I have worked with books and their authors for many years now—as a writer, ghostwriter, editor and, occasionally, the person offering a reassuring word when the whole process begins to feel overwhelming.
Setting up Couzens-Lake Publishing therefore seemed a natural next step.
It wasn’t driven by some grand ambition to build an enormous publishing empire. I’ll leave the glass offices, expense accounts and three-hour lunches to somebody else.
My reason was much simpler.
I wanted to help good writers produce good books—and ensure those books had a genuine opportunity to find their readers.
There are more ways of publishing a book today than ever before. That ought to be good news for authors, but it can also make the process remarkably confusing.
Traditional publishers receive far more manuscripts than they can possibly accept. Self-publishing offers freedom, but it can leave an author trying to become a writer, editor, designer, production manager, marketing department and bookseller all at once.
Somewhere between those two extremes, I believe, there is room for a more personal kind of publishing.
Couzens-Lake Publishing has grown naturally from the work I already do through Couzens-Lake Media. I have now worked on more than 30 books, helping people tell stories ranging from personal memoirs and family histories to novels and accounts of remarkable lives.
Every book is different because every author is different.
That matters.
I have never believed that a manuscript should be forced through a production line until the writer’s own voice has been polished out of existence. A good editor and publisher should help authors say what they want to say as clearly and effectively as possible—while ensuring the finished book still sounds unmistakably like them.
I am a writer myself. I understand the doubts, the rewrites and that occasional moment when you become convinced everything you have written is dreadful. I also understand the excitement of seeing a book finally come together.
That combination of practical experience and personal understanding is at the heart of Couzens-Lake Publishing.
And now we have our first title.
John Charles Hall is a Sussex-based author whose writing is deeply rooted in the countryside and farming communities he knows so well.
Having spent his adult life working in agricultural and horticultural businesses, John understands rural communities from the inside. His novels explore how ordinary people continue with their lives when events far beyond their control begin closing in around them.
His first novel, Under the Yew Tree, takes readers back to 1940 and imagines Southern England under Nazi occupation. At its centre are Joseph and Julia, two young people attempting to live, love and resist while their close-knit Sussex farming community adjusts to the presence of an occupying force.
The story continued in Ash Before Oak, as the English Resistance became increasingly determined to defend its landscape, its people and its way of life.
John’s books are grounded in the rhythms of rural existence, but the questions they ask are much wider ones. How do communities respond when everything familiar is threatened? How far will ordinary people go to protect one another? And how does everyday life continue when history comes marching through the front gate?
Couzens-Lake Publishing is delighted to be publishing John’s new novel, One Way Traffic.
It is John’s third novel and the first title to appear under the Couzens-Lake Publishing name—a significant moment for both of us.
John has a natural understanding of people, place and the often complicated relationships that hold a community together. His characters feel like people we might recognise: imperfect, resilient and attempting to find their way through circumstances they did not necessarily choose.
That humanity is central to One Way Traffic. You can find out more about John and his work on the Latest News section on this website.
It is also exactly the sort of writing I want Couzens-Lake Publishing to support: accessible, engaging storytelling from an author who has something worthwhile to say and knows how to say it.
Publishing a book is only the beginning.
Over the coming weeks, we will be announcing events to support and publicise One Way Traffic, including opportunities to meet John, hear him talk about the novel and discover more about the experiences and ideas behind his writing.
Details of appearances, interviews and a proposed launch event will follow shortly through this website and our social-media channels.
We would also be delighted to hear from bookshops, libraries, reading groups, community organisations and suitable venues interested in hosting an event with John.
This might be a traditional author talk and signing, an informal question-and-answer session or an event shaped specifically around your audience.
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss the possibilities.
The publication of One Way Traffic is the start of a new chapter for Couzens-Lake Publishing—and, I hope, the first of many worthwhile books.
If you have written a novel, memoir, family history or other work which you believe deserves to reach a wider audience, I would be pleased to hear from you.
Why come to me?
Because you will be dealing directly with a published author, experienced ghostwriter and editor who understands both the creative and practical sides of producing a book.
You will not disappear into a large and anonymous system.
I will read your work properly, speak honestly about its potential and explain what may be required to prepare it for publication. If I believe I can help, we will work together closely while protecting the voice and character that made the book yours in the first place.
I cannot promise that every manuscript will be suitable for publication—and I would be doing no author any favours if I did.
What I can promise is personal attention, straightforward advice and genuine respect for the time, effort and emotion you have invested in your writing.
For publishing enquiries, or to discuss hosting an event with John Charles Hall in support of One Way Traffic, please contact:
Edward Couzens-Lake
Couzens-Lake Publishing
Email: edward@couzenslakemedia.com
Telephone: 07484 253473
