Following the retirement of Mick Felton at the end of June, Seren’s founder Cary Archard, writes this note of thanks to our long-term publisher:
Mick Felton retired at the end of June. The blog has already included entries thanking him for his seminal contribution to Seren over the years. Do read them, as they describe his work in more detail and give a clear idea of his unusual, long commitment to publishing in Wales. Here, briefly, I want to draw attention to the singularly ‘personal’ nature of that commitment. Mick never saw his job as a 9 to 5 one. Meeting with authors, designers, printers, attending launches and readings, looking at manuscripts in ‘spare’ time – meant that, in a very real sense, he was always at work. It’s true to say that the success, and survival of a small, independent publishing house depends on such a personal commitment. Management in such a role can become a personal part of your life.
In 2018, Seren published a wonderful book, Dear Mona: Letters from a Conscientious Objector, by Jonah Jones, artist, sculptor and writer. The Introduction, written by his son, begins:
‘The conversation always reached the same point. Discussing this book, Mick Felton would start “Len –”, then hesitate before continuing: “I can’t call him Len… Jonah!” Mick had known my father for over thirty years, and had published two of his books at Seren. He could be forgiven for finding it difficult to accept that the man whose war-time letters we were discussing was effectively a different person from the cherished and respected figure we both knew.’
This extract makes the point. Knowledge of the writer as a person, an individual. Publishing on a personal level. Respect for the work and the author. The extract shows you the kind of publisher Mick was and gives you an idea of the kind of atmosphere that he helped to create at Seren. Although he has retired, Mick leaves behind an entrenched legacy of caring, of business at a personal level, that will live on.
Cary Archard
Everyone at Seren wishes Mick all the best for his well-deserved retirement!
