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.

A week at Valley Press

I first met Valley Press editor-in-chief Jamie McGarry at the Cornerhouse café in Manchester, after sending him a presumptuous and hopeful email asking if he could provide me with some publishing experience. We discovered a shared love of good tea and literature, and with those two commonalities I was invited to Scarborough to help out at Valley Press, which I have been doing for the last five days.

                Even with my post-student budgetary constraints I managed to book myself into Scarborough’s infamous Grand Hotel. Upon arrival I heard most of the Scarborians’ well-rehearsed horror stories about the Grand under past administrations: outbreaks of illness, poor food, terrible entertainment and constant seagull chatter. Although most of these things remain true to an extent (I still have my health) I was pleasantly surprised when I entered my small sea-view room and unpacked my suitcase. 

                 And so, early Monday morning I became part of Valley Press’ very first 'work experience' team. Four of us in total. Our roles, although unofficial, read something like this:

·         Jamie McGarry – Publisher / Editor-in-chief

·         Samuel Bowell – Head of Greco-Roman affairs

·         Rachel Glass – Poet Laureate

·         Antony Szmierek – Consulting Editor

All joking aside, each of us had an equal part to play in working through both literal and virtual piles of submissions. I think we owe some of our success to our home at Woodend Art Gallery (pictured below), as it was under its glass ceiling that most of our creative efforts were realised. Without spoiling any future Valley Press projects, the pieces we have unanimously agreed upon will provide a very exciting few months for Valley Press and its readership. I think the most important thing to come of Valley Press’ briefly expanded team was an important difference of opinion. With each member bringing their own taste and expertise to the submissions we have managed to settle on a diverse collection of work from a variety of authors. 

Coming to Valley Press during the submission period was certainly very interesting, and I can imagine I’m somewhat unique in being a work experience volunteer who didn’t have to make anyone other than himself a cup of tea or coffee. When we weren’t sifting through submissions we were selling books face to face at Scarborough Spa, where we were lucky enough to have our photo taken by somebody from The Scarborough News. So, if you don’t feel like taking my word for all the hard work we’ve been doing you might want to look out for us in next week’s edition.

In conclusion then, I’ve grown fond of Scarborough. Despite our geographical differences I hope to remain an honorary member of Valley Press and I’ll do what I can to help push things forward wherever possible. For now though, I’ll be catching a train back to Manchester to re-join the masses of unemployed English graduates in the race to find a real job. Wish me luck.

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Edit by JM: here is a photo of the wonderful team at the Spa on Thursday, which appeared in the following week's Scarborough News:

'Sea Swim' Review - by Christian Ward

I'm delighted to post the first review of John Wedgwood Clarke's Sea Swim, reviewed by poet and writer Christian Ward. Christian's literary accolades include first prize at the East Riding Open Poetry Competition in 2010, and look out for a poem by Christian in Poetry Review this summer.

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The sea has inspired poets for centuries; Elizabeth Bishop, for instance, famously compared the sea off Nova Scotia to knowledge in her poem ‘At the Fishhouses’: “It is like what we imagine knowledge to be: / dark, salt, clear, moving, utterly free, / drawn from the cold hard mouth / of the world".

The sea around Scarborough is the inspiration for Sea Swim, John Wedgwood Clarke’s pamphlet. Written as part of imove, a Cultural Olympiad Programme in Yorkshire, this 18 poem sequence is a great showcase for Clarke’s talent for creating original metaphors and stunning images. Diving in (pardon the pun), the reader feels how the sea can transform on an emotional and spiritual level.

Clarke has a knack for recording detail in an imaginative way. A swimmer surfacing in his dark wetsuit is ‘like a cormorant’ (“Rings”), beach chalets are ‘small wooden stanzas’ (“Beach chalets”), a warship’s red flag is like a ‘pilot fish’ (“Warship, South Bay”) and a spider is ‘auburn-legged’ (“Winter Minutes”). The reader becomes part of this landscape with these intimate details.

