I’m sensing a degree of panic amongst writers. It’s understandable; for so long, the only choice for a new novelist has been whether to submit to an agent or to try a direct submission to a publisher. That choice was hard enough – the time and money invested in a submission isn’t insignificant, and no one wants to waste either by getting it wrong – but look where we are now: the traditional routes to publication are almost gone, and while new avenues are being paved with Print On Demand, Podcasting, downloadable content and the ever-headline-friendly EBook readers, none have gained a cachet yet, and the potential to find your novel/poetry/art adrift in a sea of failed projects is high. So what are you to do?
I’m going to do something utterly pretentious; I’m going to quote from my book.
“You can’t make things better or worse, just different. Make a move. See what happens.”
When I first wrote that, I was trying to encapsulate a character’s attitude to finding himself in a bad place, but it’s become something of a mantra for me since. As I write, I’m waiting on the jacket proof for a small (100) run of hardbacks I’ve ordered, and even now, it’s hard to remember the point at which I decided to print the book myself. I know I’d pretty much given up on the idea of getting a book deal in the current market (Make a Move is NOT supermarket-friendly) and wanted to do something while I wait for the industry to open its doors to new writers again, so I did the maths, found the cash, the technical knowledge and the friends to help, and I placed the order. My break-even point is comfortable, and I’ve got a lot of pre-orders.
But what if it all goes wrong? Well, so what if it does go wrong? Completely wrong. I’m out a few hundred quid, I’ve got a couple of boxes of books to pulp/store and I’ve got a bruised ego to salve. But does it really matter?
No. My biggest obstacle right now – that the publishing industry knows nothing of my book – is also my safety net. I can’t damage my reputation with this project, only enhance it. Even if the run sells out and I reprint, no one in publishing will care. It doesn’t matter. My only goals are to get my book out to people and have some fun doing it, maybe meet some new people and learn something. I can achieve all of those goals whether the project succeeds or not, and I love no-lose situations.
You don’t have to become a print publisher to get your work out there – although I’ll be writing about my experiences and findings to help you if that’s the path you choose. There are many paths available now, and if you’re prepared to do the work, and have modest ambitions, you can achieve success. And if you find a path isn’t taking you where you thought, choose a different one.
What’s the worst that could happen?
Tags: EBook, POD, Podcasting, Print On Demand, Printing, Submissions