Valley Press is an independent publishing house focussed on literary fiction and poetry. I invited Same Keenaghan from Valley Press to tell us a little more about the company.

Hello, readers! Valley Press here. We are so pleased to be featured on From First Page to Last, and would firstly like to give a big thank you to Janet (and you!) for having us. Let us introduce ourselves…

Valley Press is an independent publishing house based in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, founded in 2008 by Jamie McGarry. Jamie published his first title under the name Valley Press while he was an English Lit student working in a bookshop, and since then we have gone from strength to strength, winning awards for our books and our business.

Valley Press specialises in literary fiction and poetry, though we also hold excellent nonfiction titles, from memoirs to travel guides. As a small publisher, we have to be particularly choosey about which titles we take on. Because of this, whatever the genre, you can be sure that a Valley Press title will be unique in its topic or style, and that it will be exceptionally written. We strongly believe in the importance of every title we choose. We don’t do run-ofthe-mill or ordinary. We do beautiful, thought-provoking, and extraordinary, and we are very proud of the fact.

Though we be but little, we are fierce, and we are adamant that the quality of our publications should match those of the large, London-based publishing houses in every way. From editing, to distribution and promotion, we work hard and keep our standards high, resulting in around twenty exquisite Valley Press titles per year. You won’t find a ‘that’ll do’ attitude here. We believe we can match our larger, southern cousins, but we take pride in our northern roots.
We always bring a flavour of Yorkshire grit, determination, and friendliness to all of the projects we take on.

Perhaps even more important is our belief that great literature is for everyone and anyone. Fantastic books are not for a ‘literary elite’. They can and should be enjoyed by anyone. On a related point, we believe (and can prove) that poetry can sell just as well as fiction and nonfiction, and deserves to be taken just as seriously. This is why we list all of our titles – be they poetry, fiction, or non-fiction – together on our website. After all, a life spent reading needs
all kinds of titles – intense literary fiction, uplifting poetry, inspiring memoir – at one point or another. Now is a good a time as any to check out our half-price sale and see for yourself!

At Valley Press we are always looking to innovate. That’s why we have recently launched a ‘hybrid publishing’ scheme, combining the best parts of traditional and self-publishing. In these hybrid publishing projects, we and the author contribute half of the production costs each, and in return the author receives a higher than usual royalty. This model means that we can continue to publish to our usual high standards, and authors benefit from our experience
and skill to help their title reach its full potential. In other words, we and our authors are having our cake and eating it, and it is delicious.

Of course, since launching our hybrid publishing scheme, we are now receiving more submissions than ever, which is wonderful for us. However, it does mean that it is harder than before for authors to stand out. What we really look for is passion. We want to work with authors who have something to say to the world, and who can say it in a voice that is truly unique to them. Show us you’ve got it from first point of contact, and you’ll be in with a  much better chance of getting published. Readers – we hope you enjoy reading our books as much as we enjoy working on them.

Until next time, stay safe and keep reading.
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