I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when the email pinged on my phone. It was lunchtime, and I was sitting with my partner at her dining table, about to tuck into a sandwich. I am not a fan of using phones at the dining table, but I had been receiving a few emails over the past few weeks from publishers thanking me for submitting my manuscript, only to inform me that they would not be publishing my work. Almost all included a sentence about their rejection not being a reflection of the quality of my writing; the first time I read this, I was heartened, but after the third or fourth, I realised it was just something that publishing companies did. This email was different, though. I felt a massive bolt of adrenaline surge through my body when I read the line that said something to the effect of "We loved the book and would like to publish it." As I continued reading, my heart began to sink. This company, which will remain nameless, were not a 'traditional...