here.  Hope to see you at the next launch!

Three Great VP Events for January 2012

Note: since this was first posted, the venue for 'VP Fest London' has had to be revised - see below.

Hello blog readers!  Some exciting posts are coming your way in the next couple of weeks - I've been spending the Winter cooking up a lot of exciting stuff for this year, starting with the following three events:

---------------

Jo Brandon's 'Phobia' Book Launch - Leeds
Friday 20th January, 8-9pm at The Carriageworks

Phobia is the first solo publication from one of the brightest rising stars in British poetry.  A former editor of the Cadaverine ezine, Jo's poems are skillful examinations of fear and hope, vulnerability and strength; rave reviews are flooding into VP HQ, and you can be there at the start by attending the free launch event, hosted by James Nash.  All the details can be read on the book's official page here.

---------------

Valley Press Fest! - Scarborough
Saturday 21st January, 11-1pm at Taylors (Bar Street), 2-4pm at Scarborough Public Library

Two events, two venues, seven of the finest writers ever assembled in one room - and completely free to attend! The day will start with a signing at Taylors of Bar Street, Scarborough's new independent bookshop and cafe, and move on to a reading at Scarborough Public Library in the afternoon. For full details, and a list of the authors appearing, consult the website at http://www.valleypressuk.com/vpfest/

---------------

Valley Press Fest! - London
Friday 27th January, 7pm at The Horseshoe

VP comes to London for the southern leg of 'Valley Press Fest'; held in the function room of The Horseshoe (Clerkenwell Close), the evening will feature readings from Jo Brandon, Norah Hanson, Steve Rudd and VP founder Jamie McGarry (in a first ever London appearance - also known for expertly writing in the third person!) Tickets are just £2, and will be available on the door.  More information can be found on the event's Facebook page here, and will be on the 'VP Fest' page next week.

---------------

Hope to see some of you at some of these!

A Christmas Treat - for Someone

First Look - 'The Border' / 'Leeds Writers Circle Anthology 2011'

A series of coincidences has led to the next books from Valley Press being published in the same week, their launches held within 48 hours of each other - so it seems only fitting that I bring them to the attention of blog readers in the same post.

I first met Miles Cain in York, at a poetry open-mic event in February of this year, and was impressed (along with the rest of the audience) by his confident, flawless performance skills and the powerful, skillfully-constructed poems themselves.  I planned to sidle up to him at some point and suggest he might be in need of a publisher, such as myself, but he beat me to it - the decision was what you might call a 'no brainer', Miles' poetry was (and is) exactly what VP is about.

The first handout which Miles gave me that night (and the larger selection which followed over email) contained quite a high percentage of fun, whimsical poetry, though still highly crafted work.  I was a big fan of this, and the original title ('Significant Bothers'), but when Miles returned with a proposal for the collection, the comedy poems had been almost entirely thinned out.  After a lengthy discussion, some of them were put back in, and I believe we've now hit on a perfect combination of humour and seriousness - the kind peddled by the likes of Philip Larkin and Carol Ann Duffy, people who Miles very much deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as.

His collection, The Border, was sold for the first time at our Valley Press Reading on Thursday, an event which I hope to have video evidence of soon (you'll find it right here on the blog when I do).  This was also where I first announced the other book this post will discuss - much to the surprise of Deirdre McGarry, who appears in it but hadn't heard anything since submitting her poems for it in the Spring!  Before we talk about that though, I can't discuss The Border without thanking John Illingworth, who kindly donated the stunning photograph which appears on the cover (and made my job, as designer, laughably easy).  It is absolutely perfect, especially as cars (working or otherwise) appear throughout the book as a sort of running (or not-so-running) motif.  I also can't discuss the book without mentioning its launch, which will be held in York on Saturday 1st October - see this link for full details.

Moving on then.  Representatives of the Leeds Writers Circle contacted me in May, and we soon came to a mutually-beneficial agreement to publish an anthology of their members' work (both prose and poetry) by the 3rd October, when they had secured a plum slot on the Ilkley Literature Festival Fringe in which to launch it.  (See here for details of the event - hope you can make it.)  Edited primarily by Circle members Ian Harker and David Thom, I was astounded by the variety of work in the anthology - it contains something for every taste, and yet at the same time I failed to find a single section I didn't enjoy; difficult goals to achieve in the same volume.  I was also astounded by the sheer quality; it is an outstanding literary achievement, which again is difficult to achieve whilst also being as inclusive as possible.  All contributors should be very proud of the work they've produced for the book.

