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Join Our Online Book Club

Join our Online Book Club to get 20% off every book you buy from us.

It takes seconds to sign up to the Seren online book club – you will enjoy 20% off every puchase made.

You will be kept up-to-date with forthcoming titles, news and events. Be the first to know when a new title has just been released, see exclusive videos of Seren authors reading from their books and enjoy special offers which are available to our online Book Club Members only.

We want to contact people interested in Seren, its list, authors, events and news. And even the multinational publishers can’t rely on the usual media for this information so we want to open our own channel of communication.

Members help us understand our readers (ensuring we can continue to publish the books you enjoy), and help us make a better website. We know readers of Seren titles will be literate, informed and interested in a variety of styles and subjects. Our ambition is to make this site a prime port of call for all those interested in the goings-on in the (independent) publishing sector and beyond. We need feedback from visitors and recognise the value of their comments as a resource to make the site relevant and attractive.

We hope you’ll enjoy your membership, remember to log in as a member as soon as you enter the site

Click the link below to edit your account and sign up to become a full member of the Seren Book Club.

Sign up to the Book Club now!

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Book Submissions

Thinking of submitting your work to Seren? Read our Updated Submissions Policy first.

Submissions Policy 2011

Seren publishes between twenty and twenty-five new titles a year across its list. Fiction currently accounts for five or six titles and poetry six or seven.

As a successful and prize-winning publisher Seren receives hundreds of typescripts. We do our best to respond as quickly as we can, and like all publishers we’re eager to read remarkable new writing.

Please be aware though that in many areas we are considering titles for publication two or more years ahead, and that the ratio of submissions to editors means that proper consideration of your typescript may take some time. We hope that our continued success will mean an increase in titles, but for the moment please bear with us.

You are welcome to make non-fiction submissions by email, to the addresses below (please note we are not currently accepting poetry or fiction submissions via email). If sending a submission by post, please include a stamped addressed envelope for return of manuscript, and for acknowledgment of receipt if required. (Unfortunately we are unable to acknowledge receipt or return MSS without these.)

Fiction

Seren publishes  a small number of quality literary fiction titles. We do receive a large number of submissions, but are always keen to read innovative, exciting manuscripts. We do not usually publish genre fiction, such as historical, saga, sci-fi, etc, and are not currently publishing children’s fiction. Writers wishing to submit fiction should first familiarise themselves with the Seren website to ascertain whether their book would contribute to the Seren list.

To submit a manuscript please send a synopsis, covering letter, two or three representative chapters (around fifty pages) and a stamped addressed envelope to Penny Thomas, Fiction Editor, Seren, 57 Nolton Street, Bridgend, CF31 3AE. Email submissions are not accepted.

Our list has now reopened to submissions, but please bear with us as it may take some time to get back to you.

Penny Thomas, Fiction Editor: [email protected]

Poetry

Poets who wish to submit should have track record of publication in literary Journals like Poetry Wales, New Welsh Review, Planet, Poetry Review, etc. Poets should send hard copy manuscript of approximately 50 pages, along with a one-page cover letter with details of previous publications and brief biographical details. It will also be helpful to show some knowledge of the Seren list. Simultaneous submissions are discouraged.

Amy Wack, Poetry Editor. Hard copy submissions only

Non-Fiction

For us to consider a book for publication, you should send a clear proposal in the first instance. We may subsequently request a sample of the work. 3-4 pages of A4 should be sufficient, covering the following areas:

Author/Editor: brief biographical details of the author, editor(s) or collaborators. Where the book is several edited chapters or essays, brief biographical and professional details of all contributors are useful.

Title of Book: This need only be a working title, but it should give a clear sense of the book’s scope and range.
Synopsis: One page or less outlining the book, its subject, approach and method.

Chapter Outline: A chapter by chapter outline of the contents, showing how the argument or subject is developed.
Illustrations, Figures, Tables: please give an estimate of the number and kind of illustration needed (colour/black and white etc.)

The Market and Competition: What is the envisaged readership? Might the book be used on courses? Is there likely to be overseas interest? Are there any possible tie-ins or media interest likely? Do any similar books exist? If so, what are they and how does yours differ?

Date of Delivery: When can you complete the book?
Please also include the author/editor’s CV.

Mick Felton, Non-Fiction Editor: [email protected]

We wish you every success in your submission and look forward to reading your work soon!

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Meet the Team

Mick Felton, Publisher

Mick Felton has over thirty years experience in publishing and the book trade and has been representing, managing and editing at Seren for many of them. He is a former Trustee of the Poetry Society and has a longstanding interest and involvement in environmental issues.

Simon Hicks, Sales and Marketing Manager

Simon Hicks has been at Seren for fifteen years, working in sales, marketing, design and production. He was previously a copywriter and features editor. He likes reading, music, art, food and sitting in the garden.

Amy Wack, Poetry Editor

Amy Wack was born in Florida, USA, and raised in Coronado, California. She has a BA in English Literature from San Diego State University and an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University, New York City. She has worked at Seren since 1989 where she was Reviews Editor of Poetry Wales magazine and, in recent years, Seren’s Poetry Editor, among the many prize-winning titles produced in her tenure are John Haynes Letter to Patience, which won the Costa Award for Poetry, Kathryn Simmonds, Sunday at the Skin Launderette, which won the Forward Prize for best first collection. She also co-edited, with the poet Eva Salzman, the well-received anthology Women’s Work: Modern Women Poets Writing in English. She lives in Cardiff with her husband and daughter and hosts a monthly poetry-reading series, First Thursday, at Chapter Arts Centre, Canton.

Penny Anne Thomas, Fiction Editor

Penny Anne Thomas has worked for Seren since 2006 and as part-time fiction editor she is usually buried in manuscripts, some of them wonderful. She loves her job and looks to bring a range of innovative, talented writers to the Seren list. Originally from Hertfordshire she has lived in Wales since 1988. She has a BA English Language and Literature (Oxon) and worked for 15 years as a journalist for Welsh daily newspapers. She is also a freelance editor and lives in Cardiff with her husband, two children and the dog.

Victoria Humphreys ACIM, Marketing Officer

Victoria Humphreys was born in Aberystwyth and has worked for Seren since April 2010. She used to work as a Marketing Assistant for a software reseller based in West Wales. Victoria studied Marketing at Swansea Metropolitan University, gaining a 2.1 BA (hons), and is also an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. Victoria enjoys reading, music, keeping fit – also Victoria is a very keen spectator of football.

 

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Welcome

Welcome to Seren Books’s WordPress!

Seren

Seren is an independent publisher driven by quality writing across a wide-ranging list which includes poetry, fiction, translation, biography, art and history. Many of our books and authors are shortlisted for – and win! – major literary prizes across Britain and America.

At the heart of our list is a good story told well or an idea or history presented interestingly or provocatively, what used to be called literary publishing before accountants and managers gained ascendancy. We’re international in authorship and readership though our roots remain here in Wales (seren = star in Welsh) where we prove that writers from a small country with an intricate culture have a worldwide relevance.

Mission statement:

Seren is a literary publisher specialising mainly in English writing from Wales. Our aim is to publish work of the highest literary and artistic merit, while maintaining a level of profitability which enables us to function effectively as a sustainable and expanding business in a commercial environment.

Seren works with the financial support of the Welsh Books Council.

What we hope to achieve:

Our WordPress is our chance to report on Seren’s new releases, poetry events, book launches and share pictures and videos from our events.

To find out more go to http://www.serenbooks.com/