"A challenge to categories." Maybe you nailed it right there. Because it's not just books and their authors who resist being pigeonholed in this little box or that other one. It's readers too. And pretty much everyone. Yes, sometimes it's helpful to get that "if you liked Book A," you might like Books B, C, and D, which I now get not only from Amazon, but from my library, as if the Cat In the Hat could come back and predict my next 26 reads by just lifting that striped hat and releasing all those Little Cats with their own hats. The most trouble--and the most fun--emerge when the Cat lets Thing One and Thing Two out of that locked box.
1) Other then publishers that are known primarily for one thing--Tor or Soho, say--I couldn't tell you what most presses focus on because I tend to read based on the author not the press. Until my friends started publishing seriously, I thought of books in two categories: published and unpublished.
2) What's exciting about Galiot to me as a writer and reader isn't the focus of your list but your focus on people. Specifically writers as people. What's exciting to me is you looked around at in industry that--for all kinds of reasons related to logistics--is becoming at best not very user friendly for writers and at worst a smidge abusive (I get that ghosting is a logistical necessity but it feels like social anxiety incarnate). I feel like a tag line that embraces that Galiot was conceived as a people first publisher would be as revolutionary as your approach will be. Maybe Something Like Galiot: A People First Press. or Galiot: Because writers and readers are people or Galiot Press: Because writers are people too. Those are maybe not as sexy as you'd like a tag line to be, but I feel like that focus is what sets Galiot apart.
Congratulations on all this progress! Taglines are always tricky. Based on what you’ve said here, I wonder if the word “challenge” would be a good place to start. Challenging convention, challenging the norm, etc.
Well I really appreciate everything you are doing with Galiot Press, it's about time! It takes a lot of creative hutzpah to make something new, applause all around.
Regarding tagline generation; I've found that keeping it simple helps. I remember once at a music school I taught at they took six months and endless meetings trying to come up with the "perfect name" for a department. They settled on the "Tempo Program" which sounded cool but did not convey to the audience what it actually was. That name was soon scrapped and they went back to "Jazz Rock Pop Department" which totally worked (even though boring sounding!) because the public knew what it was and therefore, if the department was a place they could find what they needed.
Keeping it simple and descriptive is great. Making decisions then moving on seems to be the most effective way to create real change. Thinking traps are fun, but are still traps!
That was my question too. I have a category-busting nonfiction I’m waiting for word it’s ok to submit. Re your tagline what distinguishes your press is the experience you offer authors. Healthy interactions based on mutual respect. Meaningful commitments by the publishers to their authors.
What about Fair Trade Books or Fair Trade Publishers?
"A challenge to categories." Maybe you nailed it right there. Because it's not just books and their authors who resist being pigeonholed in this little box or that other one. It's readers too. And pretty much everyone. Yes, sometimes it's helpful to get that "if you liked Book A," you might like Books B, C, and D, which I now get not only from Amazon, but from my library, as if the Cat In the Hat could come back and predict my next 26 reads by just lifting that striped hat and releasing all those Little Cats with their own hats. The most trouble--and the most fun--emerge when the Cat lets Thing One and Thing Two out of that locked box.
Here are two things to think about:
1) Other then publishers that are known primarily for one thing--Tor or Soho, say--I couldn't tell you what most presses focus on because I tend to read based on the author not the press. Until my friends started publishing seriously, I thought of books in two categories: published and unpublished.
2) What's exciting about Galiot to me as a writer and reader isn't the focus of your list but your focus on people. Specifically writers as people. What's exciting to me is you looked around at in industry that--for all kinds of reasons related to logistics--is becoming at best not very user friendly for writers and at worst a smidge abusive (I get that ghosting is a logistical necessity but it feels like social anxiety incarnate). I feel like a tag line that embraces that Galiot was conceived as a people first publisher would be as revolutionary as your approach will be. Maybe Something Like Galiot: A People First Press. or Galiot: Because writers and readers are people or Galiot Press: Because writers are people too. Those are maybe not as sexy as you'd like a tag line to be, but I feel like that focus is what sets Galiot apart.
Congratulations on all this progress! Taglines are always tricky. Based on what you’ve said here, I wonder if the word “challenge” would be a good place to start. Challenging convention, challenging the norm, etc.
Well I really appreciate everything you are doing with Galiot Press, it's about time! It takes a lot of creative hutzpah to make something new, applause all around.
Regarding tagline generation; I've found that keeping it simple helps. I remember once at a music school I taught at they took six months and endless meetings trying to come up with the "perfect name" for a department. They settled on the "Tempo Program" which sounded cool but did not convey to the audience what it actually was. That name was soon scrapped and they went back to "Jazz Rock Pop Department" which totally worked (even though boring sounding!) because the public knew what it was and therefore, if the department was a place they could find what they needed.
Keeping it simple and descriptive is great. Making decisions then moving on seems to be the most effective way to create real change. Thinking traps are fun, but are still traps!
That was my question too. I have a category-busting nonfiction I’m waiting for word it’s ok to submit. Re your tagline what distinguishes your press is the experience you offer authors. Healthy interactions based on mutual respect. Meaningful commitments by the publishers to their authors.
Re your first footnote—I love Tana French! I'm curious, will Galiot publish only fiction, or will you consider works of creative nonfiction or memoir?