There is a strong emotional undercurrent in these poems, felt in poems such as “Hydro”, where Clarke compares his shadow to a ‘frisky amoeba blundering in another world’ and the tender “Winter Minutes”, where there is ‘nothing to record but your absence’. The sea can take away just as easily as it can give back. Language, emotion and the real, physical, are all fleeting here.

Sea Swim is an excellent pamphlet. John Wedgwood Clarke’s deft imagery and knack for creating poetry with depth makes him one you need to read. Much enjoyed.

A First Month at VP

March has proved itself an extraordinarily exciting month in publishing. So much so that I wonder if life in the wonderful world of Jamie McGarry's Valley Press can possibly maintain this pace? I am assured that I might as well "give up the gym" now that I have secured my seat on the VP bus to success (I am assuming those of you who read this blog regularly are already familiar with Jamie's uniquely confident witticisms?)

Now, before I leap into bringing you up to date to with spring's events so far, I would like to take a little space here to properly introduce myself: I am Jamie's newest (and only) member of staff. I first met Jamie in 2008 at Scarborough Poetry Workshop when he joined us after winning first place at the Scarborough Literature Festival's poetry slam. I myself had held the title for winning the year before and was curious about this new face of poetry rising up through the ranks. I would like to point out (as has now become a custom when we relay this tale) that I had not entered the slam the year that Jamie won. Since then I have entered and won two further slams which Jamie likes to make absolutely clear that he did not enter. So, we have become united by our undefeated titles as Scarborough Slam Champions and while the poetry world waits with baited breath for the day we become slam rivals and enter the same competition, we placate with mutual appreciation in a contrived stalemate - contented - playing scrabble.

...by a poor but equal Scrabble skill.

Ele Lawlor vs Jamie McGarry, perfectly
matched...

I have come to Valley Press under a traineeship structured to compliment my studies of English. I currently wear the title 'Editorial Assistant' alongside the endearing nickname given to me by VP Author Jo Reed - 'The Sorcerer's Apprentice' (thank you Jo). I very much look forward to getting to know the rest of the VP family as I endeavour to master the manyfold artistry that is publishing. Here's to growth and success all round!

So far I am pleased to report that all is chocolate roses and tuneful harmonies in the VP offices. I have enjoyed a most eclectic four weeks in my new role. My first week began by accompanying Jamie to Hunmanby where we had a brilliant time entertaining the local WI. Jamie gave an informative and humorous talk on VP's rise and future plans, and the industry of publishing in general. We introduced Hunmanby to some of the VP authors' work, reading poems from various collections. The snails were out (of course) and I was most privileged to read from Helen Burke's The Ruby Slippers and Norah Hanson's Love Letters and Children's Drawings. Then, after devouring some deliciously calorific homemade shortbread we were given the honour of judging their poetry competition. The winner was the charming Larraine whose Spring poem caught our eye with its clever rhyming of the words 'blithely' and 'Filey'. Excellent work Larraine! The day ended with an impressive amount of books sold and a sunny drive back back to Scarborough, cannily timed with Radio 2 airing the 1961 classic song 'Poetry in Motion'. Oh how we laughed (and yeah, we sang along).

Cara in full flow.

Next on the agenda was the third leg of the already highly successful Valley Press Fest tour, which took us this time to Newcastle's impressively grand city centre. The venue - The Lit and Phil - couldn't have been more fitting for a literary event. We were lucky enough to have a nearly full cast of the lovely VP Authors turn up to read for us, wine flowed and the performances were each and all superb. The evening's special guest was future VP author Cara Brennan. Cara read from her soon-to-be-published collection of poetry, her style held us all captivated as she gently spoke each poem with an alluringly congruent and clean innocency. She is currently studying for an MA in creative writing. We wish you all the best Cara and look forward to seeing you in print very soon. Watch this space people!

Of course, publishing can't all be jet-setting and sparkling performances. There is plenty to be getting on with and lots of fun new stuff for me to learn here at my desk. I have chosen, from the vast selection of submissions, my first full project for VP. I will be producing an ebook of poems by the extraordinarily beautiful writer Jade Kennedy. I have fallen utterly in love with her work and really can not believe my luck that my working day involves reading and re-reading and editing and ordering this stunning collection. I won't say too much just yet, but be sure to keep your eyes open for more news on this publication.  That's all for now, thanks for reading - hope to see many of you soon at the fine VP free April events!

