I was very sorry to learn of the death of Mick Felton, co-founder and long-time publisher at Seren Books. As the obituary posted on Seren's blog observes, "[i]t is hard to argue that anyone has done more for the heritage and sustenance of English-language publishing in Wales over the past forty years".
Mick certainly "provid[ed] opportunities for the next generation of writers" - but the next generation of publishing professionals too. When I pitched up at Seren's Bridgend office for a week's work experience in 2006, Mick welcomed me on board, and the one day a week I volunteered there for the next six months helped to offset the mind-numbing tedium of a council admin job.
Being a small operation, Seren was very often all hands to the pump, and Mick generously gave me the opportunity to get a feel for several aspects of the job/business - from giving an initial assessment of submissions, to doing text layout, to compiling indexes, to parcelling up books ordered via the website.
As the obituary hints, Mick was resolute in the face of the numerous challenges of running a small publishing house on a shoestring, managing to remain unruffled and dry humoured no matter what life threw his way. That he also found the time to act as a mentor for publishing novices like myself was greatly appreciated.
After leaving Seren in 2007, and spending the next ten years in Oxfordshire, I didn't see much of Mick at all - but since returning to South Wales the odd encounter at book launches/readings and in the foyer at Chapter presented opportunities for a catch-up. Given that he had not long left Seren, a business to which he dedicated so much time and energy, his retirement was indeed "cruelly short".
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