A Guest Post by Author David M Wynn
For the new writer, the writing process itself seems by far to be the most important aspect of being a writer; that need to get the story down on paper, that feeling of fulfilment as the final few pages come together, that satisfaction when your nearest and dearest declare the book to be a triumph!
Then the realisation sets in. What is the point of writing if the general public are not going to be able to read said masterpiece? And so, traditionally, the enthusiastic writer sends out synopses to multiple publishing houses and waits patiently for the rejection slips to arrive, as they almost certainly will, as the lottery of finding a publisher who might possibly be interested enough to actually read the synopsis seems to be entirely a matter of personal connection to the incestuous world of publishing.
If you are lucky enough to actually get the piece read, it is still subject to the arbitrary judgement of someone who may have established personal preferences and who will already have cosy relationships with other authors, which they may not want to jeopardise. Publishing is a business like any other and it would be foolish for anyone to embark on the cost of editing, designing and printing a book that no one thinks will sell in huge amounts.
It is no wonder, then, that the prospect for most new authors of landing a contract that is going to see their book on every bookshop shelf is depressingly remote, especially when they are in the later years of life, as is your correspondent.
Should they then consider self-publishing, an approach which for many years was denigrated by the established publishing houses as ‘vanity publishing’, but is now, with the advent of
Amazon and Smashwords and the opportunity to publish as an e- book for minimal cost, becoming almost mainstream? It is not necessarily an easy option, as new skills are required to get the work from the draft stage to the point at which it is ready to be uploaded to an on-line shop or to a print on demand provider. It must also be remembered that Amazon, as good as they are, are not actually a bookshop, they are retailers of numerous products and, to make your particular book stand out and sell, much work is required.
Nevertheless, I am a devoted follower of the self-publish approach to writing, I am convinced that this has been the most democratising development ever to take place in publishing, providing every person who aspires to write with the opportunity of seeing their work reach the public, without suffering the indignity of being rejected by a select cabal of individuals, each with an interest not necessarily reflecting that of the author.
Not everything that will be self- published will be of a high literary standard, not everything that is published conventionally achieves that, but I am convinced that out of the mix will come the next author superstar. For myself, to quote a recent review of one of my books:
“I really enjoyed this book; it grabs you straight away and is hard to put down once you start reading. Very interesting read .“
What more encouragement could a writer ask for?
David M Wynn – http://www.davidmwynn.com
Latest book ‘Restitution’: