What the Giants were Saying: Albedo 1 Review

A review of What the Giants were Saying is on the way from the magazine Albedo 1 - isse 34.  Calling it a 'double whammy of weird' that takes the reader into some very dark places', it's actually a really nice, mostly positive and very sensible review of the book.  I am really happy about it:

10:18 AM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Behind the scenes at Eibonvale Press.

I have just finished discussing with my marketing manager our strategy for launching the next two books, which will appear almost simultaneously.  Time for a quick coffee before cracking on with the editing, so I can deliver it to the InDesign guy downstairs by tonight . . .

Actually . . . no. 

I stared round the cobweb-ridden room impatiently, taking in the musty ancient books that covered the walls from floor to ceiling – the wide open fireplace surrounded by iron implements and the huge easel on which hung my latest masterpiece – but I could not find what I was looking for.  "DeSoto?" I yelled.  "Have you finished researching that list of destinations for review copies?  What poor souls can we inflict my latest creation on?"

"Nearly done, sir, nearly done."

"Good – and stop grovelling.  This is the 21^st century.  It is half past February – and that means it wont be long now before I finish this full wraparound cover and can give my creation life!  Mwaaahahaha!!!"

Actually . . . no. 

What do people actually expect a publisher to be these days?  I really do wonder sometimes how the readers see us.  Eibonvale Press is neither of the above things [though indeed, looking to the future, is more likely to be closer to the second option than the first!].  Eibonvale press is me, crawling out of bed late in the morning and somehow finding time to build books (and write them as well, incidentally) in between making a living as a freelance proofreader [Words words words – everywhere I look is words!!!!  ;-)].  I don't have a marketing manager – and I certainly don't have an 'InDesign guy'.  The InDesign guy is me and InDesign is one of the many complex things I have had to self-teach myself in order to do this thing that I do. 

I know that most publishers – even many among the specialist presses – maintain the image of a 'company' with a 'professional' exterior.  But at the end of the day, making books in the specialist area is about love and about people.  About the creative individuals who love what they do and try hard to do what they love in spite of everything.  And I have no qualms about admitting my own approach to this.  I have been slowly rebelling against my early attitude of maintaining a professional façade of 'our books' and 'eibonvale press titles'.  Why shouldn't I share my thought processes since I am doing this?  Publishing books is full of pleasures and pains of different types.  Chatting with excited new writers about making books.  The slow process of reading through 130,000 word collections because I am working too hard at other, less interesting but needed things.  Getting together the setup costs for releases reasonably painlessly and the pleasures and pains of illustrating them. 

I don't believe for a second that this makes me or eibonvale press any less reputable than the more high-powered and commercial houses – houses with InDesign guys and Marketing Managers.  Smaller yes.  Slower, I dunno about that actually!  But worse or inferior - no.  The book world is changing – and one of the greatest things to happen is the way that new technologies have brought creating books within the reach of ordinary creative people like me.  The fact that these days anyone can set up a small press without only a relatively (or very) small outlay of costs is amazing and I would stick my neck out and say that affordable and high quality POD systems are the best thing to happen to books since the invention of the printing press, and will one day be seen as just as revolutionary and important.  Although POD may not have the power to change the book world beyond recognition (it will still be the big companies that can shell out the big money for marketing etc etc that really rule the roost), it will certainly lead to a heyday for specialist presses – where individual people with their individual love of books and their individual styles can easily out-do the might of Hodder and Stoughton et all when it comes to the actual book designed, if not in the marketing and distribution.  I also think (and hope) that the shifting technology will force all of us in all areas of the business to re-think what we actually are and our own place in the book world.  There's a lot of fussy conservatism here – among publishers, dealers and even among writers sometimes.  There's lots of routines and traditions and cliques and 'ways things are done' and staid stick-in-the-muds who seem to have forgotten that this is all basically about loving books and having fun with them – not with maintaining some strange Gormenghast-like traditions.  And, most importantly, like any art form, it is about exploring and experimenting and doing new things.  Following the changes in the world and accepting the unusual and the different.  That is what characterises the small specialist presses more than anything else and what makes them such wonderful and exciting things on occasion.

That is why it is a mistake to dismiss POD as a secondary technology associated with amateurs or with 'failed' writers releasing their book themselves as a last resource.  Authors can make the choice to never involve a publishing company in their work at all if they want.  And it is a valid choice, though the book world has not yet adapted to that fact.  And more and more publishers are turning to POD as well.  The quality of POD is now top notch.  I have had lots of good feedback on the high physical quality of Eibonvale Press books (as objects) and they easily stand on par with other non-POD volumes.  That is also why, whatever the big boys are doing, I am quite happy sitting here in my little room in Kent, churning out my books.  And if I can further the career of any writer by releasing something that I consider worth reading, then what more satisfaction could I possibly want?

