Category Archives: Uncategorized

Irish Tales from Coolshannagh
Christo Loynska

The Untimely Demise of Friday the Pig
Irish Tales from Coolshannagh


Coolshannagh is an ordinary Irish village situated on the coast halfway between Dublin and Belfast.
The villagers are pretty ordinary too; Father Joe, a clubfooted priest who likes to dance; Duffy the bar owner who runs a great pub; Stochelo a Gypsy bandolier and his mighty son Miquel; Eamonn McGarvey who loved his pet pig; Ludmilla the one handed Ukrainian Headmistress who escaped the anti-Jewish pogroms of 1881; Mary-Ellen the village elder, wise-woman, and nurse in the Crimean War; Vincenti Quilto the Italian Matchmaker and teller of unlikely fables; Father Dan, a guilt ridden whiskey priest decorated for bravery in the First World war and The Diabhal (Devil) also comes calling intent upon mischief.
Published: Feb 2020
Paperback: 260 pages
Price: £9.99
ISBN: 9-781913-425074

UK Only
£9.99 (+ £2.50 postage)
Number of copies:

Available on Amazon

So, just an unremarkable Irish village going about its daily business; hum-drum times punctuated by birth, death, love, not much hate (except the Devil for whom hate is his only purpose).
And every word is true…
at least according to my father who came from Coolshannagh and passed these tales on!
Reviews...

Debbie Turfrey - Authorised buyer
5 out of 5 stars Beautifully written Irish tale
This is a wonderful book, a whimsical yarn which flows beautifully!
In true Irish story teller style, the author weaves the threads of the story together.
I would highly recommend it to anyone!


Midlife: Problems and Solutions – A Jungian Perspective on the Midlife Crisis
Renata Symonds

This book is the distillation of the professional wisdom of Renata Symonds (1913 – 2007), a London-based Jungian psychotherapist.
She deals with the perennial problems of humankind that may particularly become evident at the threshold of the second half of life: finding meaning in one’s existence; facing conflicts in work and marriage; dealing with depression, loneliness, and sexuality; and fear of death.
These great themes are explored from the perspective of the writer’s experience in helping people become aware of the unconscious aspects of their problems, especially through dream analysis. Many cases are described of how clients in this way – rather than by resorting to medical drugs to suppress symptoms – make real progress not only in resolving their difficulties but also in achieving inner growth as well.
No dry treatise or self-help book – how to recognise if you’re going through a midlife crisis and what to do about it – Renata Symonds speaks with warmth and enthusiasm of her approach to her clients’ difficulties. The text is enriched by references to Jung and Freud and contains many literary and mythological allusions.
This book will be of interest to the general reader with a basic knowledge of Jung’s ideas, as well as those undergoing or contemplating psychotherapy.
Published: October 2018
Hardback: 206 pages
Price: £20.00
ISBN: 9-781912-419432

£20.00 (+ £2 postage)
Number of copies:


Available on Amazon

Reviews...

An Army Veteran’s Journey by Narrowboat
Martin Farmer

9781911175797 Looking back a furniture van would have been a more practical and much quicker way to relocate, but not so much fun. Convinced by watching far too many Youtube “The end is nye” documentaries the author decided that drastic measures were needed to safe guard his future. At the same time and probably more realistically fulfilling a long and growing need to escape from his institutionalised lifestyle and exile in southern England. Financially the only options available to him were a cardboard box, or a boat. It was a close run thing but he eventually settled on the life a float choice. As an ex soldier extensive travel and a nomadic life style were familiar. Although |other than the Harwich to Hamburg ferry clueless about anything that floated The story begins in a marine in Watford where a suitably priced boat was purchased. It was decided after a year or so of getting the hang of things and wasting lots of money, that a change of scenery and a different boat was becoming more than just a dream…or nightmare! 
Published: Jan 2018
Paperback: 222 pages
Price: £9.00
ISBN: 9-781911-175797
Available from Amazon
After getting reacquainted with an old buddy the decision was made to travel the two hundred and ten miles by canal to chirk in northeast Wales, alone…almost. Not a romantic tale of hot and sunny days filled with relaxed and tranquil cruising. Trying his hardest, the entire journey was completed in nineteen days, despite boasts from some that the journey could be completed in around four to six days. If the time taken wasn’t a record then the number of mishaps, encounters with interesting characters and the abysmal weather surely was. A slightly tongue in cheek account of a sometimes reluctant and of course grumpy-ish boater. The adventure takes us via one or two tangents from a “lock virgin” to almost expert helmsman… who still hates canals and boats!
 
Reader Reviews... B GIBSON A book that kept me on the edge of my ... A book that kept me on the edge of my seat waiting for the author to join the fish, or see what other bit of boating equipment he would loose next. ie tennis balls on a boat? A must for anyone thinking of taking to the water for the first time with information on what to do and what not to do. Amazon Customer Excellent read, witty and funny it gives a great ... Excellent read, witty and funny it gives a great account of what it is really like on the water, (canals). A must for all Narrow Boat enthusiasts.  

Reader’s Copies for Writers

Reader’s Copies  – a special YouCaxton service for writers.

Reader’s copies are plain, white paperback books designed for circulation among friendly critics at an early stage. Critical readers can be an enormous benefit to authors because their feedback is likely to come from different perspectives – style, structure, story-line, grammar, continuity, factual accuracy – and once a book is in a bound, printed form it is far easier for them (and you) to view it objectively as a finished product.

What is a Reader’s Copy?