Miles Cain to Judge Sentinel Poetry Competition

Miles pondering the mysteries of the universe.

I've recently received word that Valley Press author Miles Cain will be judging the next poetry competition run by Sentinel Magazine, the closing date for which is the 5th April.  First prize is £150, so you may want to give it a go - all the details can be read on their website here.

I think readers of the VP blog have a decent shot at the prize.  Think about it: you like what we're doing, we like what he's doing (which occasionally is the same thing), so there's every chance he will like what you're doing!

In other Miles news, he will be reading from The Border and doing some musical numbers at Taylors Cafe & Books (Bar Street, Scarborough), on the 28th April from 8pm, supported by Felix Hodcroft.  Entry is free, so you've no excuse really - I'll be doing more promotion on this gig in April, but I thought this post was the perfect moment to give you a 'heads up'.  See you there!

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 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.

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:

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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.

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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/

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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.

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Hope to see some of you at some of these!

VP Recommends: Scarborough's New Bookshop & Cafe

I imagine many readers of this blog are a) from Scarborough (or nearby), and b) interested in good bookshops and good food/drink.  If this description fits you, then listen up - a new independent bookshop/cafe opened this Friday, run by Scarborough author G.P. Taylor and family.  You can check out the Facebook page for the shop here, it's on Bar Street and is looking fantastic.

Mr. Taylor has also shown great support (or/and crafty business sense!) by accepting stock of all the current Valley Press titles - making the shop the only place in the world where you can browse the whole VP range in physical form at your leisure.  A picture of our dedicated shelf is below, and of the shop.  I suspect I will see you down there!  (Try the 'After Eight' flavoured hot chocolate, you won't regret it).

A Christmas Treat - for Someone

Launch Report - 'Love Letters & Children's Drawings'

Hello!  It's been a while since I wrote to you on the blog - the day-to-day neccessities of publishing are taking up more and more of my time, leaving little space for luxuries such as blog writing, which you'll agree is a shame.  The plan is to develop my 'time management' skills to the extent I'll not only be able to keep up with the blog, but also handle the two books a month I've arranged throughout 2012 (what was I thinking?!)  Anyone with time-management tips to hand should get in touch immediately.  I've made a good start - I'm writing this on a train to Leeds.  Anyway, onto business...

Last weekend we launched the nineteenth Valley Press book, Love Letters & Children's Drawings by Norah Hanson.  If you haven't had time to read the blurb/bio ect, please feel free to do so now and come back - I'll wait for you.  Done?  Great.

It was decided this time to hold two launches, to try out a new theory of mine - namely that since Friday night and Saturday afternoon events produce such different crowds, holding an event at both those times would result in two healthy turnouts.  This scheme, combined with Norah's astonishing existing popularity, and the proximity of Christmas (thus, people buying multiple copies), lead to this being the highest-selling launch of any book so far.  I don't wish to brag, but I was absolutely bowled over by the response - we had sold 85 copies by the end of the Saturday event, and at the end of the first week we're close to 150 - big business for a small poetry press.

You should have seen it, readers.  Both launches were held in Hull, the Friday night one in upstairs in Fudge restaurant - it was standing room only by the time we started, people were crammed shoulder to shoulder, sat on tables... I even had to let people sit behind the book table next to the cash box!  The Saturday one, held in the Endsleigh Centre (run by a very friendly nun, Sister Catherine) was slightly more civilised, but still attended by a swarm of keen poets and locals.  As I was busy hosting the events, this time, there is no photo record of either day, though I was sent the great photo on the right by Bernard Swift - that's me on the left, not quite looking my best, and still stunned by the turnout.

Norah excelled herself in terms of readings from the book, she had the audience 'in the palm of her hand' (to be cliche), gave them extra and still left them wanting more.  This business can be such a struggle sometimes, that when things go well it's important to savour it (perhaps with a blog post!) - before you move on to the next book, that is, which of course I should.  Back soon with more news.

