Ceri Wyn Jones, editor at Gomer Press, explains how new writers can have submissions prioritised
Ceri Wyn Jones
In the fifth of our series of interviews with publishing companies, we talk to Ceri Wyn Jones, Editor of English-language Books for Adults at Gomer Press, a printing and publishing company established in west Wales in 1892. The publishing house is currently managed by Jonathan Lewis, the great grandson of Gomer Press’s founder. Ceri explains that new writers need to consider the marketing potential of their books.
How did you come to work for Gomer Press?
After twelve happy and rewarding years as Head of the English Department at the local comprehensive school, I decided in 2002 that I needed a fresh challenge - and Gomer needed a new
Editor of English-language Books for Adults.
Did you receive any formal training?
Subsequent to joining the company, yes - but the most valuable instruction has been in-house from enlightened and experienced colleagues.
What makes Gomer Press different to other publishing houses?
The Welsh dimension. We publish English and Welsh-language titles (over 120 a year), and even our English-language books have a distinctively Welsh dimension, background or interest. We are the largest and oldest publishing house in Wales (117 years old and still in the same family!), and have a flourishing printing arm also.
What kind of books does Gomer Press publish?
We have four lists (English-language for adults, and for children; and Welsh-language for adults, and children), and across these lists there is a spectacular array of fiction, non-fiction (travel writing, history, biography and autobiography, cultural studies), poetry, picture books, text books - as well as plenty of writing that introduces Wales and all things Welsh to a non-Welsh audience.
We are particularly proud of our hardback photographic books, showcasing the landscape of Wales and high-quality writing about Wales.
What happens to a submission once it reaches your office?
If one of the editors in unable to turn to it at once, a standard acknowledgement letter is sent to the author (or an email, depending on the initial approach by the author). Depending on whether it is unsolicited or not, it will then be prioritised and take its place in the queue waiting to be read in-house, or sent out to a reader.
If the initial reaction is favourable, it is likely that it will be dealt with quickly. And, equally, if it becomes immediately clear that it is not suitable, the response is usually quite rapid.
What do you look for in a submission?
Given that we publish such a range of titles, encompassing so many genres, it is impossible to be definitive.
Sometimes the concept or vision is appealing. Sometimes it’s the out-and-out quality of the writing. Or the promise in the writing. Or the freshness of approach.
How can a new author get past the slush pile?
By contacting the editor first (through email, preferably) to establish whether the submission is one of interest to any one of Gomer’s four lists.
Once you have accepted a manuscript for publication, how do you prepare it for publication?
The editor (in-house usually) will re-read the manuscript and begin the creative-editing process, before returning a first proof copy to the author for his or her comments.
The author may then like to make his or her own changes to the proof, based on some of the editorial principles established by the initial editing. All the while a dialogue will be maintained between the editor and author.
Once the creative-editing stage is completed, the copy-editing will begin to ensure consistency and correctness throughout. A second proof will then be sent to the author for scrutiny.
Once this is returned to Gomer, it is sent to an external proofreader. Any significant textual changes suggested by the proofreader will then be given the go-ahead or be blocked by the in-house editor, who will confer with the author where appropriate.
The text should then be ready for publication. Having said all this, the demands of each different book and author will often dictate a more fluid (or rigid) m. o.
What is your favourite part of this process?
The creative editing and subsequent dialogue with the author.
What is the most challenging part of it?
The creative editing and the subsequent dialogue with the author!
Whose writing has excited you recently?
Catrin Dafydd, whose Random Deaths and Custard
What would you say the main challenges are for an aspiring author?
To get published for the first time.
What advice would you offer an aspiring writer?
Always present your best possible work when submitting.
Be prepared to think about the market and marketing potential of your book.
Be professional, precise and persistent!
For further information, please visit www.gomer.co.uk
Other publishing houses interviewed for this series include Parthian Books, Tonto Books, Dedalus Books, Alcemi Books, Trapdoor Books and Seren Books, The Friday Project, Chicken House and Wild Wolf Publishing
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