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Today we are talking to Deborah McMenamy from Labello Press.  What interested us was this quote from your website, we loved it:-

“The aim of Labello Press is to publish beautiful books, the first of which will be our annual anthology “Gem   Street”, containing unique, well-written and thought-provoking previously unpublished short stories. We are looking for writing with guts and honesty. Humour is appreciated. Simplicity is foremost. Bravery is key.

We honour and respect the commitment, hard work and frustration that are a part of every writer’s journey and want you to know that we value every submission we receive.”

So a big ‘welcome’ to Deborah and can I begin by asking you to tell our readers and authors a little more about this publication, Gem Street?

Thank you Linn. It’s great to be here. “Gem Street” is a new anthology featuring an eclectic mix of previously unpublished work. We especially welcome new writers as well as those with a publishing background. The stories for our inaugural collection have been carefully selected from those submitted to Labello’s Annual Short Story Competition.

Can you also explain the link with the Leonard A. Koval Memorial Prize?

Leonard, my father, died suddenly last year and Labello Press was created, almost overnight, in the wake of his death. I always planned to establish a small Press and this was the catalyst. The prize has been set up in conjunction with “Gem Street”, as not only a memorial to him and to his unconventional life, but as a way of honouring anyone with the tenacity and guts to sit down and write. All authors selected for publication in the anthology receive one of the Memorial Prizes.

How many authors are featured in your first publication?

We have 11 authors contributing to the publication.

When you say you are looking for writing with guts and honesty, is there a particular style or genre you are looking for – I know our Authors will be very interested to know.

The only genres we are currently not reading are Children’s, YA, and Horror. Other than this, we are interested in style more than genre. We are hoping to find writing that doesn’t dress up and make a fuss. We want verve, a strong voice, and writers with a unique way of looking at and interpreting the world. To us, that’s part of what style is all about. We look for an edge, a quirk, something authentic.

Would you say you are concentrating on a niche market?

Definitely, yes. We are curious about short fiction (and short-short fiction) and where the form is heading. Novels and longer works seem to receive most of the attention, so we want to find great writing that is sharp and concentrated but packed with meaning. We love rhythm, unusual humour and an unforgettable voice.

How does your company try to understand and accommodate the readers to get the widest interest?

We want to excite readers with something new, something a little different. We will source, highlight and promote high quality/interesting fiction, and allow the readers to make up their own minds. We understand that not everyone will like what we do or what we publish and that’s Ok. We hope people who are open to exploration and discovery will find us.

What has surprised you most since setting up Labello Press?

It is every bit as much hard work being on the publishing side of the table as it is on the writing side. You wear many hats and there never seems to be enough hours in the day.

Marketing and promoting other people is more motivating than I ever imagined it would be. And exciting. I have found I’m just as enthusiastic about publishing other writer’s work, as I am about my own.

On the difficult side, it’s very tough to choose one story over another, knowing that someone is going to be disappointed.

What are you aims for the future?

To offer a high-standard service for writers and take each step thoughtfully, building our Press gradually to ensure that we have a strong foundation. We want to work with authors from the ground up, people who are out there producing excellent work but find themselves being overlooked, or those who don’t wish to follow more conventional routes. And of course, we want to consistently learn and grow and discover new and more creative ways to work within the industry while remaining a little bit left-of-centre.

We all know that the publishing world is rapidly changing. Are those changes making it more or less difficult for you given your ethos?

It is difficult only because everyone and everything is moving at such a nano-sonic rate. We live in an impatient world where information pummels us.

At Labello Press, we have a desire to keep things simple. We understand the reality of the unprecedented changes and the choices available, but are not interested in the world of Kindle and e-books and will not be going that route.

I worked in Advertising Design before the advent of technology (where everything was done by hand) and my grandfather worked in printing ‘back in the day’. These have had a huge influence on me so our focus is on paper and binding; books you can hold and feel.

There is a place for everyone within all the rapid change and we simply want to settle into ours.

Where do you see Labello Press in say, five years’ time?

We’ll be working intently to help “Gem Street” grow to include more stories and we will have the opportunity to work on individual book projects. We are fortunate to already have had several authors approach us; one project is in the works.

We want to keep short story collections alive and well, that is our primary interest, so hopefully authors working in this form will seek and find a home with us.

What is the submission process for those reading this who might be interested in approaching you?

First and foremost, don’t be afraid to communicate with us. To submit to the next competition in conjunction with “Gem Street”, which opens July 1^st, please visit the Labello Press website. All of the information can be found there. If more information is required, just send us an email and let us know what you need.

Authors of short fiction collections can send a query outlining what they have and most importantly, what they are looking for. If someone wants to become a mega-name in the industry then for right now, they may want to go elsewhere. If they like our small Press ethos and want to grow and work collaboratively with us, then by all means, get in touch. Please do not send manuscripts. It can take up to 2 – 3 weeks to get a response because we personally answer all queries.

We hand-pick our group of Authors and a part of our project is to encourage new and talented writers, we do this by sharing information.  How important do you think it is to nurture talent in this way?

I think what you’re doing is fantastic and extremely important. Respect and encouragement are paramount. Editors need to be completely committed to helping writers put their very best work out into the world. This requires honest feedback and open communication between both parties, which can only bring out the best in people and their writing.

Thank you for your time Deborah, we’re glad you stopped by and hope our readers and authors will visit you at:-

Website: http://www.labellopress.com/index.html

Twitter A/c: LabelloPress: @LabelloPress

Thank you again Linn. I appreciate the opportunity and wish you and everyone at loveahappyending.com, the very best of everything.

We’ll be following you Deborah and wishing you the very best of luck for the future!