AM – This week we have a very special treat for you.  I am joined by Trevor Greenfield from Moon Books, a new imprint from O-Books (John Hunt Publishing). Thank you for joining us today Trevor!

TG – It’s my pleasure. Thank you very much for the chance to introduce Moon Books to the PWC.

AM – Please tell us a little more about yourself and how you ended up at Moon Books.

TG – I was a Liberal Christian, a member of the Sea of Faith and I wrote a book called An Introduction to Radical Theology, published by O-Books in 2006. That brought me into the publishing arena and to cut a long story short John Hunt (the owner of O-Books) offered me an editorial role. During this time my Christianity was fading away and an increasing interest in Paganism started to seep in to fill the void. It’s still seeping.

Now, Moon Books, that’s far more interesting than me! Early this year John Hunt decided that we had to break away from the tradition publishing model and develop specialist imprints that relate to specific constituencies of readers and writers. So, Moon Books, with a focus on Paganism, was born. The new website will be up at the end of September with all of the O-Books Pagan back-list titles transferred in. As well as that we have a number of titles in production for next year and we’re accepting submissions on all aspects of Paganism. I’m currently building a Facebook community which I hope will develop as the new website comes online.

AM – What are some of your most recent releases?

TG – We have published just two books this year, Wiccan Celebrations, by Silver Elder and Daughters of Danu, by Piet Ceanadach. It’s really next year that we start to gear up. We have nine books scheduled for publication in the first three months of next year (from authors such as Brendan Myers, Melusine Draco, Robin Herne and Siusaidh Ceanadach, among others). And we currently have another twenty in production for publication later in the year with other submissions starting to come in.

AM – What type of books are you looking for?

TG – We want to cover the entire spectrum of Pagan writing. I guess that Druidry, Wicca/Witchcraft, Asatru/Heathenism and the Goddess are the obvious categories. But we’re keen to consider any aspect of Paganism… Eclectics, Hedge Craft, ancient history, ethics, theology and contemporary Pagan experience.

AM – Approximately how many books do you release each year?

TG – Moon books are currently contracted to publish around thirty books next year but at current submission rates I’m expecting that will end up more like fifty. My target is to develop the imprint to emulate O-Books, which publishes around 150 books a year.

AM – Where can our readers find information about the submissions process?

TG – They can check-out the O-Books website at www.o-books.com. Or they can email me at trevor.greenfield@o-books.net if they have any queries or want to get in touch about any aspect of publishing.

AM – Here are a couple questions that were submitted by our PWC authors.  When looking at a submission, what is the initial thing that catches your eye and snags your interest?

TG – What catches my eye is an author who demonstrates a basic awareness of where the book sits, who the readers are and where to find them. If an author can identify constituencies, groups, organizations where the book can be marketed I find it tends to follow that the manuscript will be similarly focused. I can pretty much guarantee that an author who tells me that “everyone” will be interested in their book or that it is aimed at “spiritual seekers” isn’t going to have a satisfying outcome.

AM – What kinds of trends are you seeing in traditional publishing business?

TG – I’d say that the traditional relationships of publisher, author and reader are breaking down. Book sales remain fairly constant in total but are spread across an ever-increasing number of titles. So the publishing process has to be more focused on partnership. It’s no longer an even split where authors write and publishers market and sell. The author has to be more involved… they’re too valuable not to get involved, after all no-one knows the book or the audience better than the author. The nature of the readership needs to be re-evaluated as well. In many respects there is no-one in the process more important than the reader. We’re in our infancy at the moment but my plan for Moon Books is to develop a community of critical readers that contribute to the conversation. I’m aiming to offer reader and writer forums, for example, and review copies of newly published books for readers who write reviews on Amazon or on blogs. I’m also hoping to offer discounts to readers who are part of the Moon Books community. I feel that if we don’t interact creatively with our readers then they have no reason to stay with us. In that respect the Moon Books project is all about community, bringing the publisher, author and reader together.

AM – What is your take on e-publishing?

TG – E-Books are happening, it’s as simple as that. All Moon Books (unless the author requests otherwise) are produced as paperback and e-book. In publishing terms we’re trying to differentiate ourselves in the market by offering authors 50% royalty on e-book sales. No other publisher that we’re aware of is offering that.

AM – What kind of cover letter is the best when sending in a submission?

TG – To be honest I don’t get hung up on covering letters or emails. That’s because we have a two-prong process. The initial submission (a sample or a completed manuscript emailed to me trevor.greenfield@o-books.com) comes to me as an email attachment with a paragraph or two outlining the book. The only criterion at this stage is “does it appear publishable?” If it does I set it up on the database as a proposal and the author is sent a password and invited to complete the proposal online. This is where the hard work has to be put in by the author in presenting the text as something we want to publish and as a book we can make work. When all the info is in place the proposal and the manuscript/sample is sent out to three readers who report back regarding its suitability. All this is transparent and the author will see the feedback the readers give. Then, based on their considerations and my opinion we opt to publish or not, the final decision being mine. The process from emailed submission to decision takes about a week (sometimes two weeks if the readers are busy). If the decision is “no”, well, at least the author has some constructive feedback on their proposal and the text to take away. If we decide to publish we offer four different levels of contracts with different royalty arrangements that the author can select from. Most books are offered a Level 1 or Level 2 contract where all publishing costs are absorbed by us in the traditional manner. A Level 3 contract requires the author to make a modest contribution towards production costs in the way of subsidy or subvention to help defray production costs if the book is considered to have limited commercial potential. Level 4 contracts, which are rare, are for authors who wish, effectively, to self-publish but who want to work with a traditional publisher rather than a self-publishing house.

AM – Where can we go to learn more about Moon Books and purchase your books?

TG – Just head off to www.o-books.com to view the submissions process or view the back list. Or email me at trevor.greenfield@o-books.net if you have a question. Or you can join our community at www.facebook.com/moonbooks and you’ll stay in touch with developments, new releases and special offers. You can purchase Moon Books at your local book shop or through all the major online retailers.

AM – Thank you for taking the time to share your answers with us today Trevor!  Hopefully, we will be promoting more of your authors here at the Pagan Writers Community soon.  And special thanks to Dorothy, SP, and Megan for their great questions.