NEW YEAR REVOLUTION

You wouldn’t believe the number of drunken blog drafts I found here this morning. I’m kidding, really. My kidneys were moaning on at me over the holidays, so I had to indulge in eating chocolate and sleeping, rather than getting hammered every day and moaning about ‘Escape to Victory’ being on. Or not being on if it wasn’t.

The weather outside is frightful. Not the best start to a New Year in those terms, but I’m really looking forward to a great 2010. I was busy signing a few more books up as 2009 came to a close and I’ll hopefully be able to announce them on here shortly. I updated new books for this year on the website last night – really chuffed about them. So far, there are ten new books for the year with a likely four more to add and it means it’s going to be a busy year.

2009 was a bit of a mad one. There’d been ups and downs like every other, but I’d never felt so positive in absolutely yonks. And I haven’t said ‘yonks’ for yonks either. This time last year I’d all but moved out of the Newcastle office I shared with Paul (ex-Tontoer). I was relieved to get out of that building because I’d not liked it for a long while. As many of you will know, if you work in a space you don’t like, it becomes a nightmare trying to stay positive. At one point, we each had an oil-filled radiator under our desk, a ‘blankie’ each, the windows were bubble-wrapped up and the main heater blasting out… and still I had my parka on. Each time one of us went to the bogs, it was a ‘I may be some time’ moment. Ahhh, such memories. Moving out, I was a bit sad that there was a chapter closing but I was also looking forward to the challenge ahead. It was a bizarre feeling.

Me ‘n’ Paul started up back in 2005 and it was nice to see it grow from ‘a bit of a hobby’ into a publishing company with an office, albeit a cold one. I’d moved most of my stuff out of the office, but we still officially worked together until the end of 2008 and Big Ben signalled a lot more for me than just the start of a New Year. It was a new beginning.  As far as I could see, it was either call it a day and go back to bits of teaching and temping, pick up some freelance work along the way and torture myself forever… or put everything into making Tonto work. It had gone too far to just end it all.

So I thought I may as well give it a bash. It couldn’t get any worse than temping, surely. I moved everything out mid-January and that was it. I don’t think you can have such a personnel change and just carry on at the same level. I gave Tonto a right good kick up the arse (not literally, he’d probably have a knife on him) and spent time reinventing it all and seeing what could be done to keep it all going - physically a smaller company, but with bigger plans.

This year there’s that recession thing still going on and the last few weeks saw the closure of Borders forever. There are less opportunities on a local level now and I think there’s less chance of survival thinking local. I know there’s a long way to go, the odds are always stacked up and it’s always going to be a right old slog, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I don’t see those as negatives anymore. Sure, I’m grumpier than ever, but inside I’m fired up to make it happen. 2009 taught me a lot about myself and a lot about how the industry works. With everything changing so often and nothing certain, I doubt even ‘the big lads’ have stopped learning or truly know what the future holds. That’s why I think there’s everything to play for and why (in some respects) I reckon a tiny indie can be in with a chance and certainly grab a couple of moments up there alongside them.

2009:

The three biggest books in September, October and November and three of the best launches for each in Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle respectively.

More media coverage than ever – loads of features in national newspapers and magazines, Charlie ‘The one-man PR machine’ Walduck on three national TV shows as well as one in Japan. Me featured on Look North TV news in a 40 foot stretch Hummer limo sipping champagne with ‘Shakespeare & Love’ author, Raymond Scott (seriously. Wasn’t my idea though) and Raymond continuing to court publicity everywhere he goes. Loads of stuff in the Bookseller magazine too – this one means the most as it lets everyone in the industry know you are alive and kicking. Big thanks to Tom Tivnan there for doing a brilliant Tonto feature; my proudest media moment so far. Also loads of local coverage in the news as well as on the radio.

Advertising – Jeez, I advertised on the front and inside cover of the Bookseller Buyer’s Guide last year. It was brill to see the Tonto logo on the cover! I made the most of it in case it never happens again.

Oh, and got a mention on Col Bury’s blog too – was dead chuffed with that! And who knows… we may have bagged one of them there Journal Culture Awards as well.

The release of 9987 in January restored my faith in publishing fiction. With a mixed opinion of New Writing North’s ‘Read Regional’ campaign and the book’s ‘promotion’, I was at least pleased that it gave Nik Jones some author recognition and he’s done several events throughout the year. Publishing that book made me see the other side of promotion – word of mouth and the want for a well-written, good story – rather than having a concept book and chucking a £500,000 marketing budget at it.

Before this turns into an ‘isn’t everything brilliant?’ post, last year really made me take notice of and want to become a part of an exciting industry. We’re all struggling and will be for probably a while to come – but I think people still want to buy books, still want to read interesting stories and still want to be entertained. A publishing company is only as big as its readership… and in 2009, this grew massively for Tonto. With a bit of luck, it will continue into 2010 and beyond.

2010: Plans

More books to acquire for 2011, office move, setting up a publishing thing abroad, doing a Tonto course type thing, learn something new at uni, set up another thing in the north west and Yorkshire, be more organised, see if we can get a Burglar’s Dog update (Tonto favourite, still a few kicking around on amazon), set up a petition so Ashley Hames does more on TV, get a car that works, stop being ill, find another band to listen to other than Weller all the time (although he’s got a new album out this year. Get in!), get a new diary and use it, read more books for pleasure, stop worrying about grey hair and drink less coffee.

Thanks for all your support, espesh in 2009. I’ve got a January Sale on the website at the moment selling back catalogue and current titles at ‘silly prices’ to free up some space at Chateau Tonto. Feel free to tell everyone you know about it.

Happy New Year!