1. What are your aims with Manifold?
We felt that the UK was under-represented in the e-publishing market and wanted among other things to provide a forum for British-based authors. We also wanted to emphasise plot and romance as opposed to graphic sexuality, which is already abundantly available in other publications.
2. What do you do that other people don’t?
We are prepared to explore unusual or unconventional scenarios which may not be acceptable elsewhere; part of the reason we can do this is because we are small enough (and ready and willing) to be able to give individual authors and their work a considerable amount of attention.
3. Why Manifold Press? What’s the thinking behind the name?
We thought that ‘Manifold’, in the sense of ‘many and various’, would be appropriate for our inclusive philosophy, and we also liked the embedded pun since our main output will be male-male fiction.
4. What’s your background?
Thirty years as a writer and sixteen running successful multimedia zine publishing operations. I have organised more than a dozen conventions ranging in size from microscopic to massive, and professionally I have been an office manager and administrator in several different types of business.
5. Goodness, it seems that you have enough on your plate already. Why are you doing this to yourselves?

All our lives had reached the point where we felt we were ready for new challenges, and at the same time we were unable to discover a source of the kind of fiction we particularly enjoy. The answer seemed obvious – that we should really do something about it ourselves. We tried our hardest to avoid it, but in the end there was no escape – and Manifold Press was the inevitable result!
6. What are you looking for from would-be writers?
First and foremost, originality; we are looking for fresh new ideas and ways of expressing them. We are also hoping to attract writers who share our commitment to quality and are willing to work with us towards achieving it.
7. Tell us some random and quirky things about the company and its owners!
Everything about us is random and quirky; we are all cat-loving quilters who have been involved in reading and writing male-male fiction for decades. Our major motivation in this is to make the characters happy, although at times we may have to make them thoroughly miserable first.

Manifold Press’s first novels are published 1st May – Aloes by Chris Quinton, Dear Mister President by Adam Fitzroy, End of the Trail by Jane Elliot, and Sea Change by Chris Quinton