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P.S. Fans of Jo Reed may be interested to know she currently has an exhibition of her print-work (including this snail) running at the Electric Angel Gallery in Scarborough (who are also stocking a range of Valley Press books, I'm delighted to report!)  More information can be found on their website here.

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.

Mega Week: A VP News Roundup

Quiet periods on the blog usually mean the inverse is true for Valley Press, and this week has been no exception!  In fact I hardly know where to start.  I feel bullet points might help.

• This week, the 2000th Valley Press book was sold, which has me most pleased!  Of course, the big publishing houses are disappointed if they sell less than 2000 copies of one book, but we all have to start somewhere.  In fact more than 100 books have been sold this week, through all sorts of avenues... thanks to anyone reading this who bought one, it's much appreciated.  The great thing about the grand sales total is that it can only go in one direction!  (So, yeah... no refunds.)

• This week has seen the release of our latest publication, Steve Rudd's Pulse, which you can read all about here.  The book is being launched in Driffield, East Yorkshire, this Friday (5th), so if you happen to be in town do come along and see it.  Running to 312 pages, Pulse is the longest and most elaborate book published by VP so far, and it's also the first one which I've attempted to sell directly to the public through the VP website - I'm delighted with how that's gone so far. There's a few blog posts upcoming on the subject of Pulse, so stay tuned...

• There have been a couple of VP events this week.  With some help from Felix Hodcroft and Catherine Boddy, I read the entirety of The Dead Snail Diaries in Scarborough Library, and I was delighted by how it went.  Perhaps the most ingenious idea - inspired by my inability to find a cheap projector for hire - was me re-creating the book's illustrations on a flip-chart, in the midst of the performance, in a style that some have compared to Rolf Harris (though this is probably an insult to poor Rolf.)  I had a great night anyway, thanks to everyone who turned up!  VP was also present at the 'Coastival Picnic', organised by one of Scarborough's foremost arts organisations - I was pleased to note the picnic took place behind 'Woodend', so actually in the valley which Valley Press is named after.  A photo of Valley in the valley can be seen above; as well as books I offered a poetry competition, where you had to re-write a classic poem to be on the subject of picnics.  A lot of fun (particularly when an assistant arrived with two bottles of wine). Roll on next year's picnic!

• I can announce two events are upcoming in the near future.  Both on the 13th August, in fact!  There will be a VP book signing in the Scarborough branch of Waterstone's, featuring myself, Helen Burke, Jo Reed, and Steve Rudd - something (or perhaps someone) for everyone.  It will be between the hours of 1pm and 4pm, you can see a nice poster I made for it to your right.  Later that night, me and Steve will be appearing at Bridlington's Spotlight Theatre as part of a 'revue' of the local arts organisations.  Apparently this event has been sold out, so it's a case of either you already know about it and are going, or you don't so you can't!  I guess we'll see you there, if the first case is true.

• Our call for short-story submissions is now closed. Thanks to everyone who sent in stuff - I'm sure Dan Formby (editor) is surrounded by them as we speak, sweating over what can and can't go in.  Look out for more news on that soon, especially if you submitted something.

• Finally, you may have noticed a new book on the homepage... the next Valley Press publication will be The Border by Miles Cain, another first full-length collection by an exciting Yorkshire-based poet, by far my favourite sort of book!  Check out the cover, featuring a stunning photograph by John Illingworth, to your right.  Also coming up this Autumn (and in the exact same genre) are Love Letters & Children's Drawings by Hull poet Norah Hanson (who is in the process of planning three launch events!) and Phobia by Leeds-based poet (until recently) Jo Brandon, who I believe is still recovering from a move to London, where she's destined to hit the big time in short order.  Look out for lots more on those three in the months to come, and also news of a Leeds Writer's Circle anthology which I am due to start working on tomorrow.  Assuming this next week is a bit quieter!

A News Roundup (July/August Events)

A special post today to summarise some recent interesting developments in the Valley Press world... a couple of upcoming events, first:

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The Dead Snail Diaries - Live!

