Why Traditional Publishers Don’t Work for Veteran Authors

‘…The world of publishing is mercenary, hard and unfriendly; working with you has been an absolute pleasure’. 

A quote from one of our authors in the Preface of their book.

Post publication testimonials include:

‘Very few publishers concentrate on works of continuing military development.  Howgate Publishing fulfils a very important role’.

‘You do not have to wear a uniform to serve and Howgate Publishing serves those authors from the front lines with their publishing’.

‘…There are many military and ex-military authors with unique experiences who find it difficult to penetrate the conventional publishing market.  Such a company will nurture those with important stories to tell’.

This is not a criticism exercise of our larger publisher family; it’s a recognition that smaller specialist publishers fulfil a much needed specialist gap.

Independent, indie, specialist, boutique, niche; whatever we are called, our top four strengths are:

1.     AUTHENTICITY: authors have more interaction with the owners of specialist publishers.  Owners like us invest their time, energy and of course money directly into your work.  We invest directly in your success.  Getting to ‘know, like and trust’ your publisher represents a journey taken by authors.  Veteran authors, although wordsmiths, can often find the publishing world unfamiliar and often intimidating.  We strongly believe that you and your book are unique and that success lies in a strong author-publisher relationship.

2.     MARKETING: specialist publishers offer more opportunity for specialist marketing and targeting of audiences, never generic, relevant. They know your audience, where to find it and have embedded themselves into its ecosystem.  They understand your audiences’ needs and their pain points.  Our decision to specialise in Military Thought was due to perceiving a need for a platform where officers (retired or serving) could be curious about their profession and be able to share with peers.

3.     PRODUCT: specialist publishers can be innovative and experimental and they are usually trying new things all of the time.  They tend to have a tightly focussed list, and they don’t classify titles into ‘key titles’ and ‘everything else’.  We strive to add value to your work and never publish without a full publisher review and feedback on how to make the most of your research.  We are committed to publishing the best books available as reputation is everything.

4.     VISION: specialist publishers often have a very specific plan in mind.  It is not always about profit, more often than not it is about recognition, brand identity and community participation.  We want to be the go-to source for military thinking, defence publishing and national security literature.  We want to make it easy to find information, we want to positively influence how war and warfare are understood.

What makes Howgate Publishing different?

We are more than a publisher — we are partners in storytelling. We:

·      Collaborate closely with our authors to solve challenges

·      Uphold strong values, integrity, and a commitment to excellence

·      Publish only high-quality works that enhance military knowledge and professional development

·      Actively promote and advocate for every author and every book we release.

Specialist  publishers are: experimental, tough, non-conformist, expert, focussed and have a burning zeal for your profession.

Who wouldn’t want to be part of that.

Contact us at: info@howgatepublishing.com