Where did your love of books originate?
My dad is a children’s book author, and he worked at Walker Books when I was little, so I grew up surrounded by books, and I fell in love with reading from an early age.
Do you have a favourite genre?
My favourite genres are historical fiction and literary fiction, although I read everything from sci-fi to military history.
Have you any desire to write a novel?
Yes, I have a few ideas and I hope to write something myself eventually.
What was your route into the publishing industry?
I was quite lucky – the first internship I undertook landed me a job! After completing my MA in contemporary literature, I applied to a few internships and a was taken on for a month with Endeavour Press. Straight after that I began working with them full-time as a publishing assistant, and now I act as Publishing Director.
How has Endeavour Press evolved in the time since it first took up the challenge of becoming the UK’s leading independent publisher?
Endeavour Press has evolved enormously since I first started work with them in January 2013. Back then we were publishing around 15 books month, and we only had about fifty authors on our books. Now we have five new imprints (Endeavour Press Germany, Venture Press, Pioneering Press, Albion Press and Endeavour Press Creative) and in total we publish 30 books a week, and we have a list of over 500 authors.
Could you tell us about the History Festival and what has been planned?
The virtual history festival we have set up will run from the 18-22 April. We have 50 authors signed up, some from Endeavour Press, and some from other publishing houses, and we will be running various online events, mainly on Twitter and Goodreads. They will include competitions, author interviews, reader Q&As, cover reveals and exclusive extracts from upcoming novels.
What is next for Amy and Endeavour Press?
The great thing about Endeavour Press is you never know what is around the corner! We are in talks about launching more imprints this year, and we are always scouting for new authors to work with. I have also just started a part-time PhD on English women’s writing in the seventeenth century, so hopefully I will be able to find some interesting forgotten texts to add to our classic books imprint.
valerie holmes, author 