For this week's #HistFicThursdays blog, I'm delighted to be welcoming Rosemary Hayward to the blog with a guest post about her new release Strait Lace , as part of her Coffee Pot Book Club tour. Read on to discover the history surrounding this fabulous book. But first, let's meet the book... Blurb It is 1905. Edwardian England. Harriet Loxley, the daughter of a vicar and niece to a prominent Nottingham lace manufacturer, spends her days playing cricket with her brother, scouring the countryside for botanical specimens, and never missing an opportunity to argue the case for political power for women. Given the chance to visit the House of Commons, Harriet witnesses the failure of a historic bill for women’s voting rights. She also meets the formidable Pankhurst women. When Harriet gets the chance to study biology at Bedford College, London, she finds her opportunity to be at the heart of the fight. From marching in the street, to speaking to hostile c...
It's Saturday! And, it's not just any Saturday for me, today is the first day of the October holidays! Bear with me while I calm down a little...
Right, I'm back. So...every Saturday, I will be posting a "Positively Weekend" blog, sharing the positive sides of publishing and writing. I'm also doing a Harsh Truth Thursday which does the opposite! Because, yes, there are both sides to the publishing coin.
So today, to kick off the weekend, I'm sharing the 5 things I love most about indie publishing. Indie publishing is a publishing company that is smaller than the big-wigs of the industry. They use their company funds to publish books, and don't expect any money from the author. However, they don't always pay an advance.
Crowvus is an independent publisher. We are a very small publishing company which is growing every year. Initially, there was a strange wibbly line between whether we classed as an indie publisher or self-publisher, but the more we do, the greater income we receive, and the less of our own money we spend.
So...5 things I love about indie publishing:
1) It's personal!
As with most smaller companies, they make their image as a friendly, personal business. The company is not just the books and the office, it is the people. The people are the most important, and individuality is encouraged. In such a creative industry, this encouragement is paramount to the company's image and success.
2) More creative input
Working in an indie publishing company offers something new every week. There is always something different to try, or learn. For me, this usually involves a lot of design input on Adobe, but I also help with formatting some of the books, and marketing for certain books. Each member of our team is creative and we all have our special strengths. Being part of such a small team for such an ambitious business means that there is ample opportunity to flex our creative muscles.
The tight budget on many of our new releases means a lot of the design is done in-house. This also provides plenty of opportunity for creativity. I love it!
3) No two weeks are the same
There's always something different to do, whether that is sewing merchandise, designing postcards, writing a catalogue, designing covers, promotional pictures, researching more printing options. Oh my goodness...when I sit back and think of how much different jobs there are, it seems crazy! There is never any opportunity to get lethargic or bored. It is such a stimulating business!
4) Flexible hours
This one is probably unique to Crowvus, or other micro-publishers, but the flexible nature of our business is vitally important. I have another job, and often catch up with Crowvus admin and tasks in the evening and at the weekends. I'm only able to do this because I enjoy it so much!
5) Networking with like-minded readers
Again, this is something that is important to larger publishers too, but I actually really love connecting with individual readers on Social Media and at events. I've started to use Twitter a lot more now events are just not possible anymore, and I love how I've got to know people I've never met - just because we share a love of books!
So, there are my top 5 things I love about indie publishing. I love how Crowvus is going from strength to strength, but it is backbreaking work sometimes. Little things make it all worthwhile so please do leave a comment, or check out our website where you will be invited to subscribe to our mailing list. We post content out every Sunday evening, and you get sneak peeks and special material just for our loyal followers.
Have a lovely weekend, and I'll post more weekend positivity next Saturday!
Pictures
Photo by Pixabay from Pexels
Photo by Polina Zimmerman from Pexels
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