It’s all about the drama

Posted on June 25, 2016 in Uncategorized

by Konstantinos Vasdekis, Production and Digital Editor at Oberon Books (@OberonBooks)

Coming from a trade publishing background, I knew working at an independent drama and performing arts publisher would be a different experience. On paper, Oberon Books is a small company of ten people, based not in a fancy area with glamorous offices, but in a private residence on Caledonian Road. Numbers say otherwise however; with an impressive output of over 100 new titles each year, an eBook list of 1200 titles, and counting, as well as an even more extensive backlist catalogue.

I work in design and production, and from my first week, I realised that this is indeed a particular type of publishing. Apart from theatre practice, dance and biographies, the vast majority of the books is playtexts. This means that your client is the theatre (or other times the production company) who are purchasing copies to sell as a programme text. They are the ones supplying, checking and ultimately signing off the production credits, the biographies for the cast and creative team and any other related information that go into the prelims, before the text begins. The publication date is not the one on which books hit the shelves of a bookstore. It is the night of the first performance, and it simply cannot be missed. And you don’t get lead times of a few months to work on a project. From the moment a script lands on your desk for typesetting, through to printing and delivery, you have no more than three to four weeks. Often even less.

Drama publishing also has its own time zone. There is a constant back and forth of feedback. There is no 9am-6pm rule, corrections come in at any time of the day (or night!). Given that rehearsals are ongoing, there are several edits or rewriting of a particular scene, sometimes right up to the last minute. In our business, turnaround times are so fast, that even minutes can – and have on a number of occasions – determine whether you deliver on time for that coveted first night or not. If you are able to re-submit those pdf files literally moments before printing commences, that is.

I have been here for just over two years now. Oberon is not simply publishing books about theatre, it is an operation run by theatre people who love publishing books. A very different publishing environment, with a strong family feel, non-stop volume of work and ‘crazy’ deadlines.

And this is what makes it so exciting. The interaction with a different world of renowned playwrights, innovative theatre-makers and talented artists. The thrill of working on the playtext of a West End production, or seeing the greatest male dancer of his generation signing his book that you just published. And perhaps, every now and then, the opportunity to change the world – theatre can do that, trust me.