One in 100 Billion: The Courage to Write as Only You Can

And publication day for 'The Wager and the Bear' by John Ironmonger!!

A very happy Friday to you Scribblers,

We're thrilled to share two pieces of extraordinary news: today marks the launch of best-selling author John Ironmonger's captivating new novel "The Wager and the Bear" AND we've been named a finalist for Small Press of the Year at The British Book Awards – our 5th nomination in the North category! It’s a really special milestone in a month that marks seven years since our first charity anthology - when it all began, and we accidentally built a community and became a publisher! :)

New Release Spotlight: The Wager and the Bear

Step into a world where Cornwall meets the Arctic in John Ironmonger's latest masterpiece. I love John’s work best when two characters of opposing viewpoints, and often stages in their lives, find themselves caught in a situation where all they can do is talk (or argue!) until someone just MIGHT change their mind and maybe the WORLD - and a moving glacier will create that space for you… - and even when the topics are sombre and vast in their ambition, there’s a quality to his storytelling that feels classic and cosy.

"The narrative flows seamlessly whether the location is Cornwall or the Arctic, one sequence of events seems to glide effortlessly into the next like some of the glaciers in the tale...It's a clever story, contemporary yet timeless." - @bookphace

Global Reach

We're delighted to see "The Wager and the Bear" finding homes from the shores of Canada (thank you, Taidgh Lynch, for the beautiful reader photo!) to the shelves of Boekhandel van Rossum in Amsterdam.

Hope to see some of you at Serenity Booksellers, Stockport, next Thursday to launch John, with our very own David Hartley leading the conversation! (Tickets)

I’ve been thinking a lot about mindset, as the business grows, and I learn to trust in myself and my decisions more, and also about the mindset of a writer - the resilience and trust involved in committing to writing a book, in any form or genre. There’s a real journey involved in both.

So today I’m excited to hand over to my friend Ibrahim who writes ‘The High-Performance Blueprint’, a newsletter on mindset, performance, and self-mastery. It’s free to join here if you enjoy his thoughts on the creative mind. I hope it might inspire your pen this weekend!

Over 100 billion humans have existed in the history of mankind, each with a unique genetic makeup, experiences, memories, fears, and desires.

The old saying about being “one in a million” doesn’t cut it. In reality, you’re one in 100 billion. No one before you, and no one after, will ever share your exact character.

Instead of embracing this uniqueness, we hide it. We hesitate, hold back, and censor ourselves — often unknowingly. We say things we don’t truly mean, do things that don’t align with who we are, and even filter our own thoughts, all out of fear of being seen as different.

Today, I want to remind you that being different is the greatest gift you can give — to yourself and to the world.

How many times have you had something to say but held back? Wanted to do something but second-guessed yourself?

Written something but stopped short of saying what you truly meant?

As creative individuals, we often straddle the line between authentic expression and social acceptance. We worry about judgment, criticism, or being misunderstood.

But the reality is that your unique perspectives are precisely what makes your work valuable. When you write from a place of authenticity, you tap into experiences and insights that only you possess. Your voice - with all its quirks and nuances - is what will resonate with readers who share similar struggles. They connect with the raw humanity that shines through when you dare to be fully yourself.

In an age of algorithms and AI, we're all searching for genuine human connection. And it's not found in perfect prose or recycled ideas, but in what makes us uniquely human: our flaws, our struggles, our truths.

Your way of seeing the world is a gift to be shared. When you write from this place of authenticity, you tap into something universal.

This is the paradox of self-expression: the more deeply personal and honest your writing becomes, the more universal its appeal.

We’ve seen this demonstrated time and time again. Every defining cultural epoch is shaped by someone who dared to be themselves and in doing so gave others the ability to better connect with each other: Shakespeare, Picasso, Van Gogh, Maya Angelou — each broke conventions by expressing their authentic vision. Their work resonates because they dared to be different, to share their unique perspective without compromise.

I say this as someone who's walked this path: you don't need to be Shakespeare to create something meaningful. Writing can be an act of pure expression, a form of catharsis. It can be a way to connect, to explore an idea, or simply to untangle your own thoughts.

But you do need courage.

Courage to write what scares you.

Courage to say what others won't.

Courage to be unashamedly yourself.

Because I promise you this: somewhere out there, someone needs to hear exactly what only you can say.

• Ibrahim

Thanks so much Ibrahim, that was lovely! And makes me look at my scrappy novel draft in a more positive light…

And I’ll leave you all with some surprising news: I am slightly reluctantly venturing to London! So do come say hello, I’ll be the one noticeably delirious from a 5am Saturday wake up, lugging a suitcase full of books across the underground haha…

Event poster below - the Alternative Book Fair!

With love,

Isabelle x