Alessandro Gallenzi of Alma Books advises aspiring writers on how to prepare a compelling novel proposal
Alessandro Gallenzi
Alessandro Gallenzi is the founder and publisher of Alma Books, a publishing company that specialises in contemporary fiction. He also runs Hesperus Press and Oneworld Classics, and is the successor of John Calder at the helm of Calder Publications. In April 2010 he will be publishing his book Bestseller, a satire of the publishing world and a caustic portrait of a writing culture obsessed with fame, success and becoming the next J.K. Rowling. He explains the value of a publishing house where editors outnumber non-editorial staff.
What inspired you to set up Alma Books?
Following the successful launch of Hesperus Press, a classics imprint focusing on lesser-known works by major European authors, I felt that much could also be done in the field of contemporary fiction.
So in October 2005, my wife Elisabetta and I set up Alma (Spanish for “soul”), with the aim of making high-quality literary fiction, especially in translation, available to English-speaking readers. My main inspiration remains my passion for books and literature.
Did you receive any formal training?
Not really. I worked for years as a translator, both in Italy and in the UK, and I consider that to be my apprenticeship.
Before launching Hesperus in 2002, all the editorial experience I had was the work I had done on my translations and a few other translations in the same series.
What makes Alma Books different to other publishing houses?
I suppose it’s our focus on editorial and production values - the way we work with our authors and translators. I think we are one of the few publishing houses where editors outnumber non-editorial staff.
In our publishing company there are four editors and just one person doing sales, marketing and publicity. That makes us exceptional in many ways.
What kind of books does Alma Books publish?
We try to publish only books that we are passionate about. Most of our titles are by high-profile, internationally acclaimed and established writers, but we also publish a handful of debuts every year. Sixty per cent of our books are translations, the rest being original English titles.
What happens to a submission once it reaches your office?
I tend to open submissions. Unfortunately most people send their proposals without looking at our submission guidelines (which can be found on our website), so we receive a deluge of science fiction, crime, children’s books and academic monographs…
So far, in four years, only one book has made it into print from the slush pile. Still, we think this is an important exercise, and something that makes us stand out from other book publishers.
What do you look for in a submission?
Essentially an original voice with an interesting style and a good story to tell. I am put off when the presentation is sloppy and littered with typos. I cannot take a proposal seriously when even the author couldn’t be bothered to make as close to perfect as possible.
How can a new author get past the slush pile?
This is a trick question - unfortunately there is no formula! I believe it is a combination of quality of writing, timeliness of the idea and of the proposal, connections, profile, originality and chance - chance has the biggest part in my opinion: the right manuscript landing at the right time on the right desk.
Once you have accepted a manuscript, how do you prepare it for publication?
The manuscript undergoes a thorough editing process: sometimes it will be heavily edited; at other times lightly edited. It will then be set and proofed at least twice - often three times or more. The more you work on a script, the more you’ll find little ways to improve it.
What is your favourite part of this process?
Definitely the copy-editing stage, where I work closely -sometimes hand in hand - with the author or the translator. But I also enjoy proofreading and ensuring smooth pre-press and production, which is the bit between proof stage and signing the book off to the printers.
What is the most challenging part of it?
Copy-editing, especially if there is a lot of editorial work to be done. Sometimes it’s fine-tuning, which can be very challenging in a way, but at other times some serious structural work is needed: that is the most difficult, but also more fulfilling part of my job.
Whose writing has excited you recently?
If I had to pick only two authors, I would say Mike Stocks’ debut, White Man Falling, and Alexander Terekhov’s novel The Rat Killer. But I love all my authors equally.
What would you say the main challenges are for an aspiring author?
Writing and publishing your second and third novels.
What advice would you offer an aspiring writer?
Read as many classics as you can and keep your ears open to the language you hear around you.
Tell us about your own writing.
I am essentially a poet (and a translator of poetry) at heart, although I have written quite a bit of fiction in the past.
I have recently completed a novel entitled Bestseller, and I am planning to publish it under the Alma imprint in April 2010.
I should add that this is my second novel (although the first one to be published), and that both this one and the previous one have been roundly rejected by every other publisher in the land…
For further information, please visit www.almabooks.co.uk
Other publishing houses and imprints interviewed for this series include Parthian Books,Tonto Books, Dedalus Books, Alcemi Books, Gomer Press, Trapdoor Books, Seren Books, The Friday Project, Chicken House, Wild Wolf Publishing, Anderson Press, Biscuit Publishing, Tangent Books, Libros Libertad and Intellect Books, Norilana Books and Walker Books
Related posts:
- Richard Jones of Tangent Books explains why mindset is so important for an aspiring writer - Richard Jones is a publisher at Tangent Books, which he...
- Leisure Books’ Fresh Blood Contest offers opportunities for aspiring horror writers - Leisure Books, a Dorchester Publishing imprint specialising in paperback horror,...
- Eric Lane of Dedalus Books discusses the ways writers can improve their chance of being published - As the third in our series of interviews with publishing...
- JoRi Publications offers opportunities for aspiring writers with a call for short story submissions - JoRi Publications is calling for submissions of unpublished short stories...
- Trapdoor Books seeks new writers with novel-length fiction manuscripts - Emerging small press Trapdoor Books is actively seeking book-length fiction...
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment