As many of you know (because I mentioned it in a news item earlier in the year), this year is Telos’ tenth anniversary, so it was with pleasure that we discovered that we had been nominated, and then shortlisted for, the 2010 British Fantasy Awards.
We had never won this award, despite having been nominated and shortlisted before, and so at the ceremony, I was obviously hopeful, but with a selection of amazing independent presses in the shortlist, it was not obvious at all who might have won.
The Award is sponsored by the very wonderful PS Publishing (check out their incredible range of books at www.pspublishing.co.uk) and so PS Owners Pete and Nicky Crowther took to the stage to announce the Award. They went through all the candidates, generously praising each for their achievements and the quality of what they did … and then the announcement.
When I heard ‘Telos Publishing’ … it didn’t sink in. I heard it. I couldn’t quite believe it … and then I welled up with tears. Oh goodness me! So I got from my seat and up onto the stage … accepted the Award, nearly knocking it to the floor in my blurry clumsiness … and then I tried to say some words. Those who know me will know that I am rarely lost for words, but I was … and confronted by all my friends in the BFS in a packed room, I kind of lost it. In a mass of emotion and blubbering, I managed to thank the most important people … and then headed back to my seat as I couldn’t say any more. A proper ‘Paltrow’ moment.
What I hope I said, was that Telos does not exist in a vacuum and there are many people to thank for keeping it going for ten years. Foremost my business partner Stephen James Walker. Between us we make all the decisions – easy and difficult – and hopefully do our best to get the books that people want to buy out there. Then there’s Rosemary Howe, who helped set Telos up, and who supported us all the way through. Cudos to my partner Sam, who keeps me sane, wrangles the orders, and who I love so, so much. There’s Debbie Bennett who handles all the online orders for us; and our Webmasters who keep us looking good online: first Roger Anderson, and latterly Anthony Forth. There’s Arnold T Blumberg who keeps our books looking fab inside. All our authors of course, and cover artists … the printers and everyone behind the scenes who make sure that our babies are sent out into the world looking as great as they can.
And of course, to you the readers, and especially if you are in the BFS and voted for us. It means so much to win the award, as it’s voted on by friends and peers and writers and people who I love and admire so much.
So thank you to everyone for giving Telos this accolade. It means a lot, especially in our tenth anniversary.
The full list of Award Winners can be found here: the-winners-of-the-british-fantasy-awards-2010
And for more information and to join the British Fantasy Society, then visit here: http://www.britishfantasysociety.org/index.php/membership
Telos Publishing can be visited online here: www.telos.co.uk
And we’re on Facebook here: Telos on Facebook