I got my big break as a writer when I won the Lit Idol competition at the London International Book Fair in the UK. Almost 1,500 people entered from around the world. Five finalists were chosen. All were Londoners. I was the only one not from the “real” London.
Until now, my first novel, After Helen, has only been published in Canada by HarperCollins. To get my book to an international audience, I realized I was going to have to form my own publishing company. When it came time to give the company a name, I chose to remind people where I was from. I went with Not That London.
People generally get a kick out of the name. But I don’t want the company to be remembered simply for its cheekiness. I want people — including book reviewers, journalists, major bookstore chains, and readers like you — to recognize that I put out books that have the professional look and feel of literary works produced by big publishing houses.
That’s why I hired an experienced book designer, Tania Craan, to create a new cover for the international edition of After Helen. It’s also why I engaged another talented graphic designer, Michael Arismandez, to develop a logo for my company.
Take a moment to explore this recently redesigned website. I’ve tried to keep the design clean and professional.
If you’d like to provide feedback, you can do so below.
Hi Paul,
Thanks for keeping me on your list of contacts. I appreciate your help and am interested in your progress as a Company. I like to hear how you have succeeded against rather formidable odds. Was your book published by Harper-Collins before or after you entered the Book Fair? I have almost completed an historical novel set in Elliot Lake. I have contacted several agents – all of whom require at least three months to consider my request. I have also contacted three publishers which can be approached without an agent. I chose Ronsdale, Scrivener and House of Anansi. I think I have an outside chance with Scrivener since it is based in Sudbury and deals with northern Ontario topics. At my age I’m not interested in money, but I’m interested in getting published because I feel the information in my book should be made public. I started doing this book as escapism from the monotony of living in a Senior’s Home and being deaf on top of that. However my work has turned out much better than I expected. I have got the book you recommended and will probably go with Ingram Spark as you have probably researched the matter and concluded this is the best course of what is available in self publishing. I am going to wait the required three months and see if anything develops. Thanks so much for your interest and support and good luck with your publishing company.