There’s nothing like a bit of personal experience to stand you, and then others, in good stead.
Take Geoff Blore, for instance. Geoff, who lives in Ludlow, wrote a book about life as an evacuee in World War II called Dicky Blood’s War, which has now sold thousands of copies. Nearly 8,000 to be precise. But it was no easy ride to get it published in the first place.

He was turned down by literally dozens of publishers and Geoff has used that disheartening experience to launch Dicky Blood’s Books, a publishing company dedicated to helping non-fiction authors writing about either times of war or the forces.

The company plans to publish one new book a month under its own name, starting with a book about a Shropshire D-Day landings soldier.

“I know how frustrating it is for authors because I was turned down by 33 publishers before thinking ‘blow them, I’ll do it myself!’” says Geoff, from Hillside in Ludlow.

“I went to see someone, who later became an excellent friend, and he helped me publish it. A lot of people thought I wouldn’t get anywhere. Nationally known book shops turned me down flat because they said there was no interest, but I proved them all wrong.”

Referring to Dicky Blood’s Books, he explains: “We have got our sources and we have already got seven in the pipeline. At first we concentrated on the Shropshire area, but these writers are actually based all over the country.”

Geoff is well known in the Ludlow area, not only for his literary feats but also for his charity work.

In 2004, at the age of 73, he walked and cycled over 2,000 miles and visited 150 schools. At each school Geoff left a copy of his book Dicky Blood’s War and information about his massive fund raising walk in 2005 which raised £97,000.

If he shows the same determination running Dicky Blood’s Books, the company will surely have a rosy future.

Visit www.dickybloodsbooks.com

By Henry Carpenter