Garner Books was formed in 2009 as an unincorporated umbrella
name for Keith Taylor's three non-fiction books. These are entitled
Call To Arms: Officer Cadet Training at Eaton Hall 1943- 1958
(2006); Whither The Fates Call: A Personal Account of
National Service in the British Army 1950-1952 (2009) and,
thirdly, American Adventure: The 1959 Journal of a Roosevelt
Scholar; A Personal Account of The Nottingham Roosevelt Memorial
Travelling Scholarship (which included the rare privilege of staying
with Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt at Val-Kill Cottage, Hyde Park).
Further travel oriented titles are in the pipeline. These, and
any future books, are independently published as not-for-profit
initiatives in order to bring specialized titles to a clearly
focused market, namely, people who have had similar or related
experiences. It is also prompted by the thought that the author
might thereby leave behind something for posterity if only identified
by a singularly boring and unmemorable ISBN number and some remainders
destined for shredding if the sales forecast was over optimistic!
A further motivation has been the complexity, competitiveness and
fragmented nature of the publishing industry in which an unknown
author has little or no chance of getting a book anywhere near the
shelves of a retail bookshop. In America, no doubt the same as in
the United Kingdom, book industry numbers are being described as
'cold sweat terrifying' for publishers and authors alike. According
to Nielsen Bookscan, just under one per cent of submissions are
accepted for publication.
Of the 1.2 million titles tracked by Bookscan in America in 2006,
an astonishing 79.6% sold fewer than 99 copies
6.6% sold fewer than 1000 copies
only 2.1% sold more than 5000 copies
In the face of these staggering odds, it is no wonder that there
has been such a dramatic increase in independent publishing. With
the advent of e-books the prospects seem even more pessimistic.
Talking to fellow non-fiction authors, it seems that they too have
similar motivations and frustrations which is why it has been decided
to invite friends and like-minded authors to add their book to this
website in order, hopefully, to increase awareness and to facilitate
sales. The inclusion of additional titles will be at my discretion
in the context of interest, merit and originality. Not every reader
of this website may agree but choice is one of life's great freedoms.
We have attempted to make the purchasing of books as straight forward
as possible. If you have any suggestions for improvement, they will
be most welcome. (email
to k.taylor@garnerbooks.com) |
