Robert Davidson, Managing Director, Sandstone Press, issued the following statement:

Sandstone Press is very proud to be the publisher of Jane Rogers and her novel The Testament of Jessie Lamb, long-listed for this year’s Man Booker Prize. With the announcement of the short list it is apparent that our journey with the competition is at an end for this year. Both the Booker Prize Foundation and its Agency, Colman Getty, have been superbly efficient throughout and a pleasure to work with.

Jane Rogers’ long-listing has given Sandstone Press international recognition, increasing our profile both at home and abroad. As well as being stopped in the street in the Highlands and congratulated, we now have business contact with publishers and literary agents in Australia, Canada, Ireland and the United States which we look forward to developing over the coming months. The benefits for both Jane’s book and our other titles continue to grow and surprise us.

The annual Man Booker Prize is a tremendous stimulus not only to the Trade but also to authors and publishers and readers. We thank everyone involved for their efforts and wish those who have moved to the short-list every success. Only one book can take the prize, but it seems that all can win.

For Sandstone this is a milestone, not a terminus. This year’s Man Booker has raised our profile immeasurably and, from this new, higher platform, it is our intention to continue building.

As a publisher we work from one of the world’s cleanest, greenest and most beautiful locations. Less well known is that it hosts a growing, highly plural and dynamic population including some of Britain’s finest working artists, not only authors but also visual artists such as Kirstie Cohen, who provided the cover image for The Testament of Jessie Lamb. Highland Scotland is a greenhouse for the arts as will become increasingly apparent in time.

We now look forward to a future which includes further success for Jane Rogers and Jessie Lamb and an increasingly strong list for Sandstone Press.

www.sandstonepress.com

Source: Sandstone Press