A BOOK of poetry that was published as a secret birthday present for the writer has been shortlisted for a major literary prize.
Believed to be one of the first self-published books to be nominated for such a prestigious award, The Last Pair of Ears, a book of poetry and short stories by Mary McDonough, began as a present to her from her husband and children for her birthday.
Now available as a self-published book, the volume is up against five other titles - including the debut of broadcaster Kirsty Wark - for the title of First Book of the Year at the forthcoming Saltire Society Literary Awards.
Martyn Clark, Ms McDonough's husband and the publisher of the book, said it was "surreal" to see it shortlisted for the prize.
Ms McDonough, who lives in Glasgow's south side, put together the collection of poetry and prose for her Masters in Creative Writing, which she was studying at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, but after completing it "left it sitting on a shelf".
Mr Clark said: "She just left it and started work on her PhD and I said: 'When are you going to publish it?'
"We had talked about publishing short stories and poems, and it was clear there was no reason to do it for the money, and we also had some concerns over how poetry books are produced. So I said 'I'll produce it one day'."
Mr Clark added: "I thought it was too good to leave unpublished, and concocted a plan for her birthday last year.
"The kids and I made a video to raise enough money via Kickstarter to print 50 hand-bound copies for friends and family, and in the process of speaking to printers, publishers and distributors about the wider possibilities, realised that starting our own publishing house would probably be an easier and quicker option."
Enough money was raised by crowd-funding through Kickstarter for the book to be printed and it is now sold by the couple's company, Gadfly Consulting and is also available to buy on Amazon.
The book is up against Niall Campbell's Moontide, Kate Horsley's The Monster's Wife, Kirsty Logan's The Rental Heart, Anneliese Mackintosh's Any Other Mouth and Kirsty Wark's The Legacy of Elizabeth Pringle for the Saltire award.
Mr Clark said: "Mary and I had spoken before about starting a publishing house, so I thought I'd have a look at what was involved.
"Basically anyone can … create a publishing house. I just did it the hard way, start to finish, in a four-week period over Christmas.
"Somehow, I found myself accidentally starting a publishing house.
"I didn't set out to do that. I'd only meant to create a handmade gift, and to get Mary's work out there a bit, to help her along as a writer."
Ms McDonough added: "The stories I chose to write about are somehow universal.
"Everybody worries about being alone. Everyone worries about dying, whether they acknowledge it or not.
"I've taken very personal stories and abstracted them.
"Somehow poetry and creative writing allows me to turn the personal into something that's universal, something that everybody can, to some degree, relate to."
The winners of the Saltire Society literary awards will be announced on November 11.
Unveiling the shortlist earlier, Saltire Society executive director Jim Tough said: "Once again, this year's judging panel has been truly impressed by the quality and range of books to be considered.
"Ranging from poetry and plays to novels and non-fiction, extending the length and breadth of the country and far beyond, here is a wealth of contemporary literature written by Scots or inspired by Scottish culture, landscape and history."
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