Publishing’s September song
September Publishing is an independent publisher with a beautifully curated list of predominantly non-fiction titles.
‘The list is largely, but not entirely, non-fiction,’ said publisher Hannah MacDonald. ‘We do a little, little bit of fiction. We tend to publish writers with a particular talent or voice or area of expertise. They generally fall into the areas of travel, art, photography, memoir, natural history, myth and folklore, history a bit, politics a bit. Some are sort of narrative reference - some of our books are extremely useful in quite a fundamental way, ie The English Heritage Guide to London’s Blue Plaques, or Ten Things About Writing by Joanne Harris. Some of our books have walks in them, or are packed with information. But they’re not traditional reference books – they’re very idiosyncratic and personal and unusual.’
September Publishing was set up by a trio of publishing insiders: publisher and founder Hannah, editorial director Charlotte Cole and consultant publicist Sue Amaradivakara. ‘Sue, Charlotte and I worked for two decades apiece in publishing,’ said Hannah. ‘I was made redundant in 2014 and wanted to do something different. I had quite a strong instinct that if I wanted to start a small press, it needed to focus on the relationship with authors. It seemed to me to be the one thing publishing had up its sleeve in an increasingly digital landscape. You have to start thinking, what can publishing companies do? Because we’re not, in the same way, the gatekeepers any more. One very special thing we do is get the best out of writers, and illustrators. It’s about that creative relationship.’
The common theme with September’s titles is that they open a window for the reader. ‘In the end its all subjective – like any list with a single commissioner – but I think that all the books on September Publishing’s list are intended to open people’s eyes,’ said Hannah. ‘They’re mind-expanding and horizon broadening. They take people deeper into passionate interests.’
Although the majority of September’s titles are non-fiction, it has occasionally published fiction. ‘We consider stories that expand people’s horizons through extraordinary locations and provocative issues. But the quality of the writing style is paramount. Mostly we publish non-fiction. In fiction, it echoes areas we already publishing in – travel, myth and folklore, issues around natural history.’
As an independent, September can make the most of its individual approach. ‘Some of our most successful books are the ones that were least supported by traditional publishing,’ said Hannah. ‘We’re interested by the concept or the idea – in non-fiction quite a few of our authors have already got an arena, an area of expertise and experience in sharing that.’
September publishes one a month. ‘Our priority always has to be to survive and thrive - that’s our business priority. That hasn’t been easy with Brexit and the increase in paper prices and delivery charges. We work with words and pictures but we produce things that have to be printed and posted. Creatively the thing we’ll do is never diluting the emphasis on quality. We’re holding out for quality.’
Suitable, well-thought-out submissions are welcomed.
‘Submissions all get read and looked at. The first thing I look for is a pragmatic opening - an email or letter that explains what’s going on and why it might work for us.’
Hannah is focussed on what the book will bring to its reader. ‘Interestingly, with submissions, one wants less of the plot upfront and more a summary of what the reading experience is – what kind of read it is,’ she said. ‘Is it a book that keeps you sitting up all night, or one that you dip in and out of? The reading experience is something I talk about a lot with authors - how is this for your reader? It’s not always easy reading books, but thinking about the experience is important for a publisher. It’s helpful for a writer to think about what you want to do to the reader.’
Next, Hannah is looking for writers with the ability to structure an appealing read. ‘It’s not about whether you can write a nice sentence or not, it’s about whether you can ite a nice structure. The ability to write nicely is like, good - it’s the ability to structure it into a book that counts.’
September published in print and digital formats.
Website: https:// septemberpublishing.org/