Hello!

Hey, it’s Fringe Festival time! Hope you’re enjoying it if you’re lucky enough to be in Edinburgh.

So I’ve got some news about submissions. Amandine and I have been reading and reviewing for the past couple of months, and we’ve been in touch with some of you recently. I wanted to let you know that we’ve selected our books for 2023-24, which I’m really excited about although I need a bit more time before I can make an announcement — hopefully sometime in October.

And there’s more news: I’m starting a new publishing company! We’re calling it Ballsy Books, and here’s our mission statement:

Ballsy is similar to Guts Publishing. We champion the underdogs and the unheard voices. Stories that need to be told. We aim to publish books that address topics and themes that are uncomfortable and gritty, just like Guts, and overlooked by mainstream publishers. The main difference is that Ballsy Books will focus on literary fiction, autofiction, short story collections, poetry and experimental work. Also, we are open to submissions from international writers instead of UK writers only.

Another difference is that Ballsy has a different business model, which is called hybrid publishing. There are lots of different opinions about hybrid publishing, and lots of different reasons to do it. For us, I think it’s a great idea.

Essentially, Ballsy Books is a way to keep Guts Publishing going in terms of funding. So that we can keep doing what we’re doing – publishing books that have a social impact and push boundaries and put a spotlight on uncomfortable but critical topics. And, it's also a way to give more writers an opportunity to publish their work.

If you don’t know a lot about small indie publishers, the creative side of it is amazing, however it's a tricky business to be in. I wrote about this on our website a while back which you can take a look at here: Things you may not know about independent publishers

I am also considering changing our business structure from a limited company to a charity or CIC (social enterprise) business. Which could take a while (as in months). I am still investigating options. If you have any experience with setting up a charity or CIC in England, and feel inspired to chat, I’d love to hear from you!

For the writers who have sent their work to Guts: If you are interested in being considered for Ballsy Books, or have any questions, please reply to this email. Please bear in mind there is a screening process. This is after all an imprint of Guts, and I feel I have a lot to live up to, and a lot is at stake. But, having said that, I really want to give this a shot!