In Conversation with.Small Press Publishers

A series of personal, curated interviews with the best of the UK's Small Presses. In Conversation with... opens a dialogue with fiction, non-fiction and poetry specialists, to provide a window into what really goes into the decision-making process behind creative writing submissions. From advice on taking your manuscript to publication, marketing for authors and publishers, and a look at contracts, the publishers who participated in this series wish to demystify the publishing process for budding and established authors alike. Whether you are new to writing or whether you are looking for a fresh take on the submissions process, In Conversation with... offers tailored advice from industry experts to strengthen your chances of finding the right home for your work.

"In Conversation With...Small Press Publishers edited by Isabelle Kenyon and Dr Charley Barnes is one of those rare and remarkable publications that writers always wish existed. Now, thanks to the dedicated work of Fly on the Wall Press and Sabotage Reviews, it delightfully does. This book contains a wealth of practical tips for submitting your writing, interspersed with personal interviews that ask the questions you always wanted to ask. There's invaluable inside information for young writers, as well as an invigorating reminder of good and bad habits for more seasoned submitters.

Like all good creative writing, it weaves together its insights into a tight bundle, always with its reader firmly in mind. Its experienced editors provide detailed commentary on all aspects of the submission process and beyond and it showcases feature publications that exemplify the work of some of the most exciting and adventurous small press publishers operating in the UK today.

Fly on the Wall Press and Sabotage Reviews have created a resource that will no doubt be checked and double checked by writers of all shapes and sizes in that nerve inducing run up to submission. Readers will find compassionate and generous advice that seeks to cherish and to celebrate the writing community. If there's two things you can do that will help you get your work out into the world, the first is to get writing, the second is to get yourself a copy of In Conversation With...Small Press Publishers!" -Dr. Jack McGowan, Head of Department of English, Media & Culture, University of Worcester

Featuring:

404 Ink * Orenda Press * Louise Walters Books* Palewell Press * Point Positive Press * Wild Pressed Books * Big White Shed * Arachne Press * V Press * Bloodhound Books * Prototype * Stairwell Books * Ellipsis Imprint * Dempsey and Windle Interview * Holland Park * Renard Press * Patrician Press * Victorina Press * Epoque Press * Verve Poetry Press * Marble Poetry * Hobeck Books * Cipher Press * Hashtag Press * Inkandescent Press * Hajar Press * Onwe Press * Salo Press * Selcouth Station

Isabelle Kenyon is a northern writer and the author of chapbooks: This is not a Spectacle, Digging Holes To Another Continent (Clare Songbirds Publishing House, New York, 2018), Potential (Ghost City Press, 2019), Growing Pains (Indigo Dreams Publishing Ltd, 2020) and one short story with Wild Pressed Books (Short Story 'The Town Talks', 2020). She is the editor of Fly on the Wall Press, a socially conscious small press for chapbooks and anthologies. She has had poems and articles published internationally in journals such as Ink, Sweat and Tears and newspapers such as The Somerville Times and The Bookseller. ​She was listed in the Streetcake Experimental Writing Prize 2020; 2019 and for The Word, Lichfield Cathedral Competition 2019. Her poems have been published in poetry anthologies by Indigo Dreams Publishing, Verve Poetry Press, and Hedgehog Poetry Press. She has performed at Cheltenham Poetry Festival and Verbose, Manchester in 2020, Leeds International Festival as part of the 'Sex Tapes', Apples and Snakes' 'Deranged Poetesses' in 2019 and Coventry Cathedral's Plum Line Festival in 2018 ​She is a fierce dog lover and a confessed caffeine addict. ​

Dr Charley Barnes is an academic and author from the West Midlands, UK. She is the author of several poetry publications, including: A Z-hearted Guide to Heartache (V. Press, 2018); Body Talk (Picaroon Poetry, 2019); Hierarchy of Needs: A Retelling, co-authored with Claire Walker (V. Press, 2020), and Lore: Flowers, Folklore, and Footnotes (Black Pear Press, 2021). Charley has also authored three short fiction releases: Death Is A Terrible House Guest (The Black Light Engine Room Press, 2019); Burn The Witch (The Black Light Engine Room Press, 2020) and Go On A Road Trip (Wild Press Books, 2020). Under Charlotte Barnes, Charley writes crime fiction, including the titles: Intention; The Copycat; The Watcher; and The Cutter (Bloodhound Books, 2019-2021). She has had individual poems and fiction pieces published by the likes of Ink, Sweat and Tears, Riggwelter Press, and Bind Collective. Charley is the current Managing Director of Sabotage Reviews, the editor of Dear Reader, and a lecturer in Creative and Professional Writing at the University of Wolverhampton. She has spoken and performed at events such as Verve Poetry Festival, Cheltenham Poetry Festival, and Tamworth Literature Festival, where she formed part of a panel to discuss the practicalities of publishing crime for a contemporary readership. Charley was the Worcestershire Poet Laureate 2019-2020. She is now the Writer-in-Residence for The Swan Theatre, Worcester, and their associated venues. When she isn't writing, she's likely drinking tea, eating cake, or walking her dog.