A candid chat about what led to the formation of micro publisher Inkspot Publishing
I’ve known Chris Fielden for many years. We met while I was a trustee of the Chipping Norton Festival, now sadly no longer in existence. He’s an award-winning short story author, an award-winning editor and an independent publisher. For some years he has run the To Hull And Back Short Story Competition, which encourages entries from writers from all over the world with one provise: they have to be funny. Writers of humour are the only ones invited to apply. Clever man! Chris’s website is a goldmine for writers, providing publishing opportunities, writing courses, writing advice and top quality writing services to authors of all levels: https://www.christopherfielden.com/
Chris has agreed to be a guest on our podcast, The Indie Book Club. We’ll announce this as soon as it takes place.
In the interview, I discuss my early writing career and how it led to the formation of Inkspot Publishing, and what I’ve learned along the way. Chris and his guests were very friendly, and asked some interesting questions:
- Annie Ernaux’s book The Years (Les Années) is very enjoyable. Do you believe there’s a place currently for this style of writing? If so, what most grabs your attention?
- Would I fare better with a publisher if I had an established website/online presence?
- More and more academic articles are addressing the inability of readers (especially young
people) to read longer texts. The attention span required to read more than just short
stories is rapidly declining. How is this development affecting authors in the process of
creating and writing longer stories? - What catches your attention in the opening lines of a manuscript? In contrast, is there
anything that is an immediate turn off? When do you stop reading a submission and reject
it? - Do you prefer a writer to have an agent? Either way, what are your experiences of working
with agents, both as a writer and a publisher? - What plans do you have for the future, both for Inkspot Publishing and yourself as a
writer? - Do you have any final pearls of wisdom for writers, especially those approaching
publishers for the first time?
Watch the interview to find out how I responded!