About
Bloodhound Books is a prolific UK-based independent publisher specializing in commercial fiction — particularly crime, thrillers, and psychological suspense. Led by General Manager Betsy Reavley, the press operates with a lean but agile team and an unapologetically instinctive approach to acquisitions. Rather than relying on traditional commissioning editors, Betsy trusts her market intuition and deep understanding of reader expectations to guide the list.
The Challenge: Manual Mayhem
Before Storywise, submissions arrived through a shared inbox that Betsy and her colleagues reviewed line by line. The team assessed cover letters, parsed genre fit, and debated whether synopses or sample chapters deserved deeper attention — all without centralized tracking.
Determined to read every manuscript, Bloodhound relied on a maze of email flags and copied templates to keep the pipeline moving. Even simple rejections demanded manual effort, creating a drag on already-limited editorial bandwidth.
“We used Mac Mail and flagged emails depending on where they were in the pipeline — under consideration, being read, or ready for an offer. We had to track all of that manually.”
The Solution: Streamlining with Storywise
Storywise gave Bloodhound Books a centralized submissions intelligence platform purpose-built for literary teams. Searchable tracking, AI-powered insights, and collaborative workflows replaced scattered emails, helping the group stay responsive without sacrificing quality.
Key capabilities the team relies on:
"The synopsis feature is extremely useful. What an author says is in their book and what's actually in their book can be quite different."
"Now I don't need to do flags. It's all there. It doesn't require discussion. We just get on with the reading."
- AI-Generated Synopsis and Outline: Storywise generates a concise, consistent outline based on the manuscript itself—giving Betsy and her team an objective snapshot of the plot, structure, and themes before reading in full.
- Genre & Comp Title Identification: Automatically suggested genre classifications and comparative titles helped the team more quickly evaluate where a submission might fit in their publishing lineup—and whether it would resonate with Bloodhound's core readership.
- Taste Match Scoring: Based on previous acquisitions and user-defined preferences, Storywise surfaces submissions that most closely match what the publisher is actually looking to acquire. For a team without traditional commissioning editors, this provided essential guidance in filtering and prioritizing submissions.
- Status Tracking & Workflow Tools: Instead of email flags, Betsy now uses Storywise's built-in workflow tags—such as "Under Consideration," "Read in Full," "Offer Made," or "Rejected"—to track each manuscript's progress.
Key Features in Action
Objective Editorial Intelligence
Storywise-generated outlines let Betsy's team compare what authors promise against what the manuscript delivers. Consistent summaries mean fewer surprises later in the process and faster green-light conversations.
Instant Market Positioning
Automatic genre classification and comparative title suggestions help Bloodhound spot where a submission fits on their list and how it might perform commercially — an essential signal for a team focused on commercial crime and thriller fiction.
Workflow Tags that Keep Pace
Taste Match scores coupled with Storywise workflow tags replace email flags entirely. The team can see at a glance which manuscripts are being read, which need offers, and which are ready to release — no more copy-and-paste admin.
Results: Faster, Smarter Decisions
The productivity gains were immediate. Reviewing ten submissions in a single day — once “impossible” — is now routine, and the team reaches confident acquisition decisions in a fraction of the time.
“I don’t think it’s changed what we find, because we still look at every submission — but it’s helped us find them quicker. It’s a speed thing. It saves time, and that time is everything.”
Storywise also sharpened Bloodhound’s instinct for which projects deserve a full read. Editorial and Taste Match indicators give reassurance that the time investment is worthwhile.
“The ABC Editorial and Taste Match tools give us the reassurance that the manuscript is worth the time investment.”
Customer Experience
Beyond features, Betsy highlighted how quickly her team was able to get up to speed. Intuitive design and responsive onboarding support meant the platform started delivering value on day one.
“Fantastic. It’s been great. We were up and running straight away, and the platform’s very intuitive.”
Final Verdict
For Bloodhound Books, Storywise keeps the slush pile from overwhelming a small, high-output team. Everything lives in one place, freeing editors to focus on the reads that matter most.
“Use it. It’s easy. It’s efficient. It’s time-saving. Everything is in one place. If we had a bigger editorial team, I think the benefits would be even greater — but even for us, it’s made a huge difference.”
— Betsy Reavley, Director, Bloodhound Books
