Help Please! Does anyone know anything about Foundry Editions?

[E G Logan]

Publisher of Spanish Beauty, by 'cult writer' Esther García Llovet, reviewed today in The Guardian, has (in their own words) "a love of three things - a love for discovering and sharing new voices, a love for the Mediterranean and the people and lands that surround it, and a love of internationalism and reading across borders".

Me, I'd have said 'a love of'' all three times, but hey.

Very little other info on their site, Foundry Editions
There is a section headed 'Submissions', which only lists the (four main Mediterranean) languages they don't accept submissions for. (Seems a bit odd to me.) English is not included.

@AgentPete , have you heard of these people?

 

[BrianY]

Wow ... the book may be by a "cult" writer, because this is clearly a cult publisher. I'm ready to give any title they publish a try, even though I'm sure I'd quit them in deep sadness fifty pages in.

BTW ... I love cult publishers!

 

[AgentPete]

@AgentPete , have you heard of these people?

I think I may have dimly heard of them, yes. Certainly never dealt with them.

Website impression…

Book jackets… depressingly uniform. Maybe “hardcore”? Not doing the books any favours, imho.

Got some respectable review/endorsements, so they’re serious.

No “About” page, which is always useful, sometimes revealing. I always like to know who is behind these operations. (*)

Wonder if they’re grant-supported? Don’t seem to say.

Doing some events with bookshops, including the rather nice Owl Bookshop.

(*) Yes, there is one! But not linked:

About Foundry — Foundry Editions

Nor do they say who’s behind it, which is always useful.

In conclusion – obviously small, maybe one person, but legit, zero warning signs.

Not searched for any comments elsewhere.

BTW ... I love cult publishers!

I have a soft spot for them, too And one keeps discovering them, e.g. walking into town here in Hastings I just discovered one… seems to be into reggae and Marxism… everyone to their own

 

[E G Logan]

Keeping digging, I found a podcast featuring the founder, Richard Village, who is the translator of Spanish Beauty. It was with the owner of an indie bookshop – sorry, forgotten his name, but he's doing good stuff – for Indie Bookshop Week.
Sadly, I found Village totally underwhelming, while he admitted cheerfully that as a new publisher he'd been feeling his way absolutely in the dark.. I'm sure I know more (from training + experience) about book production than he did then.
It's the marketing I'd worry about – that isn't something you can flounder about with to learn on the job. While a few quite high profile reviews, for as long as translated editions are in vogue, will move one or two copies, that almost certainly isn't enough.

 

[AgentPete]

Keeping digging, I found a podcast featuring the founder, Richard Village, who is the translator of Spanish Beauty.

Yes, it’s got the feel of an one-man op. Don’t know why he doesn’t make more of that, really. One person’s passion is all it takes to ignite some flames. If he the/a translator, all the better.

Sadly, I found Village totally underwhelming, while he admitted cheerfully that as a new publisher he'd been feeling his way absolutely in the dark.. I'm sure I know more (from training + experience) about book production than he did then.

It’s more than possible I’ve seen some contracts from small publishers – obviously nicked from contracts they’ve managed to get their hands on from larger publishers, but mangled around quite a lot, too.

It's the marketing I'd worry about

Yes, always the case with small publishers, but to be fair, he’s done pretty well to get national coverage. Better than most small pubs I’ve seen, actually.

 

[BrianY]

Publicity isn't always equal. A few good store placements and a sincere-seeming press release from a company like Foundry could go a very long way. The best publisher is the one that is most excited about your book.