It’s a great feeling to have been shortlisted for an award as prestigious and far-reaching as the NatWest Everywoman awards

Monday, 20 November 2017

Lucy McCarraher, Managing Editor of one of the UK’s most prolific and well-respected hybrid publishers Rethink Press, is one of three nominees for the prestigious NatWest Everywoman in Business Athena Award. The awards celebrate the best in British female entrepreneurship and the Athena category celebrates inspirational women whose businesses have been trading for six to nine years.

The story of Lucy’s impact on the wider entrepreneurial world is best told through the success of Rethink Press and its authors. This year, the hybrid publisher has helped around 65 entrepreneurs become authors, and in total Lucy, with her business partner Joe Gregory, has published over 300 books of a business nature.

In fact, 83% of Rethink Press published books achieve Amazon #1 Best Seller status, and at any one time three or four of the top ten business and entrepreneurship books on the site have been published by Rethink Press.

Such is the breadth of Lucy’s impact on entrepreneurs in the UK – as well as Singapore, Australia and Europe – that the organisers of the NatWest Everywoman in Business awards nominated her from a list of impressive women in business.

Speaking about the nomination, Lucy said, “It’s a great feeling to have been shortlisted for an award as prestigious and far-reaching as the NatWest Everywoman awards.

“From day one everything that we’ve done at Rethink Press has been focused around a top-quality offering at great value. It’s rewarding to support first time authors through the stages of planning and writing a book, before finally having something they can be proud of publishing, and which has the power to transform their career and the opportunities that are open to them.

“The publishing industry has changed drastically in the last 20 years, and traditional publishers are struggling to make enough book sales to be profitable, in all but the most successful cases.

“By changing the business model of publishing this type of book, while most publishers focus on authors who sell books, we can focus on books that sell authors.”

In her role at Rethink Press, Lucy McCarraher assists entrepreneurs, businesspeople and coaches gain impact, income and influence through writing their own business or self-help books.

Rethink Press is a quality-focused publishing house that serves clients from around the globe with its diverse team of specialist coaches, writers, editors, designers and typesetters. It guides people through the often-daunting process of publishing their first book.

With her business partner Joe Gregory, Lucy has pioneered a radically different business model to that of traditional publishing houses, and this allows them to focus on the business needs of authors.

Lucy McCarraher is also a successful author in her own right, with ten books to her name including How To Write Your Book Without The Fuss. She says, “It might seem paradoxical, given the current trends for micro-communications on platforms such as Twitter, but being able to put your name to a longer piece of original work really helps to convince people of your expertise.

“Potential clients and partners want to work with the best in the business, and a book helps to prove that’s what you are.

“Without doubt, books about your business methodology have a tangible benefit to business development and lead easily into conversations with the clients you want.

“For example, Tim Farmer, who is a mental capacity specialist, published a book for the medical and legal markets. His book, Grandpa on a Skateboard, summarised his knowledge and process, and was designed with an eye-catching, humorous cover. He did very little marketing but within two months of his book being published his business had doubled.”

Passionate about recognising authors who take different routes to publication, Lucy McCarraher has also founded the Business Book Awards, which celebrates business books from all forms of publishing. Speaking at the launch of the new awards, Lucy McCarraher said, “New methods of business book publishing have come of age and authors, coaches, service providers and publishers in this area deserve to be celebrated.

“Of course, there are other awards for business books, some of which are very prestigious and longstanding. However, they either cover a very niche subject area or they will only accept entries from traditionally-published books. Some of them lack stature because they are judged by the public rather than by professionals.

“The Business Book Awards welcomes every good book and every method of publication. I want to recognise business book publishing and authorship in all its forms, and bring the best authors to public recognition.”
The Natwest Everywoman Awards will be presented on 6 December 2017.

ENDS

Media information supplied by Famous Publicity. For more information, please contact Dom Hogan at dom@famouspublicity.com, George Murdoch at george@famouspublicity.com or 03333 442 341 or Tina Fotherby at tina@famouspublicity.com and 03333 442 341.

Lucy McCarraher, Managing Editor

Lucy McCarraher, Founder and Managing Editor of Rethink Press, started her first publishing company at university, and has been publishing, editing and writing ever since. She has been a magazine and book editor and publisher, print and TV journalist in Australia and the UK; a writers’ agent, and editor for Methuen. As Director of Development at Lifetime Productions International, she developed, wrote and edited UK and international TV and video series, including three series of Runaway Bay, a children’s series shot in Martinique and starring Naomie Harris; Go Wild! with Chris Packham; and the Lovers Guide video series and books.

Lucy became a national expert in work-life balance, writing academic and business reports for clients and authoring The Work-Life Manual and The Book of Balanced Living. Her clients included multinational and blue chip companies, large public sector and voluntary organisations, and SMEs. She has also worked as a coach with many individuals on their work-life balance and personal development.

Lucy is the author of eleven published books, including her best-selling How To Write Your Book Without The Fuss, with her business partner Joe Gregory; and the acclaimed How To Write Fiction Without The Fuss. Her first novel, Blood and Water, was shortlisted in a major competition and published by Macmillan New Writing, followed by Kindred Spirits and Mr Mikey’s Ladies. Lucy’s self-help books include A Simpler Life and The Real Secret, both co-authored with social psychologist, Annabel Shaw. The Real Secret was published by Bookshaker and Lucy subsequently became Commissioning Editor of the publishing company, contributing to its 14-year experience of niche business and self-development books.

Lucy founded Rethink Press Ltd with Joe Gregory (of Bookshaker) in 2011: the company works with entrepreneurs, experts and business owners who want to gain impact, influence and income by writing and publishing their well-written, high quality business or self-help book, blogs and other content. As Managing Editor, Lucy has successfully built the brand, based on a wrap-around suite of quality services for entrepreneurs who want to plan, write, publish and publicise an authoritative, professional and beautiful book, both inside and out.

Lucy became the Publish Mentor for KPI UK in 2013, for KPI Singapore in 2015, and enjoys working with the wide variety of talented KPI entrepreneurs to plan, write, and publish their business books.

She mentors and coaches individual writers; gives keynotes, workshops, masterclasses and webinars in all aspects of writing and publishing; and has a post-graduate diploma (DTLLS) in teaching Creative Writing and Literacy.

About Rethink Press:

Rethink Press works with entrepreneurs, business owners, coaches and consultants to get their book planned, written and published. The publisher draws on 14 years of publishing hundreds of business and self-help books to bring the best possible service to their authors.