One of the most important functions of the Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust is to provide assistance — financial and/or advisory — in publishing automotive books that might otherwise never see light of day. Five such books were published in 2021.
Freestone & Webb: The Story of a British Coachbuilder by James Taylor is published by Herridge & Sons at £50.00. Freestone & Webb was a great name in British coachbuilding for some 35 years, but as demand for coachbuilt car bodies dried up in the 1950s, the company became the first of the Big Five remaining specialists to close. This is the story of a great British coachbuilder, told with the aid of meticulous research and with great affection for the grandeur and style that its products still represent.
The Spider’s Web by John Bradshaw is published by JRB Publishing at £40.00. This book is the comprehensive story of Basil Davenport’s two V-twin GN cyclecar specials, Spider I and Spider II, famous for their giant-killing feats in hillclimbing. Spider I was the scarred and battered-looking special that dominated hillclimbs and sprints throughout the 1920s and 1930s. Spider II is the same old broom, but with new heads and handles over the years, and today still often beats MGs, Rileys, ’Nashes, Bugattis and even ERAs.
Crossley: The Rise of the Sidevalves by Tom Fryars is published by Gorton Publishing at £35.00. The Crossley Motors works competition team participated in sprint events between 1910 and 1914. This book details the story of their success and outlines the motorsport scene in Britain in those formative years when these small-capacity but efficient cars beat and took over from those of ever-increasing capacity, which previously had been judged to be the only route for development
Herbert Austin’s Heavy Twelve-Four by James Stringer is published by Herridge & Sons at £40.00. This book is the first in-depth study of the Austin 12/4. This most worthy of cars epitomised Herbert Austin’s philosophy that his vehicles must demonstrate longevity, robust construction, sound engineering and represent good value for money.
The Lanchester Legacy Volume IV by Chris Clark is self-published by the author at £75. Subtitled ‘A Joyous Pictorial Journey’, this landscape-format book presents photographs from every period and aspect of the Lanchester story, with the unusual novelty of full-colour enhancement of original black-and-white images. The MSMT also supported three previous ‘Lancester Legacy’ titles, starting in 1995: Volume I (1895–1931), Volume II (1931–1956) and Volume III (A Celebration of Genius – Frederick Lanchester).
As we head into 2022, there is no loss of momentum, with two more MSMT-supported books already confirmed for publication in the first three months of the year – see ‘Coming Soon’.
Distinguished motoring author Jonathan Wood is the 2021 winner of the Michael Sedgwick Award with what he has insisted is his last motoring book. The tenth annual award was presented to Hugh Palmer, publisher of Aston Martin & LM10, by the Society of Automotive Historians in Britain (SAHB) in October.
This book has been described as ‘two for the price of one’. Not only is it the history of a particular works car that competed at Le Mans in 1932, 1933 and 1934, but it is also a new and most detailed study of the Aston Martin marque, mainly centred on the pre-1945 period.
One cannot do better than to quote from the review on the SAHB website by fellow author and MSMT Trustee Anders Ditlev Clausager: ‘The pleasure in this book comes from the combination of diligent research and Jonathan’s accessible writing style: it is simply a good read... a delightful and welcome supplement to the established Aston Martin canon.’
Jonathan’s book has also received the Montagu of Beaulieu Trophy, one of the Guild of Motoring Writers’ premier awards, presented at the Guild’s Annual Dinner on 2 December.
Keen-eyed readers may have noticed that the Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust (MSMT) and the Society of Automotive Historians in Britain (SAHB) have a number of projects and individuals in common, perhaps leading to confusion as to the respective roles of these bodies. Unlike the MSMT, the SAHB is a membership organisation comprising historians, and several Trustees of the MSMT are also members of the SAHB. The SAHB originated in 1980 as the UK chapter of the US-based Society of Automotive Historians (SAH), although it is now independent of the SAH.
The first major project connecting the organisations dates back to 2012, when the MSMT was approached with a proposal from the SAHB for financial assistance with its annual publication Aspects of Motoring History (commonly referred to as Aspects). This was new territory as the MSMT had previously only given financial support to books on single subjects whereas Aspects is a collection of historical articles, each individually too short to warrant its own book. The MSMT support for Aspects has continued annually ever since with the most recent Aspects #17.
The second major project, also started in 2012, was one that went in the opposite direction, originating with the Trustees of the MSMT who wished to mark Michael Sedgwick’s contribution to motoring history by inaugurating an annual award for the best book on any automotive subject published in English. The SAHB kindly agreed to undertake the organisation of this competition and have two seminars each year which provide a ready-made forum for the presentation of the award. The SAHB created a special sub-committee who form the judging panel, independent of both the MSMT and the SAHB. All books are eligible for the £250 first prize financed by the MSMT, not just those supported by the MSMT.
Ian Dussek, author and one-man publisher of the Trust-supported H.R.G. – The Sportsman’s Ideal (2010), suggests some guidelines to bring your book up to professional standard.
Don’t be afraid to ask about the technicalities of producing your book. Printing companies, such as Short Run Press, the one I used, are as anxious as you are to make your book a success.
There were three tie-ins to the MSMT at the Royal Automobile Club Motoring Book of the Year Awards, held in London in November.
