I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember, but never really imagined that it would be possible for me to have my novel on a shelf alongside the likes of of Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke and David Eddings (I did say I’d been writing for a long time).
But when I began to imagine that it could be possible, I began to write with a serious aim – to see my work in print.
However, I could never have imagine the circuitous, nay, labyrinthine route that my journey would entail.
I’d imagined that I would complete my book, send it off to a publisher and they would dance for joy at my having approached them. And for a while, I continued to entertain this (flimsy) dream.
But then things began to shift within the literary world. It became de rigueur to approach an agent first if any hope of publishing was to be entertained. So, with my first attempt at a novel completed in 2011, I began to make the Royal Mail postal service earn their keep by querying over one hundred UK-based literary agencies.
To no avail.
I received a smattering of replies (less than half) from the agencies, during which time I began to take notice of the rumblings regarding self-publishing for indie authors. In July 2012, when I received John Jarrold’s extensive rejection letter, it prompted me to write my first-ever post and I plunged into the world of electronic authorship, swimming with my other published and want-to-be-published fellows. In the three months that followed, I learned a great deal fom my fellow bloggers (thank you, one and all!) and October saw me uploading y debut novel, ‘A Construct of Angels,’ to Amazon.
I couldn’t have been happier. I’d achieved a life-long ambition – to create a novel that could sell.
But now, thanks to potential buyers’ feedback, I find myself in the peculiar position of considering a paper book once again, except this time, I will be the publisher, agent, publicist and distributor. CreateSpace, the printing arm of Amazon, has opened up whole new possibilities for the independent author. Books and novels (for they are not the same animal) can be created for a modest cost and shipped directly to the buyer via Amazon or bought in bulk and delivered to retail outlets such as Waterstones.
This work-around route to getting a paperback novel published still seems a little crazy to me…but, hey, we gotta do what we gotta do.
I’ll keep you posted as to how this all works out. 🙂
In the meantime, Write On!
May 22, 2013 @ 11:03:56
Just a random stopping by to say congrats 🙂 It’s great to see motivated writers hitting hard-earned success. I’ve got the same dream as you; I am determined to hold my stories in my hand 😉 I’d love to follow your journey. Write on, Andrew! 😀
LikeLike
May 22, 2013 @ 11:30:59
Hi Munchkin
Thanks for stopping by to say hello. Yes, it’s nice to see the dream growing little by little as the hard work is rewarded. Hope your dream is blossoming too!
LikeLike
May 22, 2013 @ 07:32:43
I’ve just awarded you the Liebster Award – http://experiencedtutors.wordpress.com/2013/05/22/500-lines-for-naughty-private-english-tutor/
I have bent the rules slightly. . . Enjoy.
LikeLike
May 22, 2013 @ 08:05:38
Hello and thank you for the award! You have a very unusual way of passing it on. 🙂 Love the images BTW. I will have to investigate what lies beneath…
LikeLike
May 21, 2013 @ 17:02:29
I am an indie author myself, leaning on Amazon to sell both digital and physical print of my novella/short story, ‘The Coin.’ For me, I knew I needed to go the self-publishing route. My story would be considered too short for the publishing world, and for me, I know it’s place. I wanted it to be an affordable, short read that gave one’s heart a smile and lift. It’s a sharing story. It is such a learning process to figure out how to achieve desirable sale levels. Nonetheless, it’s a slow climbing ladder of learning, and I’m keeping myself open. For physical print, I have chosen Createspace because of the print-on-demand system and relative low cost. I have signed myself up for the expanded distribution, though I admit I’m not sure how to go about making that a useful tool in sucessfully getting my book onto store shelves.
I’m a friend of Adrian and saw your comments on her blog, so I followed you over here 🙂 Wanted to say hi!
LikeLike