Sunday 12 December 2010

Jo interviews David Howarth

Today I am delighted to welcome David Howarth to the blog.

From Park Publications in the Cotswolds, David produces three small press magazines. Scribble and Debut focus on fiction, while Countryside Tales also includes articles and poetry on a rural theme. All three magazines offer opportunities for writers to have their work published, and there are prizes to be won in a range of competitions throughout the year.

David has kindly agreed to answer a few questions, and I began by asking...

What inspired you to set up Park Publications?

I had been writing short stories for many years and, despite some fairly good financial rewards, I got fed up with writing for the women's magazines and started to look for outlets that accepted general fiction. Good quality short story magazines seemed fairly thin on the ground; most of the small press publications were special interest such as horror or sci-fi, etc. I began to think that there must be other writers in the same position. So I launched Scribble. This really took off after a few months and I was soon getting more material than I could hope to use. The first issues were only 48 pages but this has increased to its current 60 pages. Interest has continued to grow and it is still our most popular magazine.

What are the things you most enjoy about running a small press?

The satisfaction of seeing the finished magazines and knowing that I am going to make some writer's day by including their work in one of the magazines. It is particularly satisfying when we publish someone's work for the first time. I also get a real buzz from reading all the submissions we receive and the letters I get from writers saying how much the magazines have inspired them. The hard part is rejecting a writer's work when it is obvious that they have spent many hours on it. One of the reasons I started Debut was to give newer writers a bit more of a chance and also to enable me to offer critiques on unsuitable material. Sometimes a story only needs a small tweak to get it to publishable standard, but unless an editor is prepared to offer advice a writer may go on making the same mistakes.

Roughly how many submissions a year do you receive across the three magazines?

For general magazine submissions the following is a rough guide. This is in addition to the open competitions.

Short stories: Approx. 600 a year. We keep about 180.
Articles: Approx. 250 a year. We keep about 60.
Poems: Approx. 200 - 250 a year. We keep about 60.

In the years since you founded Park Publication, have you noticed any particular trends in the quality, style or subject matter of material submitted?

The quality has definitely improved over the years; this is possibly because writers are continually discovering the magazines. Styles and subject matters are always changing with the times: for instance we get more stories featuring gay/lesbian plot lines than when we first started. We get a lot more contemporary stories with a romantic theme nowadays and there seems to be a shortage of crime fiction (oops, perhaps I shouldn't have said that!). Perhaps that is because there seems to be a much larger proportion of submissions from women writers now?

Whether it is a short story, a poem or an article, what makes a submission stand out for you?

With short stories, I look for something different; something that stands out from the crowd. I like a crisp beginning that takes me straight into the story without too much waffle. I look for interesting characters that I can believe in and want to do well; and I like a satisfying (not necessarily happy) conclusion. Articles should entertain with interesting topics and personal thoughts; I don't like too many boring statistics unless they emphasise a point. I don't mind whether poems rhyme or not but they should 'flow' and sound good when read aloud.

Which authors do you like to read and why?

I like Thomas Hardy and George Eliot for their authenticity - they were actually seeing an England that has vanished. I like Stephen King for his quirky characters and Ian Rankin for his gripping story lines. I have also recently discovered Tess Gerritsen - a brilliant American crime novelist. I also like to read about the English countryside in bygone days - particularly books by the early naturalists such as Gilbert White and Richard Jefferies.

With three regular magazines in production, do you have any plans to expand further?

I think three is enough for now!

Thank you David for giving us this insight into your work. I am one of those writers whose first ever published story appeared in a Park Publications magazine (Countryside Tales, winter 2004). I can honestly say that it marked a turning point in my life, therefore I really appreciate the value of small press magazines such as these.

For full details of how to submit to Scribble, Countryside Tales, and Debut please see the Park Publications website.


An Important Update
October 2012: Please note that sadly David is no longer to publish Countryside Tales. Meanwhile, Debut has this year been amalgamated into Scribble. This means Scribble now has more pages for your lovely stories! It's a very hard climate for small press magazines these days, so it's great that David has found a way to continue giving newer writers this opportunity for publication.

19 comments:

Suzanne Ross Jones said...

This is a great interview. I have a soft spot for Scribble - they published some of my early short story efforts in 1999/2000 (when I used to write as Anne Oliver).

XX

joanne fox said...

I never knew that Suzanne!

Yes I like Scribble a lot. It always has a good mix of stories, and I enjoy reading the letters page too.

Old Kitty said...

Thank you for an insightful interview and intro to these magazines!! It's frightening to see how there are so many submissions to the proportion of actual acceptance!! May I ask a teensy weensy quetion? I know with women's mags they tend to use already established writers over again - is it the same with Mr Howarth's publications? I'm so glad they hold competitions though!! Take care
x

joanne fox said...

Kitty, I do see some names crop up every so often in 'Scribble', but there are always unfamiliar ones too. We all have to start somewhere, after all. 'Debut', is aimed more towards newer writers as David says. Do have a look at the website for further info. x

Denise Covey said...

Hey Joanne, long time since I've visited your site and i'm so glad I did. This was great. As a writer of short stories I'm always looking for a new market so maybe I'll give Scribble a try. Great interview.

Happy Christmas!

penandpaints said...

What an interesting and helpful interview, thanks Joanne.
I haven't tried Scribble but I might just pop over and have a look!

Unknown said...

Sounds like a great line-up of magazines. Thanks for doing the interview!

Joanna said...

This was so interesting. Thank you,Joanne. I must have a look at Scribble. David comes across as a very encouraging and caring editor.

joanne fox said...

Nice to see you back L'Aussie.

Pen and Paints - Scribble is worth a try for those stories that don't quite fit the women's magazine market.

Janel, I enjoy doing these interviews and asking the nosy questions I always wanted to ask!

Joanna, I think you're right about that. In the competitive world of publishing it's nice to come across editors who are encouraging and genuinely want to give newish writers that step up the ladder.

Amanda said...

Great interview, very helpful. Thank you, Joanne.

joanne fox said...

Cheers Amanda, thanks for visiting. Happy Christmas!

Anonymous said...

Interesting interview and good to see the photo of David. I've been a Park Publications subscriber for a couple of years and my first and only competition win was with Scribble.

Such small presses as Park provide a valuable outlet for general fiction writing. Long may they flourish!

joanne fox said...

Well said Christine, and congratulations on that win. x

Anonymous said...

Great interview. I tried to write a magazine my self in 2008 and it is a lot of hard work and you need a team of enthusiastic committed people that's for sure! :O)

joanne fox said...

It sounds like a fun thing to do Madeleine, but I'm sure it must be quite a lot of pressure to have everything ready on time for each issue. I don't think I'd be organised enough to manage it!

Anonymous said...

Hi Joanne,
Just found your blog via Talkback at Writers' News. It was worth the visit, I've seen these magazines advertised and it's good to meet the man behind them.
Thanks!

joanne fox said...

Nice to see you here, Sally. Thanks for visiting! x

Heather Jean said...

Thanks for publishing this, I'm only just catching up on blog reading, but this was really interesting, especially that romance stories, and gay/lesbian stories are much more common now, I think it might be a reflection of the world situation, more than just a gender thing.

joanne fox said...

How lovely to see you back in blogland Heather Jean! I'm glad you found the interview interesting. Happy Christmas. x