THE NEXT BOOKS

So we got the first two books out and we got them into some stores and more will follow as we get on top of distribution. So it's time to agree with some artists to release a few more. This is the hard part - we always knew what our first two books would be - we knew they would be all risk and that we were simply happy to be starting and publishing them. Now, however, I have to think about doing more, taking more financial risk, looking for work I really want to publish, making deals. I suppose I could sit back 6 months and see how the books sell, see if it's something that has a long term future but i've decided to go the opposite route and just get more stuff out there. 

I think that there is no way a company can even be really seen to exist until they have 4, 5, 10,even 15 books out there - you just simply aren't big enough for most distributors to care about, and by big I don't mean the number of sales you are generating, more the illusion of size having a number of books in print creates. I've always felt that once you have a list you actually have something to sell people on trying to sell. You have taken a level of risk that at least shows that you are serious about trying to make a company that might work. Am I deluded about this? Many seem to be able to plough a separate furrow releasing small numbers of books over time and growing slowly and organically - Fanfare in the UK might be a very good example of that, a sedate schedule of releases of material which is universally of a high quality of art or craftmanship.

So I won't wait for sales figures, or the lack thereof and proceed to stick a little more of my money where my mouth is. We have agreed with Oliver to do the next volume of Trains are...Mint, which will be called 'Proper Go Well High'. Oli has big plans for the series and he intends to expand his storytelling horizons a bit with this new book. It will in effect be what would have been issues 5-8 of Trains are...Mint but now as a book. I'm expecting we will do it in a nice hardcover as we did the first. The artwork for the teaser Oli has on the preview site shows his artwork continuing to improve - I think it looks like it will be excellent again. I've also just had the Manchester Evening News on wanting to do a piece on Oliver for the paper - I just sent them a review copy. If it comes of that will be great for the book I'm sure and I'll repost it here. I'll try and let you know a bit more about what we have planned with other authors in the next couple of weeks or so.