I have established a new publishing brand. The purpose of BOOX is to publish realistic fiction and biographies set in the post-war period (from 1945 onwards) and based on working life. The first release from the publisher is my own books From Damgaard to Microsoft, 5,460 Miles from Silicon Valley and Tumult in Mecca. BOOX will also publish the following books in the Henrik Bertelsen series. However, as the owner and director of the publishing house (and everything else – it’s just me and several freelancers in the shop), I’m open to publishing other people’s books, too. The model is that I pay for the publishing, and then we share the profits according to a formula we agree on. The publishing bandwidth is initially limited to a few books a year, so the needle’s eye is relatively narrow. If you’d like to publish on BOOX, send me a synopsis and a reading sample of about 10 pages.

“Art is something you live for, not by.”

The words came from a gallery owner I once rented a space from. Because the publishing world is somewhat similar, the phrase pops into my consciousness periodically. Most people who paint, sculpt, write, play or engage in any other creative musical activity don’t do it for a living. They do it as a hobby and enjoy it immensely. Others try to make a living from it and fail. Only a few find a way through and gain a following large enough to put bread on the table, a roof over their heads, clothes on their bodies, gas for their cars, and money for summer holidays and Christmas presents. Boox is not philanthropic or looking for a sure-fire commercial blockbuster. It’s the story and the quality of the storytelling that counts. If I like it, I publish it.

Why on earth am I creating a new publishing brand?

Because my other brand, TBK Publishing, is unsuitable for publishing fiction and biographies. In 2013 I published my first book, Management Consulting Essentialsfrom my company, TBK Consult. It’s a small book of just over 100 pages, written for people who want to or already run a business as an independent management consultant (not a freelancer or operational contract worker). At the time, I had been doing this myself for a number of years and wanted to share my experiences. When in 2015 I published Building Successful Partner Channels, which would become an international bestseller, I had set up TBK Publishing as an activity under TBK Consult. In addition to books, TBK Consult also publishes whitepapers, videos and podcasts. The publications cover topics related to business development in B2B software companies. The ambition with TBK Publishing was, and still is, to support my consulting company TBK Consult, and it has been a success. Numerous assignments have started with someone reading one or more of my works and then contacting me for help with their specific challenges. But the books themselves are selling so well that I have been further motivated to write more. There appears to be a need for a structured and easy-to-understand account of how the target audience, B2B software companies, tackle the design and implementation of stable, predictable and scalable revenue generation processes. But I also like to write fiction, and my debut with Tumult in Mecca has only stimulated my motivation. Over the past few years, I’ve been coaching and editing for other writers and found this type of work highly stimulating and intellectually challenging. I’d like to do more of that too, and the books don’t have to be published by BOOX, but they can be if they’re good, I have the capacity and the subject fits the brand’s profile and purpose.

All the practicalities

Formally, BOOX ApS is a subsidiary of TBK Consult ApS and operates under the same company registration number. The website, boox.nu, redirects to hpbech.com, which during the spring will be adjusted to only contain fiction and biographies. TBK Publishing ApS is also a secondary name for TBK Consult ApS and is therefore legally the same as BOOX ApS. The division of the publications, which do not have the same target group, is done solely to give the two brands a sharper profile. It is only for marketing purposes that I will be running two brands in the future. During the spring of 2024, I will transfer Balladen i Mekka, Fra Damgaard til Microsoft and 5,460 Miles from Silicon Valley to BOOX, fine-tune and document the brand’s vision and strategy and create a profile on the book industry guide. Maybe there will be a time when I again can be found at the fall book fair in Bella Center. PS. BOOX is also the name of a company that makes e-readers, but I believe that our activities are so far apart that there is no confusion. I hope they see it the same way. Or that they appreciate the extra exposure.