READERSVOICE.COM aims to collect a few interesting reading tips. Sometimes the best publishing option is to publish yourself. Blaise van Hecke’s publishing firm Busybird helps authors achieve this.

READERSVOICE.COM: What started you in the publishing and printing industry?

BLAISE van HECKE: I have always been a story teller. After leaving school I was a photographer and studied photography and I was a portrait photographer for a number of years. In 2006, I went back to school to study writing and editing to finish my novel but discovered a love of publishing. This steered me into becoming a publisher.

RV: There is a long history of hybrid publishing and I was wondering if you modelled Ladybird on particular businesses you’d seen, or where you’d learned the trade.

BvH: I mix, actually. I was fortunate to come into the industry at a time when technology was really advancing in terms of production. I wanted to have a business that is very transparent about how they work and how we help authors, unlike partnership publishers who don’t look after people.

RV: What would be the most common amount of copies people would request in a print run of their book?

BvH: This is changing as technology changes. At most we suggest 1000 copies if they have a ready-made market. But with print on demand options, it’s as easy to just get 20 at a time.

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