Commercial savvy
Cahill Davis Publishing is a new independent digitalfirst publisher of full length commercial fiction in English, launched in October 2020. ‘CDP was born from a love for books, stemming from the weekend trips to the library that I took with my grandmother as a kid,’ writes publisher Cassandra Davis. ‘I wrote my first book in 2012 while I was working full time and I know the pitfalls of writing and self-publishing for authors. After connecting with many likeminded authors both in person and on social media, I realised that even with the growing popularity of ebooks and self-publishing, there was still a need for a more traditional publishing house approach. There are so many things to consider when self-publishing that it becomes a business in itself and you spend more time on admin than you do writing. Which is why I set up CDP.’
Cassaandra’s aim is to combine the best of the traditional publishing team approach with the advances in technology and the rise of social media. ‘So that you can find the perfect audience for your book, without needing to do everything yourself,’ she said.
Cassandra’s formal background is in business and social media marketing, but she’s always had a passion for writing. ‘My aim for CDP is to combine the traditional structure of a publishing house with the responsiveness and flexibility of digital publishing. Lockdown has given me the opportunity to start the business I have wanted to for the last eight years. There are so many amazing stories out there, that not enough people get to read because the marketing of them doesn’t reach the right audience. Or they never make it off an editor’s to-be-read pile in the first place. I want to change that by creating a bespoke marketing plan for each and every book CDP publishes, so your book finds the people who will love reading it.’
CDP’s focus is on quality over quantity so initially the amount of books published will be small but as the company grows, so will the amount of books they intend to publish. Cassandra is looking for well-told, original stories.
‘CDP is looking for new, interesting and different; not more of the same thing,’ she said. ‘Stories with crazy twists that get you thinking, manuscripts that make you laugh or cry when you least expect it, books that connect with the reader on a deeper level. Being a smaller publisher means that we can focus on one book at a time and give your story the care and attention it deserves.’
At the moment CPD’s focus is on commercial fiction. ‘We do not accept literary fiction, books with a lot of images or children’s books, including YA’, said Cassandra. What she’s looking for, regardless of genre, is: ‘A story that you feel drawn into, and that makes you think about what you’ve just read. The best books are the ones where even if you guess where it’s headed early on, the journey to the ending still captivates you.’
As CDP grows, Cassandra wants to be able to publish more books. ‘But we’re keen to stick to a quality over quantity ethos,’ she said. ‘We want to focus on each title individually. This includes things like bespoke marketing and PR plans for every title and not rushing to publish before the book is ready. We want to make sure that both the editor and the author are happy with the finished product. Eventually we’d also like to branch out into children’s books too but this is a long-term goal.
As a digital-first publisher CPD publishes books as ebook first, and pays royalties. ‘We’ll also make your book available as a print on demand paperback at the same time,’ said Cassandra. ‘We may also create an audiobook version, depending on your book’s initial success.’
Submit complete manuscripts by email.
Details: email: submissions@cahilldavispublishing. co.uk; website:
www.cahilldavispublishing.co.uk