Dear readers,

Over the past ten years, Valley Press has published almost 150 books, in a dozen different genres, by writers from nearly every corner of Yorkshire and the world – maintaining rigorous editorial and design standards in the process. We've been blessed by a few pots of funding in our time, but at present we are reliant entirely on book sales to stay operational.

Chasing literary triumphs rather than commercial ones, and working with authors who aren't national celebrities (yet!) can make sales unpredictable, and the business of publishing an incredibly risky proposition. If I might resort to metaphor, we are walking on a tightrope over a chasm without a net.

So, for the first time, we're offering readers the chance to support us long-term with a subscription offer. For a one-off payment of £40 (plus postage, depending on your location), subscribers will receive four books of their choice – one per season over a twelve-month period – plus four issues of an exclusive new printed newsletter, with all our latest behind-the-scenes news and the details of any opportunities for writers. We will also drop in the occasional postcard and bookmark, featuring some of our wonderful cover art.

Tempted? All you need to do is press 'buy paperback' at the top of the page, then go to the basket/checkout and pay as you usually would. If you'd like a double, gold-standard subscription (eight books a year), or even a triple-platinum subscription (twelve books), just press 'buy' twice or three times, and you'll get two/three books a quarter instead of one (hooray!)

We'll be in touch shortly afterwards to ask for your first book choice(s), then again every three months. You can choose any title from our list, by the way, of any price, so make the most of it! Alternatively, if that sounds like a lot of work, you can choose a "surprise" subscription where we choose the books for you (and in fact this version is £4 cheaper, just enter discount code 'SURPRISEME' at the checkout.) In your fourth and final delivery, we'll give you a little nudge to ask if you want to subscribe for another year, but there's no obligation of course.

Meanwhile, Christmas is coming, and it's worth pointing out that a VP subscription would make a marvellous gift idea. If you'd like to buy a subscription for someone else, just check out for yourself as normal, then let us know the details of the lucky recipient when we get in touch re: your first book. We'll put a special message in the first delivery to let them know it's a gift.

Thanks for reading, especially if you go ahead and subscribe – you'll be making a big contribution to our future, and all of us at Valley Press (as well as future authors and readers) will be eternally grateful.

– The Valley Press team