A reader’s copy is a pre-publication version of your book.
The purpose is to see your manuscript in book-format and to have the book criticised at an early stage by friends and colleagues who can give you constructive feedback.
The reader’s copy will also help you to consider some of the design aspects of your book such as book-size, number of pages, type-size, typeface and margins.
Reader’s copies can also be useful as low-cost, archive copies of texts that you choose not to bring to publication.
There are three standard sizes: 6 x 9 inches, 5.5 x 8.5 inches and 5.25 x 8 inches

How does it work?

1. Send us your manuscript in Word format.
2. We check it and let you know if we’re able to produce a Reader’s Copy from it.
3. We convert the Word file to a print-ready PDF.
4. We add page-numbers and standard front-matter including title pages and contents.
5. We produce a standard white cover, printed with your book-title, subtitle and author-name.
6. We produce as many copies as you need.
The whole process takes about three weeks.

How much does it cost?

Preparation of print-ready files and printer-upload fee: £50
Note that if you subsequently decide to publish your book with YouCaxton,
the £50 fee can be credited against the cost of typesetting the finished book.

The cost of printing is 70p plus 1p per page

Example print cost for a book of 200 pages
Preparation and Upload fee: £50
+ £2.70 per copy (200 pages at 1p per page plus 70p for the cover)
+ Delivery/postage at cost

Note that subsequent orders can be placed for additional books but there is an admin fee of £10 per order

Optional extras

Add an image to the front cover – supplied by the Author: £15
Add back cover Blurb – supplied by the Author: £15

Professional services

Layout and typesetting of interior: £175
Full cover design and layout: £175
Proof reading: £8 per 1000 words
Copy-editing: £8 per 1000 words

Can I get Reader’s Copies if my book is in colour or large format?

Yes – but we would need to work out a special price for you.

How do I get started?

Just contact us by email at newbooks@youcaxton.co.uk

or use the Contact form from the Menu

A selection of poems about war – from the Boer War to the present day
Sir Michael Leighton

9781909644427 This is Sir Michael Leighton’s third book of poems to be published. It is a carefully arranged selection of poems about wars – from the Boer War to the present day. They express a strong sense of the waste that is war, but also an equally strong sense of the great inspiration that can be had from those who fought them on our behalf. His positive message is that we should cherish our heritage. The photographs and pictures from Loton Park and elsewhere are mostly published for the first time, and provide a vivid commentary.
Published:November 2015
Hardback:48 pages
Price:£12.50
ISBN:9-781909-644427





Sir Michael Leighton Bart., 11th Baronet of Wattlesborough and current resident of the magnificent Loton Park, on the Shropshire/Wales borders, 34th in descent of his family. He has for some years been an ardent conservationist, ornithologist, wildlife photographer and poet.
He has completed a film on his lifelong passion, the Red Kite, which has been aired on National television. He was instrumental in the re-introduction of this bird back to the Welsh Hills and has formed areas of his estate for wildlife conservation.
A keen motorsport enthusiast, Sir Michael was also responsible for the formation of the National Hill Climb event, which takes place during the summer months in the Deer Park.

History of medieval Weymouth and its evolution as a trading port.
James Crump

9781909644809 Weymouth is usually thought of as a ‘Georgian’ town, but this book shows how much of the physical appearance of the town was determined many years before the arrival of George III himself. It examines the parallel histories of the twin towns of Weymouth and Melcombe Regis from the eleventh century to the end of the sixteenth, charting their rise and subsequent decline. It explains how their early growth was based on the great medieval trades of wool and wine and how growth was influenced by their connections with France which developed particularly in the years of the Angevin Empire. Their later decline was caused by the disruption of these trades and by the ravages of war in the Channel, part of the great conflict with France known as the ‘Hundred Years’ War’. In the midst of this the population was overwhelmed by the catastrophe of the Black Death.
Published:7th July 2015
Paperback:112 pages
Price:£6.99
ISBN:9-781909-644717
Available from Amazon

Pay with PayPal
£6.99 (+ £2 postage)

James Crump read modern history at the University of Oxford and taught school students, undergraduates and extramural classes for many years. Before moving to Dorset he has written on social and industrial history subjects mainly in northern contexts. He has been researching Dorset history for many years and is especially interested in the early history of towns.

Reviews...

George Butterworth Memorial Volume
Wayne Smith

9781909644632 George Butterworth, a close friend of Vaughan Williams, composed some of the most enchanting and acclaimed English music of his time. He was killed during the battle of the Somme as dawn broke on the 5th August, 1916. Owing to the severity of the fighting his body was buried where he lay, the site marked by a simple wooden cross never to be rediscovered. Consequently his name occurs among the 73,357 listed on the Thiepval ‘Memorial to the Missing’. For his actions during the last few weeks of his life, George was awarded two Military Crosses and put forward for a third. In 1918 his father, Alexander Kaye Butterworth, privately published a ‘Memorial Volume’ for family and friends, of which only a handful of copies are known to have survived. It consists of a collection of tributes and letters of appreciation (including a moving contribution from Vaughan Williams) that he had received, alongside reviews of George’s music and concerts.
Published:15th June 2015
Paperback:150 pages
Price:£10
ISBN:9-781909-644632
Available from Amazon

Pay with PayPal
£10.00 (+ £2.50 postage)

The main part of the book consists of George’s own ‘War Diary and Letters’ – a document of historic importance publicly available here for the very first time. This anniversary edition has been produced to mark the centenary of George Butterworth’s death and as a tribute to all of those whose place of rest remains unknown. For them, his ‘Banks of Green Willow’ has become an unofficial anthem.