I learned seven years ago the struggle it takes as a new
author to attempt to get published. I felt, as I am sure most new authors do,
that I had written something worthy, interesting and valuable. The reviews I
have posted here on my webpage for Blood
on His Hands show others thought similarly. It was the inability to attract
an agent to help get me published that caused me to self-publish. Once I
figured it was going to take longer than the three years it took to write the
book to find representation I ran out of patience and self-published.
I also didn’t expect it to take seven years for me to
have the next book up and ready to go. Since I am not a full-time writer, I
have to cram all my writing into hours after work and on weekends. I also
engaged in loads of physical research to ensure authenticity and credibility
for my readers. I was unsure whether I should start the self-publishing again
or begin the tedious search for an agent all over again. Luckily somethings
have changed in the publishing world over the last decade.
The major change has been the emergence of cheap
self-publishing through Amazon and the emergence of a plethora of indie
publishers. These smaller publishing houses allow direct contact. A writer does
not need an agent to be considered for publication. Research is still necessary
in order to find a like-mined company that will print your book, and so I began
my research while finishing up the final editing process of the novel.
Ever since Blood on
His Hands has been in print I have formed a relationship with Suspense
Magazine. They gave me a great review and also asked if I would be available to
review novels for their online publication as they liked my style. I saw this
as one way to keep my name in the public eye while working on my next project
and so agreed. I reviewed, interviewed and contributed several articles over
the last few years. In that process they established a publishing house,
Suspense Publishing, and since my next novel is a suspense, thriller, noir
police-procedural type of style it was mutually assured that when it came down
to publishing I would have a home. Shannon Raab, the publisher was always
helpful, helped with some editing, advised why some parts of the writing just
didn’t fit with the type of reader they were trying to reach, and encouraging
when I made some hard editorial changes to meet her criteria. Still, it felt
off. With the help of a book doctor, the fabulous, Mary Martha Miles, I again
made some stringent changes and cuts and finally discovered a path I could
finish the novel with. It had become apparent to me however that my novel was a
square peg trying to be forced into Suspense Magazine’s round hole. After some
soul-searching we came to a mutual decision that I needed to shop my book to
another indie published. I had recently reviewed a debut novel, a decent
police-procedural that I gave good marks for but felt like it wasn’t as good as
what I had written, so I looked into the published and discovered Moonshine
Cove Publishers. With nothing to lose, and with all expectations of having to
look around for another fifty or more indie publishers, (I had three others in
process of submitting to as well), I sent the query letter, marketing ideas and
the first ten pages. Their website said ‘wait six to eight weeks’ for a
response. If they wanted to see more of the novel they would reach out at that
time. A week later they asked for the rest of the book and within ten days I
signed a publishing contract. What does that mean? It means I do not have to
pay up front to have a company print my books. It means I have a support staff
to help with the difficult questions. It also means that I have to wait until
March 7, 2016 before I can release Kettle
of Vultures for you to order. It’s like being in an airplane on the runway.
I’m taxing ready for take- off while several others get to blast off ahead of
me. It means patience and it means I can continue to work on the second book in
the trilogy.
There will be several steps along the way to final
publication and I will update you as they transpire. You will find out at the
same time as I do what happens next, and learn with me the world of indie
publishing, I am very happy to be at this point in my writing life and look
forward to providing you with a story you won’t be able to put down.
