In five years of running whitefox, here are some of the key things we’ve concluded that seem to matter most to both publishers and freelancers.

We spoke to Rowland White, bestselling author and Publishing Director at Michael Joseph, an imprint of Penguin Random House. He talked to us about the omnipresent Ladybird humour books, dogs in publishing and the shift away from aspirational reading lists.

We interviewed Miranda West, publisher of DO Books. Miranda has worked in publishing, mainly in commissioning and editorial, for fifteen years. She set up DO Books after discovering the DO Lectures, which take place in various places throughout the UK every year. The lectures and books inspire attendees to take action for positive change, be it personal, environmental or for business. DO Books are concise guides written by DO Lectures speakers, who range from experts in industry disruption to experts in sourdough bread.

We spoke to Charles Thiede, co-founder of Zapnito, a platform where individuals can leverage a comprehensive network of experts and influencers. We spoke to Charles about setting up the company, working with publishers and the upside to rejection.

David Shelley joined Little, Brown as Editorial Director in 2005, after five years running the publishing at independent publisher Allison & Busby. Initially commissioning mainly crime and thriller novels and overseeing the audio and ebook lists, he became Sphere Publisher in 2007, then Little, Brown Deputy Publisher in 2009, and Publisher in 2011. Authors he has worked with include Mitch Albom, Mark Billingham, Dennis Lehane, Val McDermid and J.K. Rowling/Robert Galbraith. He was appointed CEO of Little, Brown and Orion in July 2015.

We spoke to Fleur Clarke, Senior Digital Marketing Executive at Hodder and Stoughton about her blog, things to keep in mind when embarking on a campaign, and her advice to newcomers in publishing.

We spoke to Hattie Adam-Smith, Senior Marketing Manager at Michael Joseph and one of 2016's Unsung Heroes of Publishing, about how she got her start in publishing, a typical day at her office and her favourite reads.

We spoke to Natasa Lekic, founder of NY Book Editors, a highly curated and experienced editorial collective, about elevating the quality of self-published writing, the New York publishing community, and the importance of choosy editors.

This year, whitefox will celebrate four years of trying to create a new business model within the world of publishing. Many of the conversations we were having back in late 2011 and early 2012 which must have seemed somewhat outlandish or unnecessary to some people are now taken for granted. No one now blinks at the talk of more outsourcing, the need to bring down fixed-costs, the drive for greater trust, transparency and quality, vetted services within self-publishing. It is accepted that freelance professionals will play an increasingly important role operating in the space between writers and readers.

It was hard to ignore the overriding sense from all authors attending the recent Bookseller Author Day conference of the desire for greater transparency, regardless of whether you are traditionally published or not. So it is in that spirit that I tell of a conversation this week with a writer whitefox has worked with over the past year, someone without an agent but with a finished manuscript, looking ideally for a traditional publishing partner. Through his own networking, he seems to have found someone potentially interested, a known publisher with many years of output. This publisher has offered him this proposal: they will publish his book, on the understanding that he contributes £9,000 towards the editorial process.