Venue: Scarborough Library & Information Centre
Date: Thursday 28th July 2011
Time: 6pm-7.30pm
Ticket price: £3, available on the door

As I didn't have time to host a 'launch' for my Snail book when it was first released (too busy with everyone else... Mr. Selfless eh!), I've decided to do a one-off event at the end of July - a reading of the entire book, cover to cover, in Scarborough library.  It might be a bit much to listen to me talk about snails for that amount of time, so I'm in the process of recruiting guest readers to play the various characters.

It would be great to see you there - £3 is (hopefully) a very reasonable price for an evening's entertainment of this calibre, plus you get as much tea and coffee as you can drink, and (if you want) you can have £3 off a copy of the book.  Or buy one in advance and be an educated listener - all the info on the book is here, and there's a Facebook event here for you social-networking fiends.

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Steve Rudd's 'Pulse' - The Book Launch

Venue: The Bell Hotel, Driffield
Date: Friday 5th August 2011
Time: 7.30pm onwards
Free entry

The next VP book is Steve Rudd's epic travel diary Pulse, which will be launched in his home town of Driffield on the 5th August.  It's free to come, and the books will be cheap too, so I don't know what could possibly put you off!  Precise details are still to be worked out (and I'm still hard at work producing the books), but the evening will definitely feature a Q&A with the author, readings from the book, and general milling around admiring the guy's hard work and adventurous spirit - all part of what makes book launches such pleasant ways to spend a summer evening.

Find out more about Pulse here, or see the FB event here.

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As promised, there are just a couple of other things worth mentioning - Sabotage Reviews very kindly took it upon themselves to review our 2010 charity anthology The Day of Small Things, and they appear to like it - have a read here.  Also, James Mcloughlin was interviewed by James Nash on his latest podcast (July 2011), which you can listen to here - he appears about 4:45 in, if you're impatient!

Great to see so much positive 'Valley Press press' - long may it continue.

Stone Venus: Launch Report

Last Friday, the 24th, Scarborough's 'Arts Workshop' was host to the launch of the fifteenth Valley Press book, Jo Reed's poetry collection Stone Venus.  And readers, good news - I think I've finally cracked the whole 'launch thing'.  Which is not to say the last two launches weren't successful; it's just that this one was really successful.  The secret was almost certainly holding it in the VP heartland, Scarborough's South Cliff area, where I would estimate more than half the residents have both heard of Valley Press and wish us well... how could it fail?

In the end, a record forty people turned up, and seventeen copies of the book were sold (as well as a few other titles) - a gauntlet for future launches has very much been laid down.  Other lessons I will take from this experience (besides the 'hold events in Scarborough' one) are as follows: 1) that it is possible to produce two books in one month... a bit stressful, yes, but doable, and 2) that you shouldn't leave books lying around unsupervised... unbelievably, while the reading was on, some wise guy slipped copies of both Lonely Destiny and Encore into their bag, in what I believe is known as the 'five finger discount'.  I have mixed feelings about this, but on the whole I think I'm pleased to have produced objects that induce such desire for ownership that people will break the law to possess them.  Now I know how Steve Jobs must have felt when the first iPod was shoplifted.

I should probably say a few words on how the book came about.  In fact, Stone Venus pre-dates most of the other recent projects, starting in early September 2010 when the publishing was very much a hobby, and I had no intention of pursuing it seriously... things have moved fast!  I had known Jo for a few years, she is part of what might one day be called the 'Scarborough set', including the likes of Felix Hodcroft and Nigel Gerrans, and a few others who I hope to get under the VP umbrella eventually.  She had just finished a Masters degree in Creative Writing, at Newcastle University, focusing mostly on poetry, and had produced a vast portfolio of poems - which I was only too happy to look through and edit.  After a bit of collaboration (which we managed despite Jo spending the entire winter in Dubai) we had soon trimmed the manuscript down to a manageable thirty-eight poems; Jo was even kind enough to let me order the poems, which is one of my favourite parts of the poetry publishing process.

