You could be forgiven for being surprised that I’m about to
self-publish – you might have the impression that I’m against the indie
movement.
You could be forgiven, but you’d also be wrong.
I have been outspoken in the past about self-publishing, but
less against the concept of self-publishing, which I think is a fantastic
opportunity for talented writers, and more against the execution of the idea.
Which is to say, it is a fantastic opportunity for talented writers, but many
(though not all) of those writers take short-cuts. Self-publishing is too often
perceived as a reason not to do the hard yards, a way to circumvent the
long arduous toil that is the pursuit of publishing, while failing to recognise
that we learn from the hard knocks.
Nothing makes me cringe more than the biography of an author
announcing this is their first book. Not their first published book.
Their first book. There are a handful of exceptions – perhaps they’ve been
working on it, rewriting and revising for a number of years, or perhaps they’ve
written others, but came back to, and revised and polished, their first, for
example. But many of them literally mean their first book, and all too often,
the first draft of the first book.
Confronting the Demon will be my debut book, but like
many of the self-published authors I respect, it’s not my first book. Previous
to it I have written eight novel-length stories, and there are excellent
reasons none of those have been published – or ever will be without significant
rewriting. I’m also not self-publishing it because I’m pissed off with the
traditional model for refusing to publish me – in fact, I will still pursue
traditional publishing on other projects.
Many of those authors publishing their first book may be
talented, but many are also yet to learn their craft. Like we wouldn’t seek
medical advice from a first year medical student, or ask a first year law
student to defend us in court, all too often those books fall short of the standard
set by true professional writers - and I don’t define professional as
‘traditionally published’ here. A professional writer is someone who has gone
about the business of writing with a professional attitude, who has done their
study (by whatever route – it doesn’t have to mean university or an MFA), who
seeks constant improvement, who doesn’t treat it like a hobby, and doesn’t
expect the consumer to pay for a sub-standard product.
So if I was to self-publish, I was determined to do it
right. That meant editors, because a story that hasn’t been edited is like an
uncut gemstone; it has value, but with a bit of cutting and polishing, it will
really shine. Ideally you need three – a content editor, a line editor and a
proof-reader. Many writers use the one editor for all three jobs, or at least
to content edit and line edit, but it’s difficult for the one person to do all
three jobs, or even two of those three jobs, for the same reason it’s difficult
for a writer to edit their own work; eventually the editor becomes close enough
to your work that they also can’t see their errors.
It also meant a quality cover artist, because let’s face it,
readers do judge a book by its cover. It’s the first thing they see, the
writer’s first opportunity to hook the reader, and if you miss that chance, all
too often you don’t get a second chance.
More than both of those things, though, I needed the right
project.
For a number of years now, I’ve only had the one book that I
considered might be of a sufficient standard to publish, and I wasn’t prepared
to commit my one quality work to self-publishing at a time when I was undecided
what direction the publishing industry was taking, least of all a 100,000 word
book with six sequels. I had too much hard work in it to casually decide its
fate – if I was to ever self-publish it, then it would happen after due
consideration, and then probably not until I had written the first two sequels.
In short, it wasn’t happening any time soon.
Then I wrote a fantasy short story determined to be
something more, and my first novella was born.
A novella, to my mind, was a better candidate for a first
foray into self-publishing. It’s shorter, so there’s less time invested. A
traditional market exists for novella, but not a very big one, so this story
had very limited opportunities to be traditionally published. The story is
self-contained, so while hopefully my readers will want more, they won’t
specifically be waiting for a conclusion to this story – which suits me, since
I work full-time, and have two children under three at home. I can only commit
to so much.
And so Confronting the
Demon began a rather fast, hectic but ultimately short journey to
publication. Interested to know more? Here’s the blurb:
The gates to hell are
thrown wide when Alloran is betrayed by his best friend, Ladanyon, and framed
for forbidden magic. He is pursued by the guards and the wizards both,
tormented by the gruesome murder of his friends and loved ones, and crippled by
fear for the living. Now Alloran must face his demons, or lose the woman he
loves.
Confronting the Demon is due for release in mid- to
late-September.
