Interview with John Wilson of Gosling Press

Can you share a little about who the team is behind Gosling Press and how the whole thing came together? What was the spark for this?

The Team at Gosling Press is very small, myself and my wife and a friend who acts as an editor for us. Gosling Press started over 30 years ago publishing books for people who were involved in the wargames industry. In about 2000 it went into hibernation. Three years ago, I was doing some research on the Gallipoli campaign in Turkey during WWI and came across a book that had had a limited publication in 1916 and transcribed it as part of my research. A friend asked what I was going to do with it then and could they have a copy. So, Gosling Press mark 2 was born.

What is your vision for Gosling Press? What constitutes success?

The vision is to publish new books and republish books long out of print about mainly the First World War but specifically not the Western Front in France and Belgium. Success is measured by not losing too much money as this is really a hobby.

Why does the world need a small press specializing in World War I? Relatedly, what can/does a small press do that larger presses can't/don't?

Well, we are the first publisher to specialise in books “away from the Western Front”. Because this is not totally a commercial operation we are able to produce very low print run and niche publications that larger publishers would deem uneconomic.

I feel that there is perhaps a bit of a Renaissance of print culture right now--small presses, new magazines, etc. Do you feel that is happening? Do you see a trend toward a broader range of things in print and organizations bringing things to print? How would you describe the print ecosystem?

The ability to print on demand has allowed people to dabble in publishing without the need for a lockup full of paper that you might never sell. It allows for the creation of much more niche publications which can only be good.

What is it about World War I that holds your attention and that of your readers?

For me I have always had an interest in the First World War, I had two great uncles who were killed in action in Belgium and my grandfather, who survived the war, served in the Gallipoli Campaign. Having visited the peninsula I became fascinated in the story of the Indian troops who took part in the campaign which has become an area of active research for me. For readers it holds an interest as the first truly global industrial conflict.

In the United States, we tend to have fewer people interested in World War I. We have many more people interested in World War II. What are Americans missing? Why should more of them be interested in World War I?

In many ways the First World War was a trial run for the Second World War, some historians argue that the Second World War is really just an extension of the first world war. To understand the Second World War properly there is a need to understand the First World War and the innovations that came from that.

What are some of the topics that your press has brought to print that you are especially proud of?

I am particularly proud of our publication of the book about the Peninsula Press. This was a newspaper produced at one point almost daily in the Gallipoli campaign. I discovered that there was not a single collection of all of the copies, so spent nearly a year trawling archives across the world to bring together for the first time all 96 issues into a single volume.

What are some of the topics you would like to publish books about?

I am still keen to publish new research about Gallipoli and I was recently approached with a proposal for a book in the East African Campaign. Beyond that we will publish anything that interests us, it is a hobby after all!

How do you find your authors/how do authors find you?

Most authors we find by accident, for example I was walking in a battle cemetery in Gallipoli 18 months ago and  a friend who is a well-known author was approached by a Turkish gentleman. During the conversation it transpired that he had written a book about his grandfather, a commander of a Turkish regiment during the Gallipoli Campaign which had been published in Turkey and was looking for a publisher to do an English version. We will be publishing this book latter in 2025.

You publish books, but you've also got a conference coming up this year, the "Not the Western Front Conference," Saturday Oct 25, 2025, at the Cluntergate Centre. What does a conference add? How does this fit into the broader vision of your press?

The conference offers the opportunity for people to hear from some of the leading authorities on some very esoteric subjects. Last year we had a lecture about something called Dunster Force. Longer term the conference will be uncoupled from Gosling Press once its established.

It seems that in the UK especially, there is a community among scholars and readers interested in World War I. How would you explain the value of that community, or at least ongoing interest in WWI, to the larger public?

Much of the wider interest in the UK comes from people researching their family history and that will be ongoing at least for the foreseeable future. Some of what the community offers is encouragement for people to follow their interests and provides a platform to share that interest.

What does the public often get wrong about history? About WWI?

The wider public has a much more limited interest in history and WWI in particular and tends to take some popular culture as historical fact, a good example is “Black Adder goes Forth” is used to support teaching children who then get the idea that people went and sat in a muddy trench in France for four years which is far from the truth. Another example is the story of the troops all playing football in no man’s land in 1914, which again is far from the truth but is now taken as accepted fact.

I imagine running a small press can be a lot of work. What makes it rewarding?

It can be hard work, but you get a thrill when people want the books you produce. We have always been very focused on how much we can produce so our schedule is almost manageable.

What advice would you give someone else wanting to start a small press?

My advice is just do it. But look at the tools that are available online to make your life easier. Finally, the best piece of advice I would give is find somebody with the right mindset to edit and proofread your manuscripts. I have seen many books that would have been so much better if they had used an editor to ensure the manuscript worked for the reader.

This interview was conducted by Elizabeth Stice.