Welcome to the Bluewood Publishing Blog

We’d like to introduce ourselves, and we hope entertain you, inform you, and maybe, just maybe, get you to be interested enough to take a longer look.

We formed Bluewood Publishing in 2009 because we passionately believed there was a better way to work with authors to produce quality genre fiction within a reasonable timescale and for a reasonable return for all. After three years our core goal hasn’t changed from that.

To this end, we’ve assembled a talented team who cover all aspects of taking an author’s work and turning it into a gleaming jewel of a book. The process is pretty straight-forward, but many authors find it daunting.

The first step, once you’ve written your manuscript and polished it to within an inch of its life, is to pluck up the nerve to submit it to a publisher. For many authors, and would-be authors, sending off something to a faceless corporate body is daunting to say the least. Many authors never find the courage to take this step, and even more find they do not have the hardened, thickened skin they need to surmount the frustration the repeated rejection slips bring.

We try to make this step as painless for authors as we can, but make no mistake, like most high quality publishers, we reject far more manuscripts than we contract. If you read down our submissions guidelines, you will find our acquisitions editors, and each of them specialise in between one and four genres. There is also more than one acquisitions editor for each genre – and you get to choose which one you want to send your manuscript to. Maybe it’s the look in their eyes, or the smile on their face, but it’s your choice, and in terms of that manuscript, you know who is going to be the first person at Bluewood to see it, and to review it.

If they like the requested sample, then you’ll be asked for the full manuscript. Less than a quarter of would-be books will reach this stage, so if it does, congratulations and you deserve a pat on the back. Now you need the most important quality of all – patience. It takes time for the Acquisitions Editor to read the whole manuscript, and decide if it’s something they want to pass up the chain.

If the Acquisitions Editor is satisfied that the book is publishable, then they will pass it on to the two of us, myself (David) and Paulette, to appraise it and make a decision as to its viability. Up to press, the book has been reviewed purely on its quality – does it read well, does the story flow, is the point of view correct, is the story one that grips and leads you on, leave you wanting to read more? Now other factors come into play. Do we feel the book is marketable, does it fit into our portfolio, is it the right length, does it start with a bang…or does it sag in the middle? We even start looking at the author… Is the author marketable?

There are three outcomes at this point. The one you, the author, wants, a contract. The one you don’t want, the rejection, or the middle, a “we’re interested but it needs some rewrites. Please revise and resubmit.” Let me assure you, if you get the latter, look at it in a positive light – you’ve already beaten off over 95% of the competition to get to this point!

The real work starts from the moment we get a signed contract back. From dealing with just one Acquisitions Editor, you now find yourself dealing with several different people, all working to make your book a reality. There’s the main editor for the book, who will be sending you an edited copy of the manuscript and, where necessary, asking questions and e-mailing you at all times of the day and night! (Remember, we are based on opposite sides of the globe, our directors and our staff are based in the UK, New Zealand and the US – pretty much it’s daytime somewhere for some member of our staff! Of course, if you don’t deal with the edits promptly there’s the increasingly nasty chase e-mails, but you won’t get those – will you? Then there’s the cover design process, either working directly with the cover artist, or with a staff member if that’s the way the cover artist prefers it. Last but not least, there’s the marketing guru – you’ll be facing the formidable Deborah Riley-Magnus (she’s a pussy cat really) who’ll be getting you tuned up and geared up to market your book as the release date draws nearer. You are of course on Facebook, aren’t you? On Twitter, with, like, thousands of followers? Google Plus? Goodreads? LinkedIn? You’ve made contact with your local Writing groups and Clubs, even if you’re not a member? How about cross-marketing opportunities – have you thought about them? Have you got your publicity campaign lined up? Local radio? Local TV, even if it’s cable? Press contacts? Reviewers list?

And you thought the hard work was finished when you hit send on the original submission e-mail? Never mind, this is the real world, and over the next few weeks, we’ll talk in detail about how to help yourself be prepared for the hard work, now it’s starting.

So are you interested enough?

David Bowman

Director, Bluewood Publishing Ltd

Author, Cover Artist, Editor and Webmaster.