Matador News

07 May 2008

A sell out... not once, but twice!

Author Stuart Webb is delighted.... his recently published Aurora's Tears has sold out not once, but twice! The book was published as a dual edition hardback and paperback, both of which have now sold out. The limited edition hardback print run of over 100 copies had sold out long before they had even been printed. Author Stuart Webb's contacts with the book collecting trade paid dividends, with every single copy having been snapped up prior to publication. Copies of the hardback edition are now being offered on eBay at well over £100. The paperback edition had attracted strong sales prior to publication, and it too sold out of its 1000 copy print run on the actual publication date.

22 April 2008

Matador at the London Book Fair

Matador staff were kept very busy at another successful London Book Fair in April. We were pleased to welcome a substantial number of our current authors to our stand in Earls Court, as well and lots of potential new ones. We were also able to promote our most recently published and forthcoming titles to the trade and had copies of our latest catalogue available. Amongst those who came to see us were trade buyers and library acquisition managers, as well as several literary agents and individuals interested in foreign rights.

12 April 2008

Major film tie-in publishes with Matador

Written by Bruce Dickinson, front man of the legendary Iron Maiden, and Julian Doyle (Time Bandits, Life of Brian), Chemical Wedding is an occult thriller starring Simon Callow inspired by the life of the infamous Edwardian mystic, Aleister Crowley. It will go on general release in cinemas on the 23rd May. The film tie-in will be self-published by Dickinson and Doyle under the Matador self-publishing imprint to coincide with the film’s release. Dickinson, who has a small cameo role in the film, has stated that “On several levels, I think it will be nice for them [Iron Maiden fans] to see somebody from Maiden doing something else that gets the band’s name out there and also potentially gets a bit of respect for heavy metal and all the rest of it.... But, in addition, I think they’ll just enjoy it. It’s a rollicking good story.”

19 March 2008

Matador author to be published in audio

Matador author Allen Makepeace is to have his novel turned into an audio book. And Such Great Names as These, which was first published in February 2007, is due for release as an audiobook in June by Oakhill Publishing. The book will be read by Shaun Prendergast, who plays Greg Doland in Emmerdale. Set in a north eastern coastal town against a background of war, And Such Great Names as These tells the story of an army officer recuperating from his wounds; his lover Dolly Weston, whose husband has been reported missing in action; a deserter, previously decorated for bravery, who is finally sickened after taking part in a military execution and 10-year-old Joshua who, faced suddenly with the loss of his mother, must now begin a new life with a total stranger.

20 February 2008

Matador title chosen for library booklist

Last of the Leatherbacks by Matador author David Brazier has been selected by the School Library Association for its 2008 booklist for boys, in association with the Department of Children, Schools and Families. A total of £3.5 million is being made available to libraries to spend on the booklist, which contains 200 titles, aimed specifically at boys aged between 5 and 11 years. Last of the Leatherbacks, which was published in September 2007 tells the story of a critically endangered turtle’s birth, her desperate search for a mate and her survival against the odds to lay her eggs on the beach of her birth.

13 February 2008

Matador at the 2008 London Book Fair

The UK's largest trade publishing exhibition takes place again this year at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre from 14--16 April. The London Book Fair is one of Europe's key publishing events, attended by publishers, booksellers, librarians, authors and anyone involved in the production, distribution and sales of books. Troubador will be exhibiting again at the Book Fair, on stand U605 in Earls Court 2, following a very successful exhibition in 2007. Primarily a trade-to-trade event, the Book Fair provides an excellent opportunity to strengthen existing trade contacts, research the market and forge new relationships with customers and suppliers alike. The 2008 Fair is already shaping up to be our busiest ever. This year four staff members will be attending the Fair, with diaries already filling up rapidly. Current Matador authors or those interested in self publishing are welcome to visit us at the Fair, but we advise you to contact us sooner rather than later to book an appointment as it is going to be busy!

25 January 2008

Prestigious art history nomination

Frederick Lee Bridell, 1830-63 by C. Aitchison Hull has been nominated for the 2007 Berger Prize for British Art History. The Berger Collection Educational Trust and The British Art Journal established the prize for excellence in the field of British art history, in honor of the memory of the late William M. B. Berger. The prize was created to recognize that some of the very finest work in art history is being carried out in the field of British art. Matador published Frederick Lee Bridell, 1830-63 by C. Aitchison Hull in the summer of 2007. The author's aim was to awaken an interest in the work of this "forgotten" Victorian artist and accord recognition for the achievement of his short life. The nomination has certainly put the painter back on the art history map.

18 January 2008

Writers' & Artists' Yearbook

The writers' "Bible", otherwise known as the Writers' & Artists' Yearbook, has for the first time advised readers on what it considers to be reputable companies offering self publishing services. The 2008 edition lists just four companies that offer self publishing services, including Matador, the self publishing imprint from Matador. Managing Director Jeremy Thompson said: "This was quite an unexpected honour as we weren't aware that the Yearbook was going to make such a recommendation. The fact that it has done so is another indication that self publishing is being increasingly seen as a legitimate route to publication by the mainstream books trade." Matador publishes over 150 new books each year on behalf of self publishing authors, many to authors publishing with us for a second of third time.

