Valley and Emma Presses launch publishing podcast

The publishers of independent presses Valley Press and Emma Press are launching a new publishing podcast which will give insights into publishing and the life of young entrepreneurs.

The podcast, titled "Friday Morning Meeting", features Jamie McGarry, publisher at Valley Press in Scarborough, in conversation with Emma Wright, publisher at The Emma Press in Birmingham, and will reveal the realities of trying to make a living from running a small press.

The podcast is an extension of the weekly phonecall between the publishers, which began in 2014 as a form of peer mentoring. The phonecall will now be recorded every other week and edited into a fortnightly podcast.

Wright said: "Back in 2014, Jamie and I couldn’t find anyone else who was trying to make a living from running a small press without some kind of funding. It’s a very different experience running a small publisher when you don’t have financial backing and you absolutely have to make it work. Our weekly phonecalls have been so valuable to me over the years, and I’m thrilled to be opening up the conversation with the podcast. I hope it will encourage more people to start their own publishing houses."

Two episodes have been released so far. In the pilot episode, titled "Why are we doing this?", Wright and McGarry discuss their reasons for starting their companies. In episode one, released today (10th November), they consider McGarry’s Four Golden Rules of Publishing via discussions about the responsibilities of publishers and their worst fears. In future episodes they will discuss submissions, editing and distribution.

McGarry said: "I’m excited to get into podcasting, and I hope people will enjoy our chats, laugh throughout, but end each episode slightly wiser than when they started."

Friday Morning Meeting is available to listen and download on SoundCloud and iTunes.