QuoScript – “Whither Writing” – is launched

Linda Bennett describes QuoScript, a new publishing venture

QuoScript is a new publishing venture set up by myself and a group of colleagues who together have many years’ experience of working in different roles within the publishing industry. We are primarily driven by the desire to give new authors a chance.  Many publishing companies have reduced or halted their publishing programmes because of Covid; and some agents are not taking on new authors. 

• 

• 

We have decided to accept fiction submissions only during QuoScript’s 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.  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.

Building a viable supply chain for a new small publisher has been fun but challenging.  We’re fortunate to have the support of the Ingram group and Print Force – together they fulfil most of the main supply chain functions.  Our two main supply-chain partners and two other small presses whose books we shall host will help us to achieve critical mass. We’re also keen to harness new design talent to work on book jackets and typesetting.

The other two presses I mentioned are, first of all, Hope and Plum Publishing, part of SHHH media, which was set up by Stacey Haber, a talented author, playwright and TV script writer. Stacey presents her own programme on Sky Feel Good Factor TV.  It is called “Girls Talk” and first airs on 7^th November. She publishes a range of fiction, non-fiction and children’s books. The other press is DoubleA Publishing, a Ukraine-based independent publishing company set up by Andrew Afonin, who is passionate about disseminating the work of Ukrainian authors. As QuoScript develops we’ll choose other independent publishers that fit in well with our ethos, which is all about good writing.  We shall welcome authors who want to write about a wide spectrum of topics and 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. Initially, because our focus is on trade fiction, our first publications will be in paperback and e-book format only.  Later we may commission books that really need to be made available in hardback – but that’s quite a long way off.

 There are details on the website about how to submit MSSs –  see www.quoscript.co.uk. This month we’ve also launched a writing competition: see https://quoscript.co.uk/national-novel-writing-month-the-quoscript-challenge/. 

Gold Leaf will provide occasional updates on QuoScript as it develops.

[Written by Linda Bennett, Gold Leaf]