cresent swan.png — You’d be excused for calling anyone trying to start a business mid-pandemic brave; but for **Joseph Chadwick**, **Crescent Swan Publishing** was not born from intrepidness, but from necessity. Having completed his first novel, and eager to understand the process that transforms a manuscript from a series of drafts on a computer, to what you see in your local bookshop; **Chadwick** rounded off 2020 heading up the British based firm. He found the process of setting up the company incredibly valuable, both enjoying the challenge and the learning experience that it offered.

With one title already **released to the world**, and more confirmed to be published over the next two years, **Crescent Swan** is one to keep an eye on if you’re looking for unique voices across an entire spectrum of prose. From literary fiction, to historical fantasy and sci-fi, **Crescent Swan**’s inclusivity means there’s bound to be something for everyone.

This ethos extends to the authors themselves. Crescent Swan's main focus is to celebrate ‘the author’s vision’. With a personable and approachable team of freelancers available to work with the company on a project-by-project basis and collaborate with the authors that provide these unique voices, the publishing house is looking forward to building a strong foundation on which to produce their novels. This means that everything — ranging from conversations around plot structure, to marketing, to even the precise design of the book cover — is led by, not dictated to, the writer. No stone is left unturned without first acknowledging the author’s view on where they see their book.

Though early days, the organisation appears to have built a fairly admirable reach through their social media platforms. After doing my fair share of scrolling through Instagram (it’s research I promise!) I found readers, reviewers and bloggers alike praise the small operation for their openness in communication, as well as their genuine appreciation for reviews of their work shared.

The lion’s share of these posts concern Chadwick’s own work The Briarmen. As the debut offering from both the publisher and from Chadwick himself, this is the most likely result you will come across when searching for Crescent Swan online. The ‘gripping’, ‘exciting’ and ‘touching’ novel has been described as a ‘fairytale for adults’ by numerous reviewers. It follows Hamish Beasly, a young evacuee in the Second World War who is sent to the countryside for his protection; only to discover a hidden race of bush-like creatures that reside in the ominous ‘Woods Beyond the Railway’. From this, Hamish builds a strong relationship not only with these so-called Briarmen, but also with the hardened and assertive Penny, whose home he is living in. Owing to a perilous German plane crash, however, Penny and Hamish are thrust into the action; forced to figure out how to save both the peaceable creatures in the woods, as well as the wider (and oblivious) village community.

Released in April 2021, The Briarmen has received praise for its approach in conjuring a sense of nostalgia for its adult readership. The mix of historical fiction and fantasy have led readers to make comparisons with the wonder and whimsy they felt when reading The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe or Goodnight Mr Tom when younger. That’s not to say the novel can’t stand up on its own as an original story, however. Reviews on Goodreads note the ‘magic’ and ‘charm’ of the characters, backed by ‘seamless’, ‘wistful’ and ‘wholesome’ writing.

Looking ahead, Crescent Swan has recently announced two new authors they are looking forward to working with this year. Both, including White Lies 2016 contributor Alex Smith, have had their works in progress picked up by the publishing group. The writers have expressed their excitement at joining Chadwicks’s start-up at this early stage, recognising the support that can be gained from the company that asserts ‘the author’s vision’.

These offerings only demonstrate Crescent Swan's value in celebrating a variety of unique voices. The next published work, Forsyth’s Fall, switches gears significantly when compared with The Briarmen. The piece of literary fiction explores the grief experienced when forced into a change of pace in life, and the consequences that follow. We are looking forward to seeing Crescent Swan find a place for this more reflective work on their shelves, when compared to the faster paced, character and plot driven elements of The Briarmen.

Still in its first year of operation, Crescent Swan is certainly one to keep an eye on. If the organisation keeps up the momentum built in its first few months of business then expect to see an exciting, insightful and powerful line up in the near future.

For those wishing to be a part of the innovative group of writers that Crescent Swan are building from the ground up, you can see here when the publishing house is open for submissions. Guidance for these submissions can also be found by following the link (though casting a wide net, they are not currently accepting submissions for poetry or children’s work).

Crescent Swan certainly seems to be an exciting new organisation, and it is well worth visiting their instagram page to see some wonderfully arty photo shoots that readers have achieved with their review copies of The Briarmen. With retail now open at this stage of the government’s roadmap for reopening, Crescent Swan aims to champion the value of local bookshops. So, it may well be a good use of your time to get in touch if you are the proprietor of one — or if you just love visiting your local, independent book store!

The Briarmen is out now in the United Kingdom at most well known book retailers. You can also buy a copy here.

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