9:49 AM - 3 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Strange Tales II from Tartarus Press

Ok - this is not directly related to eibonvale press, but it is hopefully of interest to book lovers.  Tartarus Press has just released the second of the Strange Tales anthologies - containing my own long novella The Magpies, the first substantial work to be finished (not published, finished!) since Giants was released.  As you can see from the picture, Tartarus produce what must be among the finest quality volumes in the area of literary horror and have recently begun making a name for themselves publishing some very good contemporary writers as well.  Here, they have made a really magnificent and beautiful book - and seriously, i recommend this to everyone, and not just because i am in it!  The first Strange Tales anthology (containing my short Number 18 - a rather early piece now) won the World Fantasy Award, so these are definitely books to watch. 

Click through to their website to have a look. 

10:28 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Important note re shipping charges - US Local Rate postage

Customers from both the UK and the US can now order books directly from me using the PayPal shopping cart.

Thanks to the miracle of modern-type distribution, it is now possible for me to ship to both the UK and the US at local postage rates. I have therefore set up a new and slightly reduced postal tariff that fits both destinations. If you are from somewhere other than the UK or the US then simply drop me an email (find it on the website) with details of what you want and I will send you a paypal bill to cover it. You will simply be charged the price of the book plus the actual shipping fee from whichever location is cheaper (ie. you Canadians have also got yourself a much better deal here.).

Please note that shipping costs cover a small handling fee from the distributors - so no complaining if the charge is slightly more than you see on the package, ok?!  It shouldnt be though.  I am cutting my own throat sometimes on these postage charges to keep things simple, but it is worth it!  ;-)

You will want to make use of this, too.  Trust me - Eibonvale has some great books lined up, hopefully including authors from both the US and Canada, as well as elsewhere.  Eibonvale considers itself an international press. 

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Closing submissions (for now).

Thanks to everyone who submitted work to Eibonvale Press!  I now have a couple of superb books in the process of being lined up for release in 2008 (hopefully early in 2008!) - some of the best yet that Eibonvale has handled.  I am closing for submissions for the moment - though will be hopefully be opening again in 2008.  If you haven't heard from me yet about your work, you will soon, i promise! 

2:35 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Open for Submissions

Ok - Eibonvale is now open for submissions.  Read the guidlines (and my books as well, ideally) and hit me with 'em!  This will last as long or as short as it takes to find a new title.  As simple as that.  

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The Smell of Telescopes Free Lettered Edition Prints – Special Promotion.

I have a small stock of copies of Rhys Hughes' The Smell of Telescopes that must be shifted.  So, I am launching a Special Offer to encourage people to order through the Eibonvale Press website. 

I am preparing an exclusive lettered print run of some of the best of the illustrated title plates from the book.  These will be A4 size, signed by the artist and will only be available as a free gift for the first 26 people who order this book via the Eibonvale Press website.  The print will be chosen at random and will be dispatched to you separately (and unframed) when they are available.  If you have already ordered The Smell of Telescopes from us, don't worry. You will automatically be included in this offer!

US and International orders are also valid for this offer. 

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Launching The Smell of Telescopes by Rhys Hughes

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Advance Notice. Writer's submissions.

Hi everyone.  I just wanted to let you know in advance that i plan to open for submissions for a short while around the biginning of August 2007 to search for eibonvale press's next title.  I will announce it properly here when the time comes, and dont forget to check out the guidlines on the eibonvale press website!  

10:47 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Nina Allan’s ‘A Thread of Truth’ released.

Eibonvale press' next title has now been released.  This is the excellent first collection of stories by Nina Allan entitled 'A Thread of Truth'.  I first encountered her when pieces by both of us were included in the World Fantasy Award winning Strange Tales from Tartarus Press. And then she approached me about possibly doing a solo collection.

I was keen from the start, but when I read through the main title piece in the collection – the novella A Thread of Truth – my mind was made up a second time (if that's possible.)  They are all great stories, but that one especially is exceptional.  A very subtle and haunting story set in the Suffolk countryside, painted with the most delicate touches of the strange and supernatural.  Also notable is its wonderfully sympathetic and realistic portrayal of spiders (which I really appreciate as I have a deep hatred for horror that demonises animals and nature) – as a young man sets out to cure his arachnophobia and find the beauty of nature and small things tinged with a touch of the ghostly.

Here's the cover I designed for it:

And here's the link to the book page on the Eibonvale Website – where you can order it.  http://www.eibonvalepress.co.uk/threadoftruth.htm  And I hope you will!  I am offering it at a discount there for the time being.  It is available in the UK now – and slowly crawling across the Atlantic to the US (or you can get it quicker if you don't mind ordering direct from me here!)

2:56 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment