When we find a writer we are really interested in, we are often forced to hide it at first, especially if a major bookfair is coming up.

Unfortunately, because we can't (yet) compete with the very large publishers, we often have to wait for books to do the rounds, hoping that they will not be taken on. Sometimes, we see a book we wanted bought by a large press, and then watch as they do not really do a great deal to promote it. Some books that we know we could have done a very good job on have seemingly disappeared in a puff of smoke. Part of the problem is often that large presses' established authors take up the lion's share of their time and budget, putting lesser known authors in the shade. Smaller presses are often in a position to do a better job at bringing reader's attention to a new author as they can devote a far greater percentage of time and effort to each of their titles. For us, every title is 'key'.

Occasionally, we turn down a book which goes on to be a success somewhere else. The Sexual Life of Catherine Millet was one such title. Firstly, the French publisher was asking for US $10,000, which at the time, it would have been difficult for us to raise. But mainly, it was because my children were seven and nine years old. I was about nine when the trial of Last Exit to Brooklyn started, and about thirteen when the appeal was won. I found it acutely embarrassing to have to tell my school friends that my mother was being prosecuted for publishing an ‘obscene’ book. Once in a lifetime was enough for me.

Commissioning

This is at the heart of what we do. We often can see that an author has a good style, but has not written on a subject which would be of interest to a large enough market. We then commission a book on a different, but related subject. Many of our film and comedy books came about this way, as did the first book we did with Lawrence Potter (Mathematics Minus Fear). Lawrence is an incredibly talented writer and teacher, and the only book of his we have not shown a lot of interest in was one he wanted to write on bicycling in Africa. But travelogues are a genre we reject almost as a reflex – I recall a recent submission where the writer wanted to explain what it is like waiting for an aeroplane to take off for people who either have not flown before, or for those who do not like flying. Wow – a book on aeroplane delays – mind boggling.