I’m delighted to welcome Linda Bennett to the blog today to tell us all about a brand new publishing company. QuoScript is a new publishing venture set up by a group of colleagues who together have many years’ experience of working in different roles within the publishing industry. One of the founders of QuoScript is Linda Bennett, a former pupil of Spalding High School, which is just up the road from me. Linda also writes crime fiction under the pseudonym Christina James. As Christina James, Linda was due to be one of our Deepings Literary Festival Read Dating authors this year. Sadly that event was scuppered by the dreaded virus, although you can find out about the proposed authors and their books here.

With NaNoWriMo well under way and many aspiring authors writing, what better time for Linda to tell us more about QuoScript today:

QuoScript – “Whither Writing” – is launched

Welcome to the blog Linda and thanks for agreeing to tell us all about this exciting new venture. What was your main inspiration when founding QuoScript?

We are primarily driven by the desire to give new authors a chance.  So many publishing companies have reduced or halted their publishing programmes because of Covid; and some agents are not taking on new authors.

What a wonderful idea. What kinds of author are you interested in?

Like all new presses, we have to be quite focused; otherwise we run the risk of spreading ourselves too thinly. We have decided to accept fiction submissions only during our first year, primarily from crime writers, to be published under the Poisoned Chalice imprint and Young Adult authors, whom we’ll publish under the Tusk imprint. We’ve discovered that some authors write books that combine both these genres! Later we want to branch out much more – we’re interested in various kinds of non-fiction, for example, including academic monographs; and we’d like to be able to cover the whole fiction spectrum.

I think that sounds a realistic and sensible approach. Setting up a new publishing venture is quite ambitious! What are main challenges?

The greatest challenge for any new publisher just starting out is to create a robust and efficient supply chain.  We’re fortunate to have the support of the Ingram group and Print Force – together they fulfil most of the main supply chain functions. The next greatest challenge is to design a sustainable business model.  We’ve succeeded in doing this both through the excellent relationship we’ve set up with our two main supply-chain partners and by working with two other small presses, so that together we can achieve critical mass. QuoScript is also keen to harness new design talent to work on book jackets and typesetting.

So, tell us about the other presses.

One is Hope and Plum Publishing, part of SHHH media, which was set up by Stacey Haber, a talented author, playwright and TV script writer. Stacey also presents her own her own programme on Sky Feel Good Factor TV.  It is called “Girls Talk” and first aired on 7^th November. She publishes a range of fiction, non-fiction and children’s books.  Hope and Plum titles have already been uploaded to the QuoScript website.  The other is DoubleA Publishing, a Ukraine-based independent publisher set up by AndrewAfonin, who is passionate about disseminating the work of Ukrainian authors.

Are you happy to continue to take on other publishers under the QuoScript umbrella too?

Yes, but not any other publishers; we aren’t a wholesaler.  We’ll choose other independent publishers that fit in well with our ethos.

How would you describe your ethos?

First and foremost, we’re all about good writing.  I don’t mean in a snobbish way: we’re interested in fiction that covers all sorts of topics and situations, by authors from all kinds of backgrounds; but they must be united in their ability to write powerfully and compellingly.  And any publishers who partner with us must be passionately committed to all the books on their list.

I think this all sounds very exciting. What formats will you publish in?

Initially, because our focus is on trade fiction, paperbacks and e-books.  Later we may commission books that really need to be made available in hardback – but that’s quite a long way off.

I’ve just beta read the manuscript of an as yet unpublished author who would. If some of Linda’s Book Bag readers would like to submit an MS to QuoScript, do you want to hear from them?

Yes, absolutely we do.  We’ve put details on how to submit on the website – see www.quoscript.co.uk. And this month we’ve also launched a writing competition: see https://quoscript.co.uk/national-novel-writing-month-the-quoscript-challenge/. We’ll be delighted to receive submissions for the competition from some of your readers.

Good luck with QuoScript.  It sounds like a very exciting venture!  I hope we’ll hear much more about it in the future.

Thank you!

QuoScript

For more information about the work of QuoScript, follow them on Twitter @QuoScript and visit their website. You’ll also find QuoScript on Instagram and Facebook and if you decide to submit your manuscript – good luck!