What made you decide to transform BeWrite into BeWrite Books publishing house?
Quite simply, the talent out there that wasn’t getting a look in. The big houses are swamped (that is not a criticism) and their slushpiles are never cleared. We read every proposal. OK, 98% might be knocked back at first fence with no request for full MS, but everything gets a fair crack of the whip — not by interns, but by one of four experienced pro editors. Often a rejection is accompanied by a line edit and masses of editorial notes to guide the author in revision. What challenges did this transformation present? Hard work. Twenty-four-hour days. Simple as that… sheer hard graft and ever-producing mindplay. I’ve worked 62-hour shifts for this wee house regularly. Partner (and son) Sandy took a full year off from his high-paying IT day job to help put things together. How has BeWrite Books been received? We’re still battling against the stigma of producing mostly with PoD, which — unfairly — lumps us in with the vanity cowboys, to the uninitiated. We’re getting over that. Folk