The writing in the collection is loosely themed around life in Leeds; both in the modern day, and in other decades/centuries, so is an essential purchase if you're a fan of that fair city - and of course, I highly advise you to pick one up even if you're not.  Prepare to be converted!  As for the cover, my brief was to create something 'a bit Faber-and-Faber' esque, so I looked to an era I've always curiously enjoyed - the 1990s Faber, exemplified in covers such as this one.  But of course I couldn't just rip them off, so I looked for a repeat-design pattern that fit the book's contents and reminded me of Leeds in general, eventually coming up with the leafy effort above.  There are plenty of trees in the book, but I can't explain why that design reminds me of Leeds - it must be something subconscious.

Should you be tempted to purchase The Border or the Anthology, I hope you enjoy them very much - ebooks are forthcoming, of course, shortly after the release dates, and there should be more news on these titles (and our final 2011 efforts) soon.  Until then, happy reading!

The Valley Press Reading 2011 - 22nd September

This post is one of the few with no content other than shameless advertising - I'm writing to let you know about the first ever Valley Press Reading, which will be held at Scarborough Public Library on the 22nd September 2011, with a relaxed 6pm start and an optimistic 7.30pm finish.  If my plans all come to fruition (and they have been known to) the reading will feature all eight authors I've published this year; they will be reading from their work, signing books (of course) and possibly answering a few questions.

Nigel Folds, artist behind Lonely Destiny, will be bringing some of the original artwork for the book (ensuring your eyes are as entertained as your ears), and the public will have their first chance to see (and buy?) copies of our seventeenth publication, Miles Cain's The Border (though of course it is available to pre-order here - expect the usual barrage of posts about that one shortly).

If you're a person with a Facebook, you can RSVP in the most convenient fashion on the event page here.  For a map to the venue, try here.  I'm afraid you do have to pay to come - £3 in fact, tickets on the door - but a lot of you already own all the books, and I gotta pay those room fees somehow!  Plus, think of all that great entertainment... to say nothing of the complimentary tea, coffee and biscuits.

I'm hoping this could be a regular thing, twice-yearly, especially if it goes as well as I think it will.  Also, I hear rumours the whole thing will be professionally filmed, so we'll be on our best behaviour (and this means international VP fans might get a look too, at some point).  Either way, wish us luck, and I'll see you there!

Pulse: Additional Miscellany

Steve befriends a camel.

It would be fair to say Steve Rudd's Pulse is a lengthy book.  It runs to an unprecedented 98500 words - though of course, that's only unprecedented for Valley Press; I'm not suggesting it's the longest book in history, though I admit I don't have the statistics to hand.  Either way, the editing and typesetting on this occasion took rather a long time - much longer than I originally planned, in fact - and though the text is a constant delight, even the man working on publishing a newly discovered edition of the Bible ('My Life: By Jesus') will find his attention wandering sooner or later.

So it came to pass that, in order to entertain myself, I began to play a series of what might have been drinking games - if I was reckless enough to drink whilst 'on the job'.  As readers, you bear no such responsibilty, so if you want to play along, take a shot each time:

• Steve mentions Jack Kerouac
• Steve stumbles upon a branch of 'McDonald's'
• Steve mentions Facebook in a disparaging manner
• Steve is saddened after observing a less-than-100%-honest business practice
• Steve is mistaken for Chris Martin from Coldplay 
• Someone 'kowtows' to something

Not mentioned are 'Steve boards a means of transport' or 'Steve eats something', as playing the game with these rules will lead to serious liver damage.  Also missing is the one that brought me the most delight during the editing process, as it is sadly no longer relevant: 'Steve consumes something out of a punnet'.  I noticed this curious trend early on; I've never established what Steve thinks a punnet is, but I believe it to be a small basket in which you might put some fruit or vegetables (see illustration below).  With this in mind, I was puzzled to see the humble punnet appearing in all manner of unlikely contexts throughout Steve's original draft of Pulse, some of which I reprint below:

• 'For five rupees, a scolding hot punnet of Nescafe hit my throat where it hurt.'
• 'Favouring train travel (if only for the early morning punnets of 'chai' and delicious omelettes served by mobile vendors on-board)...'
• 'Various concoctions of medicine were relayed to patients prior to their main meal. I joined the queue of volunteers to help dole out white plastic punnets filled with a tablet or two, along with a nut chaser.'
• 'Seated and satisfied with punnets of caramel-laced popcorn, we were fools to get comfortable.'

As you can imagine, I began to be deeply perplexed and disturbed by this trend - I hadn't even heard the word 'punnet' for the fifteen years prior to my starting work on Pulse!  I didn't quite know how to tell Steve about it; I believe I said very gently: 'Steve... can I just ask you... what's with all the punnets?'  We eventually agreed to remove most of these instances, though I have left the popcorn one in the final book for sentimentality's sake - watch out for it when you read.

With an understanding that I mention these things as possibly the world's biggest fan of Steve and his writing, I'm sure you'll allow me to bring up a couple of other points.  When running an initial spell check on the book, my poor computer went beserk - not because Steve is a poor speller (far from it!), but because he has a tendency to invent words where existing ones don't quite do the job.  So now, in association with the Oxford English Dictionary (basic edition), I can present the twenty-four new words invented by Mr. Steve Rudd for his first book:

promenaders, animalistically, linguistical, vagabonder, automisation, desertscape, metrosexualised, skyscraping, monotonal, wisening, technicoloured, patronaged, wisen, glammed, unentranced, resaddled, palmful, headlessly, wisened, iconically, nutted, transportational, behemothic, overlanding

I've actually left most of them in; they all make sense to some degree, and I'm secretly a big believer in this practice myself.  There are certain things I 'always do' in my books, when writing, and one of them is to include a word not featured in the OED - I'm hoping one day to appear as a source.  Trivia fans will be interested to note in The Dead Snail Diaries it was 'conversate' - '...in fact, I learnt to conversate...' - though I have since learned the word is an accepted part of 'black slang', so it's unlikely that a man once described as 'so white it's almost beyond belief' will be credited for inventing it.  Steve's chances are somewhat higher.

And then there's his trademark way of starting a new article, which is to capitalise the first sentence.  For example, if I were to document the last half hour of my life in a Rudd-esque fashion, I'd probably start it: 'I LOGGED ON TO THE EDITING SOFTWARE FOR THE VALLEY PRESS BLOG, AND KNEW A TAPESTRY OF LITERARY ACCOMPLISHMENT WAS ABOUT TO UNFOLD.'  This is actually an effective strategy, and one with a long, noble history in literature - though that didn't stop me making a list of the section openers which would be quite funny taken out of context.  So here are some teasing headlines to give you a flavour of the action at hand:

• DUMBSTRUCK BY A DUST-STRICKEN OCEAN OF CAMELS
• EMERGING FROM SPIRITUAL SLUMBER, I COULDN’T BELIEVE MY EYES.
• WISELY, NOT ALL OF US CRAVE CHANGE.
• ‘FLY, LITTLE BIRD, FLY!’
• IT SOUNDED LIKE CHILDBIRTH.
• GIVEN THE CHANCE, INDIANS LOVE TO MAKE A RACKET.
• MOSQUITOES CAN SEEMINGLY SENSE SWEET BLOOD FROM A THOUSAND PACES.
• I’D FINALLY DISCOVERED A ROUTINE WHICH NOURISHED MY SOUL
• WE WONDERED WHY HE WAS POINTING THE FINGER.
• IT APPEARED TO BE A SAD STATE OF AFFAIRS ON THE SURFACE.
• TAPPING THE MAN’S FOREHEAD, THE CONDUCTOR ACCIDENTALLY DEFACED THE SLEEPING PASSENGER’S THIRD EYE.
• ‘MAN! DON’T WORRY! BORROW MY BIKE AND TAKE A FERRY TO LOMBOK!’
• I’D BECOME EVERYTHING I DESPISED; I’D BECOME WOEFULLY PREDICTABLE.
• AT LEAST THE VACATIONING FRENCH GIRLS CONSIDERED IT FUNNY.
• ‘HARDY! I’M LOOKING FOR A HARDY! I DON’T SUPPOSE YOU KNOW A HARDY, DO YOU?’
• THE DAWN CHORUS WAS AS UNBEATABLE AS IT WAS UNREPEATABLE.
• ‘WHAT DO YOU MEAN THERE’S NOT A SINGLE BANK MACHINE ON THE ENTIRE ISLAND?’
• ‘GET A BIKE, YOU LOSER!’
• THE FINEST EATERIES TEND TO BE THE MOST SECRETIVE.
• THEY WERE CLEARLY NOT ‘AU FAIT’ WITH THE INEVITABILITY OF SPINAL COMPRESSION.
•  ‘IT’S NOT FUNNY. I HAVE BRUISES ALL OVER MY LEG.’
• WHY DID THE CHICKEN REALLY CROSS THE ROAD? (Steve follows this with: 'Because it was cooped in a liberal country where it could!')
• DASHING IN FRONT OF THE BLOOD-RED ‘SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND’ TRUCK WASN’T THE WISEST MOVE I’D EVER MADE.
• ‘WHAT ARE WE DOING? WHERE ARE WE GOING?’
• IT WASN’T THE TYPE OF DAY TO BE PRANCING ABOUT OUTSIDE
• AT NATURE’S MERCY, I EXCEL; I THRIVE; I NEVER FEEL MORE ALIVE.
• VERY LITTLE COMPARES TO THE HEIGHT ADVANTAGE OFFERED BY PLANES.

