Our first year in business, establishing Margin to Margin Books as an independent press, has been nothing less than a baptism by fire. A period of steep learning curves, incredible highs, some losses, and the kind of mental and physical exhaustion that only comes from laying the foundations of something substantial.

As we battle into our second year, I’ve been reflecting on the hard lessons learned by M2M Books over the past twelve months. Here is the unvarnished truth about our one-year journey from novice publisher to literary infrastructure.

• 🥃vs📚 Reality Bites: Undoubtedly, the primary lesson and biggest eye-opener has been discovering that selling expensive rum to hollow-legged punters (my last job) is infinitely easier than selling books. A tenner for a decent drink? – that’ll do nicely! £9.99 for a fascinating book? – a far trickier proposition.
• 📖 The Physicality of the Craft: Our second hard lesson was a tangible issue: the covers of our first print run were beautiful, but too thin. My excuse, the cardstock samples arrived the morning after I’d pushed the print button. Without doubt, future editions and titles will all have heavier covers, so if you want to get your hands on these exclusive first editions, editions that will be worth fortunes in coming decades’ Antiques Roadshows, you’ll need to get a wriggle on.
• 👨🏾‍💻 The Irony of the Professional Reader: A bittersweet reality has been the loss of literary leisure. When my eyes are constantly scanning manuscripts for rhythm, structure, and submission potential, the commitment required to get lost in a book for the sake of it begins to evaporate. Furthermore, my own creative output has narrowed to essays and blog posts. My writing is no longer reactive and freewheeling; it has become limited to the machinery of this artisan press.
• 💰 Publishing – Difficult and Expensive: There is no easy mode when you are doing things independently. Publishing is not about sifting for books we want to publish, ideally, we would publish many more of the submissions we receive. Economic reality dictates that publishing revolves around deciding which few manuscripts we can afford to get behind and turn into physical books.
• 🚦Visible Pathways: The first year confirmed our core mission: the importance of providing a visible pathway to publishing for marginalised voices. For many writers from marginalised communities, the literary world feels like an impenetrable fortress. By being an independent press that is active, vocal, and accessible, we show underrepresented writers that there is a seat at the publishing table for them.
• 👴🏾 Hard Truths: I’ve also had to face a personal reality: I’m no spring chicken and don’t have quite the same energy I used to. But this isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon that requires careful pacing and a clear-eyed view of one’s own limits – exactly the same process as writing a book.
•  🏝️ No Project is an Island: Success in the publishing industry cannot happen in a vacuum. Success is won through partnerships (like our growing relationships with Aberystwyth UNESCO City of Literature, Books Council of Wales, Literature Wales, The Cambrian News, the National Library of Wales), through the support of our readers, through bookshops like Ystwyth Books and Waterstones, and through the amazing community of writers who trust us with their work. We are part of a powerful and fast evolving ecosystem, and we thrive when we support one another.

Looking Forward: We’ve absorbed these lessons; the thin covers, the importance of partnerships and providing pathways, the late nights; and are now fully focused on pouring all this hard-won wisdom into M2M Books’ future titles.

Until next time, keep reading, keep writing.

Gareth James – Chief Reader M2M Books