The premise

The hardest thing – harder than agreeing on ethics, choosing a name, crystallising a mission statement, designing a logo and making decisions across three countries – is explaining what we are.

We're not a small press. We look like one, marked by distinctive visuals and a cohesive identity. We behave like one, actively using the Triskele brand as a trusted stamp of quality. But we're not. We're seven individuals working together to promote writing which deserves to be read. Yeah, I know. Sounds like a small press. But there's a difference.

We're an author collective.

Triskele Books is a platform, a support net, a team of experts, a many-headed organism. It aims to match great books to those discerning readers seeking something a little different.

The characters

Gillian, Liza, Jasper, Catriona, Sheila, Jane and I met via an online critique site. The virtual connection was a necessity – we're spread across Europe, from Anglesey to Zurich. Despite the differences in our genres, we gravitated towards one another, attracted by the quality of one another's writing. Personally, I couldn't understand why these people's books weren't already on the shelves, taking the place of some of the worst mass-produced crowd-pleasers.

In late 2011, after publishing professionals assured various members that "cross-genre won't sell", "crime novels shouldn't be too cerebral", "I love it but can't see how to sell it", "people won't read this", we met up with the express intention of discussing self-publishing. It felt surreptitious, subversive and really rather liberating.

The plot

Honest about our fears, we all expressed reservations about poorly written, badly presented vanity projects and the lonely prospect of trying to tout our own books in a crowded marketplace. Obviously, we'd be stronger together; as editors, as marketers, as a team. We looked at each of our books and realised that aside from the quality of writing, something else had drawn us to these stories – the place. We made a mission statement: focus on the writing, not the market. Then we bashed out a philosophy founded on three principles:

• High quality writing
• Professional presentation
• A strong sense of place

Next came the logo. The triskele, with independent yet connected circles, seemed perfect. Especially as several of us have Celtic connections. We'd already designed our marketing materials when we discovered the triskele symbol is also an identifier for the BDSM community. What the hell, we thought, it might even gain us some new readers. All welcome.

The structure

Independence is essential. We opted for self-publishing because we wanted certain non-negotiable basics: creative control, speed and choice.

Teamwork is vital in preparing the books – editing, proofing and ensuring each meets the standards we set ourselves. Six editors could be counter-productive, but we all hold onto the central idea – what does the author want to achieve? How can we help?

Image is crucial. And this is where we hit lucky. One of the team, Jane Dixon-Smith - is an experienced graphic designer. She creates distinctive covers with individual identities, but still clearly part of the brand. Not to mention bookmarks, posters and adverts.

Each writer self-publishes her/his own book(s), retaining all the rights. Choices regarding print and/or e-book, which distributor, exclusivity or otherwise, translation rights, etc – it's all up to the individual author.

We're not a registered company, although we have our own website and social media presence. We work on a basis of trust. If costs are incurred, for marketing materials, launch parties, etc, we chip in an equal amount, relying on our cash-savvy member to balance the books.

We argue. It doesn't happen often, but we do. However, among seven voices, we always find balance.

The epilogue

It's a year since we launched Triskele Books and we've not looked back. We have enthusiastic readers; superb sales and great reviews; we have an agent for translation rights and a book club like no other; we're all members of The Alliance of Independent Authors, (ethics and excellence in independent publishing); and we have another three books brewing for next summer.

Damn good stories in distinctive places. Turns out we're not that hard to define.

Triskele released its first three books in June 2012:

• The Charter, by Gillian Hamer
• Behind Closed Doors, by JJ Marsh
• Spirit of Lost Angels, by Liza Perrat

Next three Triskele books launched on Saturday 1st December 2012:

• The Open Arms of the Sea, by Jasper Dorgan
• Closure, by Gillian Hamer
• Raw Material, by JJ Marsh