You could also join us as a
pioneer writer
We are on the
lookout for new authors: the pioneer readers group provides a market
for debut novelists.
How to submit
your novel for our consideration.
You can also enter our
free short story competition
and your work may be published.
About the
publisher
All entrants in our 5photostory competition
are eligible to join for £35.50 as pioneer writers, an additional 10%
discount on the cost of membership.
Fair
trade for writers?
It is
consumer choice which makes the world the way it is. We might bemoan
the demise of the corner shop but we all contribute to the problem by
shopping in the supermarket.
In the
same way we all as readers follow the 'must-have' advertising campaigns
of the big publishers. But does it have to be that way? Consumer power
carries a great weight, if it can be harnessed: the rise in Fair Trade
goods would not have been possible if it wasn’t for everyday
customers lobbying their local supermarket to stock them.
The mainstream
publishing
network is too hard for new writers to break into - and it is
suffocating the breath of fresh new talent.
And that is where we need
pioneer readers – readers who are willing to buy and read the
books we publish even if they do not have broad media coverage or
exposure in the press.
As well as
becoming a pioneer reader, here are some other ways you can
help an unknown author where it counts!
Buy a single
copy of a book by one of our New Authors
Read entries
from our latest
competition and write some encouraging feedback.
Pioneer
Readers is NOT a self-publishing project - but you could still choose a
self-published
novel by another aspiring writer.
Recommend
lesser-known authors on our Discussion
Board
HOW TO JOIN OUR PIONEER
READERS GROUP
Email us at the address below, and we will
send you details of your choice of books.
Including a 12%
discount and FREE postage and packing, our
package of five books costs £39.50.
Despite Losing it on Finkle Street by Samantha Priestley is our 2007 title, which was published in September.
If you wish, however, your package of books could include Envelope of a
Letter by Laura Dawn, which is also available.
Read one copy of each book and pass the others on as presents.
Free postage for UK destinations only. Costs
for postage to other destinations are available on request.
What
we are - and what we are not!
We are: a
business. Sales of pioneer readers' copies are one means
for us to finance the publication of new work by other debut authors.
The more people who join, the more opportunities we will be able to
provide for other writers.
The pioneer readers group is
part of Fygleaves Ltd, registered company 5208760 (England and Wales).
We are not: a
multi-million pound organisation. We do not have a big
marketing budget for new authors, and our business strategy relies on
gaining the support of pioneer readers, whose custom is the bottom line
in practically enabling us to help those who have come up against the
brick wall of the publishing world.
We are: a
publisher for new authors. We exist in order to publish
first-time writers, and we therefore welcome submissions of any genre
from authors who have not had a novel published before. However, please
note that we are committed to publishing work of high quality that will
be of interest to readers of general adult fiction.
We are not: a
self-publishing imprint. Writers will not contribute to
the publishing costs of their book, and they will receive a royalty payment for
each copy sold.
Why
don't the big publishers make more opportunities for first-time writers?
The reality
of marketing a book means that publishers will give priority to someone
who is well-known - even if they are famous for something other than
writing. So the problem for unknown authors is that fame sells books -
and publishers need to sell their books to do business!
It is risky business for a
big
publishing company to launch a new author because they have to invest
so much to make it work - hence not many book offers for all the
writers out there. There always seems to be someone who can jump the
queue and get a big advance just because they are famous for something
else.
An unknown author can write a
good book but never get their lucky break. Some people do get lucky
after sending their synopsis off for the hundredth time, but it is
impossible to count how many go back to a dull office job feeling a
failure. This means the big publishers are also (inadvertently) causing
a
filter on the topics and subjects available for others to read about.
For this
reason Fygleaves has launched its Pioneer Readers initiative, in order
to create a market for previously unpublished authors. Although we are
still bound by the need to accept only those manuscripts which we
consider to have the quality and enough appeal to interest general
fiction readers, we exist to publish novels by writers who have never
been given their opportunity before: in this way we aim to be a
springboard for talented authors reaching for bigger things.
Join
us in becoming a pioneer reader, and you too can help change the
publishing world.
Have you
ever read a Booker prize
nomination and felt its reputation was over-rated? If so you are
starting to get a feel for the power of the literature establishment.
You may say that buying from
a mainstream publisher means you can be sure of getting a good book.
Maybe. But not always. Somebody somewhere needs to
be reading the unknowns so that the new novelists can be
found. This is the age for pioneer readers.