28 November 2007

Hardback sell-out for Aurora's Tears

All the hardback copies of Stuart Webb’s new children’s novel Aurora’s Tears have sold out within just two weeks of being listed – and a staggering five months before publication. The entire stock of the limited edition hardback, which was first listed on the Matador website on 9th November, has already been pre-ordered. The paperback version will still be available to buy when the book is published in April 2008. To find out more about Aurora's Tears visit our online bookshop, or go to the author’s website at www.stuart-webb.com

15 November 2007

John Fraser enjoys a star-studded launch

John Fraser enjoyed a successful launch of his book The Wild Beast May Break Them at The Baroque Palace, on Campden Hill in Kensington. Guests at the launch included Richard E Grant, Maureen Lipman, Richard Wilson, Simon Callow, David Rintoul and Felicity Kendal. Dame Judi Dench, who played opposite to John in the 1965 thriller A Study in Terror, sent her apologies with a bottle of expensive champagne. John said: “The launch was, I believe, a great success. I held it at lunchtime because it's the best time for actors who are appearing in shows in the evening. The venue belongs to friends of mine, and is like a Venetian Palazzo that has been under water for twenty years. “I had a large poster made from the cover of the book, which greeted the guests on their arrival. It looked marvellous. About sixty people turned up, and I sold around fifty copies of the book. “I was ‘interviewed’ by a distinguished actor and a dear friend Gareth Armstrong, and I gave people the background to the novel – the Italian Prisoners of War in South Africa, ostrich farming, and how the ostrich mother, ‘warmeth her eggs in the dust, where the wild beast may break them’. I then read a couple of passages from the book.” After three hours, the guests who were still there were invited to retire to John’s apartment, where the party continued with tea and freshly baked scones!

28 September 2007

Publishing for business...

An increasing number of companies -- large and small -- are publishing a book as part of their corporate strategy. In recognition, Troubador Publishing have launched Matador Business, combining the best of our Matador self publishing imprint and our experience of business publishing. Businesses seek to publish a book for many reasons, whether that be as part of their own business strategy or to enhance their commercial offering. Matador Business enables a business of any size to professionally publish a book to a high standard, to a bespoke specification. Publishing a book as part of a company’s activities can not only be a rewarding process, it can also raise a company’s profile, become a regular company resource and it can strengthen an existing or new brand. Full details can be found on the Matador Business web page.

18 September 2007

Anthology of Poetry wins NAWG award

An anthology of poetry by a writers’ group in Leicester has won its authors recognition from the National Association of Writers’ Groups (NAWG). The book, Against the Wall - An Anthology of Short Stories and Poetry from the East Midlands, was presented with the Anthology Award at the NAWG's annual presentation evening in Durham at the beginning of September. One of the group, Wendy Edmond attended the presentation. She said, "I was delighted, and not a little surprised although I had, of course, hoped ..." She also thanked all those who had helped and encouraged them along the way. The anthology was published in November 2006 by the Vaughan Writers, who all completed a creative writing course at Vaughan College in Leicester in 2004.

10 September 2007

Matador title on book prize shortlist

The 2007 Boardman Tasker Prize shortlist this year includes Matador title Happy Climbing Tells No Tales by Judith Brown. The prize of £2,000 commemorates the lives of Peter Boardman and Joe Tasker, and is given to the author or co-authors of an original work which has made an outstanding contribution to mountain literature. The shortlist is of just six books for 2007, with the winner being announced on 16th November this year at the Kendal International Mountain Festival. Author Judith Brown is delighted, commenting on the shortlisting that "I'm sure, in part, this is due to the high production values of Matador, which have made it such a handsome little volume." Chair of this year's judges is Lord Chris Smith, previously Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sports; now a Labour peer and Director of the Clore Leadersip Programme for the arts and culture. Unfortunately Judith's book did not win the prize, but was described by the judges' Chairman Lord Chris Smith thus: "Judith Brown’s Happy Climbing Tells No Tales is a compendium of well-told short stories, capturing the fun, the excitement, and occasionally the terror of climbing. Some of the stories here are gloriously surreal. Troll Climb, for example, speeds along for six pages with a brilliant description of a difficult climb on a big wall, and then for the final two suddenly turns into a nightmare where the cliff engulfs the climber and turns him into stone. This is no stuff for the faint-hearted. But some of these tales are subversive and funny, and told with real verve."

17 August 2007

Writer's Bible recommends Matador

The 2008 edition of The Writers' & Artists' Yearbook has named Matador as one of only four recommended self publishing companies. This is the first time that the Yearbook has named any companies, and we are delighted that Matador has been recognised as having consistently supplied a quality service to self publishing authors. Matador's parent company Troubador Publishing Ltd has also been listed in the main Book Publishers catageory of the 2008 Yearbook, the only company offering self publishing services to authors to be listed. Managing Director Jeremy Thompson said: "This is excellent news for Matador, as it means that our efforts to publish quality books at a reasonable cost and then sell them for authors have been recognised by what is widely seen as the "writer's Bible". With so many companies entering the self publishing market, being recognised as one of the more reliable players is a great accolade."