In fact the whole process went extremely smoothly - even the cover design was worked out in the end, though with Jo being a professional artist by day, that part of the project did provide the most friction.  In fact Venus has set a new record for different versions of the cover, too... there were eight in total, the process finally ending with Jo getting pretty much what she wanted in the first place.  For the record, my favourite was a couple of editions previously - you can see it on the right.  Not bad eh?

Talking of pictorial content, it would be a poor launch post indeed if I didn't at this point produce a series of photographs documenting the launch... and there's another attempt at capturing poetry on video, though this one breaks additional records for poor quality.  I will definitely be investing the profits from July (if indeed there are any) on a mid-range video camera... suggestions for which model to go for should be forwarded in the usual manner.  Enjoy!

I noticed this welcome sight whilst getting a lift to the venue.  Why don't you have VP poetry books in your back seat pockets?

Here we can see a small portion of the massive crowd... I now look at this and try to spot the thief.  I think that might be him at the back, in the black-and-white striped shirt, with the calico sack labelled 'swag'.

Jo shows off the infamous rock, making the audience laugh by listing other things people think it looks like, besides the Venus de Milo.  Guests were invited to write their suggestions in a small book, and the winner won a free copy - this went to Jenny Thomas, who thought it was 'a failed prototype for a polar bear.'

The flowers on the left include a begonia, propagated from a plant previously owned by Jo's mother, a plant which is mentioned in the collection's opening poem.  Guests were invited to take a clipping themselves as a souvenir - this was a really interactive launch!

Rosie Larner reads her favourite poem from the collection, 'Exit Stage Left'.

Felix Hodcroft tackles 'Minotaur', in his usual dark and dramatic style... cracking stuff.

Valley Press Live - Summer 2011

Felix Hodcroft doin' his thing, 2010

It has become apparent that the VP website is sorely missing a page listing forthcoming live events (and there are a few other issues - but hey, you only find out by using the thing.)  With plenty of stuff coming up in the next couple of months, I've started (and will regularly update) this post, your guide to them all at-a-glance.  Updated: 11th May.

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MAY

Wednesday 25th - Book Launch
9pm till late, 'Clock Cafe', Headingley,
Leeds, LS6 2AS

James Mcloughlin will launch his first poetry collection Encore in a venue described on Google Maps as follows: 'Very stylish. Huge amount of clocks on the wall.'  So, come for the great poetry, stay for the timepieces.  RSVP on Facebook, why don't you?

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JUNE

Friday 3rd - Poetry Workshop
7-9pm, 'Fruit', Hull, HU1 1TU

Part of the Merge Arts Festival, who describe the event as follows: 'A chance to work on a poem of your own with local poet and publisher Jamie McGarry, as well as enjoy a lively, informal discussion on the craft of poetry with like-minded people. Book your place, then send your poem to Merge on education@mergearts.org.uk so it can be considered by Jamie beforehand. Only twelve places are available; book now to avoid disappointment!'  For more details and a map, see the Merge site here.

Saturday 11th - 'The Ruby Slippers' Book Launch
7.30pm, 'The Poetry Cafe', London, WC2H 9BX

Helen Burke introduces her long-awaited first collection, in what should be the biggest Valley Press-related event ever held.  Key features of the evening include a reading from Helen, a musical interlude, and you paying a £4 entry fee (it'll be worth it).

Thursday 23rd - The Hull Scarborough Line
7pm, 'Fudge', Hull, HU5 3QP

Felix Hodcroft and Sue Wilsea return with their outstanding double-act - a mixture of poetry and prose, worked up into a peerless spectacle of literary performance.  There will also be an open-mic spot to show off your own wares (should you have any).  Contact Fudge for tickets on 01482 441019; the last event was sold-out, so don't delay!

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JULY

Saturday 9th - The Hull Scarborough Line
7pm, 'Cafe Venus', Scarborough, YO11 2LW

As befitting their title, the dynamic literary duo will reprise their performance in Scarborough - in the town's finest vegetarian restaurant, no less.  Tickets are £8, with food and drink included.  Call in at the cafe to book.