Scott Pack of The Friday Project explains how he sources new writing
Scott Pack
For the eighth interview in our series on publishing houses and imprints we chat to Scott Pack at HarperCollins’ imprint The Friday Project. The imprint started out as a small independent publisher specialising in finding well-written popular web content with the potential to be transformed into great books. HarperCollins recognised the genius of this idea and bought the company in 2008, thankfully leaving the integrity and focus intact. Authors on their list include Caroline Smailes. Scott Pack has been part of the Project since before HarperCollins became involved.
How did you come to work for The Friday Project?
I was Commercial Director of TFP when it was acquired by HarperCollins in 2008. I had joined TFP after leaving Waterstone’s. Basically, they asked me to work for them and I said yes.
What is your role with the company?
I am now Publisher, which means that I head up the imprint which is part of Press Books within HarperCollins.
Did you receive any formal training?
Er, no. I spent 16 years in retail and hopefully many of those skills have been transferable - but there has been lots of learning on the job.
What makes the Friday Project Books different to other publishing imprints?
We source our writers and books from the web and are always on the lookout for exciting sites, properties and writers online. We are also the only publisher in the UK offering profit share contracts to our authors.
What kind of books do you publish?
It is a really eclectic mix. In the coming months we have fiction, the memoirs of a checkout girl and Stewart Copeland from The Police, a cookery book and The Atheist’s Guide to Christmas.
What happens to a submission once it reaches your office?
Most of our books are actually the result of us approaching authors or websites direct, although we do accept submissions. Any we do receive are looked at by everyone in the team and we make a decision.
What do you look for in a submission?
Something that excites us and makes us determined to publish it.
How can a new author get past the slush pile?
Profiling your work online and building up an audience that way can help. It doesn’t guarantee getting past the slush pile but a writer with a few thousand readers already in the bag is more likely to be of interest.
Once you have accepted a manuscript for publication, how do you prepare it for publication?
It really depends how much work is needed. Some manuscripts require a complete overhaul and months of solid work to turn them into a book, while others are a simple case of copy editing and formatting.
What is your favourite part of this process?
I really like seeing the cover design for the first time. The moment when you get to see what the book will look like to readers is a great part of the job.
What is the most challenging part of it?
Fighting against the age old beliefs and traditions of the industry. If a book hasn’t sold in the opening few weeks then a lot of people give up on it. We don’t believe that is the way to go, but when more or less the whole of retail is set up that way it can be very hard to break through. The internet can really help in that regard though.
Whose writing has excited you recently?
I won’t mention any TFP authors so would say Banjamin Parzybok, whose novel Couch is rather special as well as The Blue Fox by Icelandic novelist Sjon.
What would you say the main challenges are for an aspiring author?
Getting someone, anyone, to read your work.
What advice would you offer an aspiring writer?
Get feedback from someone who isn’t related to you, fancies you, or lives with you. Objective criticism is vital before you submit your work to horrible publishers like me.
For further information, visit www.thefridayproject.co.uk
Other publishing houses interviewed for this series include Parthian Books, Tonto Books, Dedalus Books, Alcemi Books, Gomer Press, Trapdoor Books, Seren Books, Chicken House and Wild Wolf Publishing
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