Graham Robson, one of our longest-serving and dedicated Trustees, sadly died in August. The Royal Automobile Club decided to honour his memory by putting his name to its new award for Best Debut Author. That is entirely fitting because Graham was by some margin the world’s most prolific author of motoring books, with over 170 published in his 50-year writing career.
It was also fitting that the Graham Robson Trophy for Best Debut Author should be presented to Tom Fryars for Crossley: The Rise of the Sidevalves, which received financial assistance from the MSMT. Tom, who has personal experience of these cars as the owner and restorer of the only remaining 20HP 1912 Crossley, is a classic example of an enthusiast turning his special subject into a book so worthwhile that it becomes an award winner.
Finally, another Trustee, Mark Hughes, received the Royal Automobile Club’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Simon Taylor, Chairman of the Judges, said: ‘I’ve known Mark for many years and his editorial skills and experience are second to none in the world of motoring publishing. Not only is he exceptionally good at his job, he carries it out in a calm and efficient manner, and has long been a reassuringly professional presence for authors and publishers alike.’ Mark is pictured (right) receiving the award from Ben Cussons, Chairman of the Royal Automobile Club.
In these uncertain times, traditional publishers have become more wary of specialist books that appeal to only a small number of buyers. Increasingly, authors who have approached the MSMT are opting to self-publish. This has the advantage of allowing the author to draw up the business plan and take any profit from the book directly but the disadvantage of a substantial print bill and the bulk supply of books that have to be stored and distributed.
My experience with publishing on Amazon shows a third way that some authors might find an attractive alternative.
When my ‘miscellaneous memoir’, Wheels within Wheels, failed to appeal to the most likely publishers, I went online to Kindle Direct Publishing, a division of Amazon, and was surprised to find that it will produce a paperback edition and an e-book with no up-front expenditure.
This really is self-publishing, in the sense that you do everything yourself, without any contact with a human being. Kindle Direct Publishing offers pages and pages of advice and guidance on the process, from formatting the manuscript and book cover to setting the size and selling price of the book. It is, as I discovered, wise to follow closely the Kindle Create procedure. I used Microsoft Word, which the system accepts, but departed from the suggested styles – which led to some problems with presentation in the finished product. I also called on a friend, a professional designer, to prepare the cover artwork and picture pages.
There is something surreal about submitting the manuscript and waiting as the disembodied Kindle computer goes through a long series of checks and after 20 minutes identifies pages that need correction, so you have to do it all over again. You see an online ‘proof’ that you approve for publication and the book goes into the Amazon system, to be printed ‘on demand’ when purchased. It has to be reformatted for the Kindle e-book and that brings another set of problems, as what looks satisfactory on a Kindle reader gets jumbled when viewed on a tablet or mobile phone.
My paperback came out pretty well, crisply printed with a laminated cover and colour illustrations of reasonable quality on standard paper (there is a more expensive paper option).
Is this the answer for an aspiring author and motoring historian? It could be – but there are some limitations. Although you can choose a size up to 8.5in x 11in, the book can only be paperback and sold through Amazon. Unless you have better-than-average computer skills (and appropriate software) the design needs to be kept simple; intricate details and inserts are unlikely to reproduce exactly as you envisage.
On the other hand, it doesn’t cost anything to publish, and although Amazon takes up to 85 percent of the cover price, the book can still generate a higher income per sale than the royalties paid by many conventional publishers.
Amazon may not produce your dream hardback volume for perpetuity, but it’s a useful and economical way of getting your message to the outside world.
COMING SOON
Two more MSMT-supported titles due to be published in 2022
Recreational Vehicles by Andrew Woodmansey will be published by Pen & Sword at £47.25 in January 2022. This book explores the ‘strange’ idea of putting a house on wheels and traveling with it, from the concept’s horse-drawn roots through the steam era to the golden age of 1930s caravans and motorhomes.
Formula 1’s Unsung Pioneers by Ian Wagstaff will be published by Evro Publishing at £95 in March 2022. This is the story of the British Racing Partnership, which was active from 1958 to 1964. The team pioneered commercial sponsorship in Formula 1 and also played a significant part in the careers of notable drivers such as Stirling Moss and Innes Ireland.
WHAT IS THE MICHAEL SEDGWICK MEMORIAL TRUST?
The Michael Sedgwick Memorial Trust is a charity, not a membership organization, run by volunteer Trustees who between them have huge experience in writing and publishing books. The Trust exists to encourage new and original research into any aspect of motoring history and to offer financial and other assistance to authors and publishers.
The Trust wishes to see research into motoring history reach the public domain, through publication as books, other printed media, or on the internet. The Trust gives advice to would-be authors and tries to ‘connect’ authors and publishers. The Trust believes that even books with very limited sales potential should be published if the subject matter is worthy and the research is new and comprehensive.
In cases where a publisher or author believes that a subject merits publication but is unlikely to be a viable commercial proposition, the Trust can often offer some financial help to bridge the gap or enable an author to self-publish.
Where research is of a very specialist nature and not commercially viable, the Trust may offer funding to assist with research provided that copies of resulting texts are lodged in selected specialist libraries, County Record Offices, and possibly published on the internet.
Do you have a motoring book idea?
You may have an idea for a publication which would fill a gap in motoring knowledge but do not have the skills to undertake it yourself. Tell us about it – perhaps we can help.
Contact the MSMT Secretary: msegwickmt@gmail.com
