Business Gateway Midlothian supported The Wee Book Company Ltd which was founded by Susan Cohen last year, and in year one it is on target to sell 50,000 books.
They aim to produce 22 books of non-fiction Scottish humour and children’s fiction all with positive motivational messages by the end of next year.
Susan said: “The success of my books, which has come as a huge surprise, is down to taking a completely different approach to a self-help book and making it a lot less ‘po-faced’.
“The way I’ve written them seems to appeal to our Scottish sense of humour. It’s not that we shy away from books of substance, far from it, but I reckon that we often don’t want to take ourselves too seriously.
“The ongoing help we’ve have from Business Gateway Midlothian, which has thrown itself wholeheartedly behind us and offered an incredible amount of encouragement has definitely played a major part in our success.
“Growing at such a fast rate has been overwhelming at times however the 121 support has really given me the reassurance I needed to carry on with confidence – it’s great to know that there’s an organisation out there which really has your back.”
Susan’s first book, The Wee Book O’ Grannies’ Sayin’s’flew off the shelves in the run-up to Christmas, 2018, selling out in ten days.
The Wee Book o’ Pure Stoatin’ Joy, the company’s second book, has followed on from the success of Grannies’ and is due to be exported to the States in December.
Other books including Ma Book o’ Clarty Wee Secrets, The Wee Book o’ Cludgie Banter and Big Tam’s Kilted Wurkoots, sold in retail outlets across Scotland including Waterstone’s and Blackwell’s Bookshops, are also a big hit.
The company has also published pantomime king Allan Stewart’s first book, Dear Aunty May, which is being launched at the King’s Theatre Goldilocks and The Three Bears panto in December.
Ann Marie Macaskill, Head of Business Gateway Midlothian said: ‘The Wee Book Company is a great success story for us and I am delighted to see its audience growing from Midlothian, Scotland and beyond. The books are beautifully curated, illustrated and tell a really important story to people of all ages.
“Susan’s passion for writing really shone through at her first appointment with Business Gateway Midlothian when we looked at way to her to identify new routes of funding and marketing, including crowdfunding and trade fairs.
“I am delighted we’ve had the opportunity to work with her and I am confident that the collection of stories – and the business – will continue to grow and be an ongoing success.”
Business Gateway provides support and guidance to new and existing businesses.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