I think the last one there is my favourite; you just can't argue with that, can you.  I like to imagine him saying those bits in an unnaturally loud and monotone way; try it yourself - when your significant other comes home, smile and say: 'VERY LITTLE COMPARES TO THE HEIGHT ADVANTAGE OFFERED BY PLANES.'  Then come back here and tell us how they reacted.

That about wraps it up, though there is a neat coincidence that I've yet to discuss.  In Pulse, Steve mentions a few musicians his 'sensitive temperament' is 'more suited for' - and one of them is Miles Cain, whose poetry collection The Border is the next book scheduled for publication by Valley Press!  It's almost like Steve is 'passing on the literary torch', which could be a nice tradition if there was any chance of it happening again.  I made a note of what page this mention was on (pg. 124), so I could tell Miles when I saw him, but this knowledge came in useful sooner than I thought. When me and Steve accosted Edwina Hayes with a view to her appearing at the launch, Steve told her she was mentioned, and began flicking through the proof copy trying to find the sentence, which was of course the same one as Miles' shout-out.  'I think you'll find that's on page 124,' I said casually. Steve turned to the page, then looked at me like I had just performed an earth-shattering feat of mental acuity.

'Do you know the whole thing off by heart?!'  He asked me, stunned.  I decided to play along, thinking that this talent would never be tested.  'Oh yeah,' I replied, casually.  'All part of the Valley Press experience.'  Steve (and possibly Edwina) went away impressed that night, and I promptly forgot about this moment - until the launch came around, and someone asked Steve to read the passage from the book where he encounters a cockroach.

'No trouble!'  He said, turning to me. 'What page is that on then, Jamie?'  Caught off guard, I began frantically flicking through the pages, unable to remember even which continent that moment had occured on; I could see the disappointment creep over Steve's face as he realised I was not, in fact, the natural successor to Rain Man.  'I thought you knew the whole thing by heart!'  He said, sadly, and in the end he found the extract several minutes before I did.  There's a clear moral here; don't tell lies, as they often come back to haunt you.  Oh, and also, that you should buy Steve's book - it's excellent, and now you've had the education provided by this post, you can enjoy it on a whole new level.

VP Live: Saturday August 13th

Valley Press was all over Yorkshire this Saturday, attending the first ever 'VP book signing' at the Scarborough branch of Waterstone's, and performing as part of the 'Poetry Showcase' at Bridlington's Spotlight Theatre.  I was there with my camera to capture some highlights, and thus the photo recap below was born...

The Valley Press table - sadly not a permanent feature in the shop - organised on the day by 'merchandising' whizz and all-round genius staff member Sean Lewis.