15 August 2007

Best-selling author comes to Matador

Best-selling Penguin author Caro Fraser has been explaining online why she has chosen to self publish with Matador. Breath of Corruption, which is the seventh book in her Caper Court series, will be published in October. In a guest blog on www.fusionview.co.uk, Caro explains that, although it’s been a lot of hard work compared to dealing with a mainstream publisher, she’s finding the process of self publishing very rewarding: “As an established author with twelve novels under my belt, I never thought I’d find myself going down the self publishing road. But two years ago I had a bad experience with a major publisher… for me, self publishing has extended the creative process, brought me closer to the realities of marketing my work, and it also means I’m engaging with my readership in a closer and much more satisfying way.” Caro also has plans to start a blog on her own website at www.caro-fraser.com To see the rest of the FusionView article, and for links to their ‘Enterprising Authors’ series, cut and paste the following link into your internet browser: http://www.fusionview.co.uk/2007/08/enterprising-writer-caro-fraser-turns-to-self-publishing/

26 April 2007

London Book Fair

Matador has enjoyed another successful London Book Fair with the busiest exhibition to-date. The fair, which took place at Earls Court One from 16-18 April, attracted book professionals from all over the world. As well as being kept very busy with new enquiries from authors, agents and retailers, the Matador stand was well-supported by some of our current authors, including David Lee, who launched his new novel Nothing Rhymes with Silver with a jazz recital at the the Matador stand on the Tuesday afternoon, and film director Bryan Forbes, to mark the publication ofhis new novel The Choice. "This year's exhibition was the busiest ever for us," said Publisher Jeremy Thompson. "The Fair had a much better 'buzz' this year, partly reflecting the change of venue, but also for us the fact that quality self publishing is more widely accepted as a route to publication. We had agents and publishers asking if they could send authors to us that they felt were worthy of publication but whom they couldn't publish themselves, which is an indication of the strength of the Matador brand. We shall certainly be exhibiting at the Fair next year." The Self Publishing Magazine was also represented at the Fair, with visitors being offered the opportunity to win a free year’s subscription. The winners were Lucy Holmes (Deptford), Gwyn Davies (Pembroke), Andy Coote (Cornwall), Christine Lawson (Oxford) and Mo Griffiths (Gloucester).

05 April 2007

Mainstream distribution for Matador

Self publishing Matador authors will now benefit from mainstream books distribution following the apppointment by Troubador Publishing of a new distributor. Until recently, Matador titles were distributed to the books trade direct by Troubador, with a few selected titles placed with distributor Gazelle. The volume of sales that Matador titles have increasingly been achieving has necessitated a move by Troubador to outsource the entire order fuilfilment and distribution servicing, hence the appointment of Vine House Distribution as the company's sole distributor. Managing Director Jeremy Thompson said: "The volume of sales that our self publilshed books are now achieving through traditional book retailers has increased so much that we simply had to look at outsourcing the entire fulfilment and distribution functions of our business. With the appointmemnt of Vine House to handle this side of the business, we are now free to concentrate on the core publishing, and on widening our services to authors." The use of a mainstream books industry distribution company carries great benefits for Matador authors. Books will be available direct from stock from a recognised industry player, and there are also no additional costs to the author. The entire order fulfilment and distribution functions of the publishing process will become more efficient, with books being more readily available. The move is part of a wider strategy by Troubador to push its self published Matador books further into the mainstream books trade, with the aim of achieving greater volume sales and recognition for self publishing authors. Troubador will continue to distribute books that are produced in smaller quantities (usually those published using print on demand), and to service orders from its own online web shop.

19 March 2007

Award success for Matador authors

Success for Matador authors in the 2006 Self-Publishing Awards. Matador authors have scooped two of the prizes in the Self Publishing Awards, sponsored by the David St John Thomas Charitable Trust. Carolyn McCrae was awarded the fiction prize for her novel The Last Dance, which was published in June 2006. She receives a £250 award and joins nominees in other categories to contend for the Self Published Book of the Year, which will be announced at a special ceremony in May. The overall winner receives a further £750 and is awarded the prestigious Self Publishing Silver Cup. After finding out she’d won the fiction prize, Carolyn said: “I can only say how much I appreciate that The Last Dance has been acknowledged as an exceptional book. It was enjoyable to write, as I understand it is to read, and I am thrilled that it has been recognized by the David St John Thomas Charitable Trust.” Meanwhile, Ian Walker, author of Thirty Miles – A Local Journey in Food, scooped the Self Published Marketing Award, after impressing judges with his written submission, detailing the marketing, advertising, promotional and sales efforts he had undertaken in order to make his book commercially successful. He said: “I've massively enjoyed the challenge of self-publishing, which has been a totally rewarding experience, and I’m absolutely thrilled with the award.” He also receives £250 and a silver cup.