The Ford Street way of thinking - by Paul Collins [08.12.2010]
The question I get asked most is “Why did you become a publisher?”
The fact is, I started out as a publisher way back in the early 70s. By the early 80s I was publishing Australia’s first heroic/epic fantasy novels – way before the major Australian publishers discovered how popular the genre was.
Back in those days small presses could only get small press distributors. I had one company go bankrupt on me, and the second disappear, taking with him all my stock and the money he owed. At that point I decided writing was a lot easier.
From 1995 till 2010 I wrote roughly 130 books. These ranged from picture books through to young adult fiction and non-fiction. So it’s a natural progression that I’m now publishing the same range at Ford Street Publishing.
The books I’ve published so far include Dianne Bates’s Crossing the Line (short-listed for the NSW Premier’s Award) about a girl who self-harms. Pool, by Justin D’Ath (short-listed for the Victorian Premier’s Award and a Notable Book in the CBCA awards, is an engaging mix of socio-realism and fantasy set in contemporary Australia. Even the central characters are never entirely sure whether the magical aspects of their world are real or imagined. It can be read as a fantasy, a mystery, a romance or a coming-of-age story, and is open to study and interpretation on a number of levels. My Private Pectus by Shane Thamm (short-listed for the NT Read Award) is about a boy with body issues. He has pectus excavatum – a medical condition that a surprising number of people have. All are great books that work on different levels.
Surprisingly, I grew up in a house without books. No one in my family was a reader. Marvel Comics were my sole literary diet. Perversely, I think this upbringing has helped me to choose good books. I’m still a somewhat reluctant reader – to grab my attention a manuscript really has to have that special X factor. I certainly know when I have found a potential Ford Street book.
Like I say on Ford Street’s Facebook page, “We’re all about quality books for children and young adults!”
www.fordstreetpublishing.com
www.paulcollins.com.au
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Comments
Meredith Costain — 10 December at 09:31PM
Great post Paul – thanks for sharing :)