"Does It Have To Be Me?: Notes on Small Press Burnout

An honest conversation about boundaries, growth, and finding a way forward

Good morning Scribblers,

The hour has gone back here in the UK and nights in with a book are looking much more attractive than venturing out into the dark…

The Modern Gothic UK tour is now over - so big thanks to all who listened to our spooky tales for the modern reader! The Manchester Review describes the anthology as possessing 'a lingering sense of trepidation' throughout.

And big thank you to all who joined us in Newcastle for Laura Fish’s memorial launch of Lying Perfectly Still - it was powerful to be in a room of those who valued her writing. Both titles are now in second print runs already - delighted.

The tour of SJ Bradley’s dystopian short story collection ‘Maps of Imaginary Towns’ concludes this coming Wednesday at The Grove Bookshop in Ilkley! Fellow short story writer and bookseller Emily will be in conversation. Join us for this treat of an evening here.

And if you missed my talk on psychopaths and the history of the thriller genre, I’ll be at Stockport Central Library on Monday 18th November 2024 at 6:00PM! Free talk and a mini reading from The Dark Within Them…

As of tomorrow, I will be getting on a plane to attend the Sharjah Book Fair, UAE. This means that I’ll be resuming book shipping from the FOTW shop on Wednesday 6th of November and will be unlikely to be on my emails (important if you are submitting manuscripts to us!)

Despite the trip being for work, I’m really hoping to use the trip to quieten my inner voice and process burnout. Because I am burn out.

There's an immense guilt in admitting I need a break, because who else can do my work but me? Just thinking about that increases the stress. I put enormous pressure on myself to stay in profit and maintain a positive online presence, which is why I was hesitant about writing this more honest newsletter - being negative feels like bad PR.

But honesty may also reach some of you who are also burn out from a creative industry, and that may help you to realise you’re not alone. So here’s an insider about why, as a small press owner, I really need a break.

How to market a best-selling book – according to everyone else!

I've started to feel a familiar tension when someone says - "To make X book a success, you just need to do X." Immediately, the suggestions appear: "Get on The One Show, contact the latest Guardian reviewer, reach out to that celebrity book podcast..." and I find myself looking at my To-Do list and thinking, "Does it have to be me?"

I totally understand that these suggestions come from love and a desire to help. And with almost non-existent marketing budgets and a lot of elbow grease, I can certainly use all the help and ideas I can get! It’s more that I know any relationship (i.e. reach out to that celebrity book podcast) requires years of investment – time, proofs, emails, calls, internet stalking of their latest trends, general chocolate bribery to PAs – and is not guaranteed to be a good investment of my stretched time.

The Myth of Weekend Downtime