The day was a big one for collaboration - I left home that morning with two heavy boxes of books, in a superbly designed wheeled suitcase (almost classifiable as a sled) which had been donated to the VP effort by Jo Reed the previous Thursday.  Steve Rudd was also there during the initial trek, to help with another bag containing sellotape, blu-tac, the signage, a small bowl... all the other important items needed for the day's success.  In addition to this, we recieved several lifts from Helen Burke and her partner Phil (star of her poem, 'Why I Fancy Him'), and James Mcloughlin made a four-hour journey from Southport under his own steam, all to aid the VP effort.  This is what Valley Press is about, of course - great authors coming together to be greater than the sum of their parts, to offer a bit of mutual assistance.  As I considered the people I'd published since May, I felt a great sense of pride.  Here's a photo of all of us, taken by the multi-talented Phil:

One for the scrapbook - five VP authors in one place.  Left to right, James Mcloughlin, Jo Reed, Steve Rudd, Jamie McGarry, Helen Burke.

As part of my continuing interest in raffles, there was one held during the signing - visitors were invited to enter in order to win signed copies of all five books; worth 30p of anyone's money I believe.  The raffle was eventually drawn as we departed at 4pm, by Waterstone's staff member John (who pointed out a flaw with my administration of the raffle, which I won't reprint here, thus relegating the flaw into the fog of history).  The winner of the raffle was David Goh, who I have been emailing recently regarding his book about how to improve your skills at lawn bowling using sophisticated mental techniques.  Should that end up being published, you heard it here first!  His victory must be a good omen for that book.

James Mcloughlin explains something; possibly a sophisticated technique on how to improve your lawn bowling.

James and Steve wait for the rush to start.  I attempted to kick it off by personally approaching every person who came in and informing them of the remarkable gathering currently taking place.

With the signing wrapped up, we bid farewell to James and Jo, and the remaining VP-sters headed to Bridlington for the 'Poetry Showcase', which was hosted and organised by yet another one of the fold, Deirdre McGarry, pictured below introducing us with a glowing monologue which allegedly made me blush.  'Even if you don't read the books,' she said, 'just pick them up, have a feel... they're beautifully produced items!'

There was a very healthy turnout for the 'Poetry Showcase' - even the Mayor of Bridlington turned up (that's him in the red tie and blue sash).  He was an unusually cool and hip Mayor by anyone's standards; I've never seen a politican make such a decent attempt at stand-up comedy.  Behind the performers (not pictured) was a dozen full-size original paintings by Nigel Folds, mimicing the Lonely Destiny launch, and meaning every author published by VP this year was involved in the day.

The only slight problem with this event was that Deirdre had neglected to mention the words 'Poetry Showcase' to me in the run up; it had always been referred to as the 'Spotlight Theatre'.  This put Steve in an interesting position, promoting his travel writing (and armed with nothing else), but I think we got away with it by introducing him as 'a poet who on this occasion will be delighting you with some poetic prose.'  Here he is at work:

Steve was bookended by me reading some of my snail poems (after which it was gently suggested that I retire them, lest I be known only for those two poems - 'it didn't hurt Frost!' was my response) and Helen reading from The Ruby Slippers.  She went down extremely well, in fact people were clamouring to pick up a copy before she even took to the stage!  Here she is charming the crowd:

We returned to our respective homes that night, tired and happy - thanks to all the authors for their contributions, and everyone who came to see us at both venues, it was all highly appreciated!  I'm aiming to top all this on the 22nd September with our Valley Press Reading, 6pm at Scarborough Library - more information on that soon.

Pulse: Launch Photos

Huge thanks to Craig Zadoroznyj for taking a great set of photos at the launch of Pulse, and allowing me to put them on the blog.  I knew they'd turn up sooner or later!  You can have a look at some of his other work here, but not before you check out the great snaps below...

Steve hard at work signing some books.  Note the two ladies to the left - none other than the winners of the raffle, whose unlikely success was documented in my last blog post.

Close-up of Steve signing a book.  I was really impressed by his signing skills - some of the best I've ever witnessed, beautiful work!

Steve fielding questions - a wry smirk here I think.

Steve continuing his Q&A, in this case clearly laughing at one of my great jokes.  To his right you can see one of the photos, 'carefully displayed', and a copy of a 'Pulse' map.

The lovely Edwina Hayes, who charmed us with her extraordinary talents - in the fields of both music and raffle-administration.

Another close-up of that excellent signature.  The atlas behind is an old one belonging to my mum - pre-dating Indian independence!