Sylvia Plath is Invading...

And Booksellers are raving!

Well hello Scribblers,

So we had a breakthrough this month. We had almost 100 Waterstones bookseller requests for proofs of our short story collections!

The Ones Who Flew The Nest by Jacqueline Ward, Louise Finnigan, Helen Kennedy and Katie Hale

Sylvia Plath Watches Us Sleep… but we Don’t Mind by Victoria Richards

& The Truth Has Arms and Legs by Alice Fowler

And I spent a good day and a half packing suitcases full of books! This was a massive boost to an indie: not only are short story collections getting some love (and historically, there hasn’t been a great presence for collections in Waterstones – only Piccadilly has a short story shelf that I know of!), but commercial booksellers are excited to read quirky, feminist fiction from a one-woman publisher.

Don’t get me wrong: our books ARE commercially-appealing, beautifully produced with the new edition of French flaps, and the quality of our writers is something we are happy to sing from the rooftops, but to have this recognised is fantastic. Now let’s hope the store managers listen to their booksellers… and let this northern indie invade mass Waterstones shelves!

Here are some lovely bookseller pics of proofs arriving – (thank you Lyds @theetenthmuse!)

Short stories of midnight musings, of women itching to be heard and of delightful insanities. In one story, a woman’s mid-life crisis is a passionate love affair with a tree.

Ash from Waterstones Piccadilly said… “I read just a few sentences of the 'Sylvia Plath Watches Us Sleep' short story yesterday and immediately knew I need to save the whole collection so I can read it all in one sitting. 'Where there was once the cat, now sits Sylvia' - what a line, I am obsessed and so glad I have a day off today to get into this read!”

Grab a copy of Sylvia Plath Watches Us Sleep… here

We had a ball launching The Ones Who Flew The Nest at Blackwell’s this month – look at those happy faces…

I brought gin instead of wine for attendees, which felt like it might have started a riot at a book launch, but everyone got home unscathed…

Really pleased to say we are in our second print run for this title, one week after launching! Love this ‘Who Gives A Book’ review: “I’m a real believer that you’re occasionally gifted things at just the right moment and I can feel that with this book. Both personally and more broadly (society as a whole needs to learn from it). I was really looking for a jolt of potent, nourishing writing and this was an absolute feast...I’m seriously impressed with Fly On The Wall.”

Super proud of our first 2023 novel, out in August: Rachel Grosvenor’s debut fantasy is previewed in The Bookseller! The Finery: a 100-year-old woman takes on a dystopian government. Brainy and grouchy and with a very lovable wolf. Pre-order here.

And remember, if you’re a short story writer with a gothic story to send us, Modern Gothic submissions are open for one more week. Submission guidelines here.

Take care,

Isabelle x