Legend Press MD Tom Chalmers shortlisted for UK Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Legend Press Managing Director Tom Chalmers has been shortlisted for the UK Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Chalmers set-up Legend Press, the UK’s youngest-run fiction publisher, in 2005 and since then the company has rapidly grown in profile and gained a reputation as a potential leading force in the publishing industry. This prestigious award-shortlisting is the latest accolade to support this.

Chalmers,27, is one of the first members of the publishing sector to be shortlisted in the Real Business/CBI Growing Business Awards, which are described by Prime Minister Gordon Brown as ‘the business Oscars’. Shortlisted candidates will meet the panel of judges on Monday 15th October and the winner will be announced at the Awards Night on 28 November.

Chalmers, who was also shortlisted this year for the UK Young Publisher of the Year Award, commented: “We are delighted by this news as not only is it important validation of what we work so incredibly hard to achieve, it is acknowledgement from outside of the industry and in particular recognition as a business. We believe it is absolutely vital in today’s market that publishing companies have the necessary business organisation and focus to rival all the other sectors that we now must work with, as well as compete against.

“This angle is too-often overlooked with the attention given to other, albeit important though occasionally out-of-touch, values. As a result the outside world too-often dismisses any business interest in the publishing industry. We hope to be able to bring this recognition back into the sector and do what we can to take publishing and creative industries forward.”



ENDS

Note to editors:
• Legend Press is the youngest-run trade fiction publisher in the UK. For more information see www.legendpress.co.uk, www.myspace.com/legendpress, or email info@legendpress.co.uk.
• Founder and Managing Director Tom Chalmers can be contacted on 0207 249 6901 or by emailing tomchalmers@legendpress.co.uk. Tom was shortlisted for the UK Young Publisher of the Year Award 2007. Emma Howard can be contacted by emailing emmahoward@legendpress.co.uk
• Legend Press also offers an online shop for its publications, regularly updated news pages and a free monthly e-bulletin packed with news, reviews and comment. To sign-up, simply email info@legendpress.co.uk stating your name and email address.
• For details of Legend Press’s publications and to visit its online shop see www.legendpress.co.uk/23301