WRITER'S DREAM; Why I'm NOT Self-Published

I am frequently asked if I am a self published author and the answer to that is No, because I have never needed to be.  The only self-publishing I have ever done is here on my blog. That's it. I have nothing against self-publishing and if that is what you want to do there are lots of books out there to help you make that journey. It's just not for me. 

I published all ten of my books to date, with traditional publishing houses.  This basically means that the publishers paid me, not the other way around!  It means that I am not a part of a 'publishing cooperative' or 'subsidised publishing' deal.  I have a traditional publishing contract for each of my books, all of which were professionally vetted by the Society of Authors, through my membership with them, before I agreed to sign them. 

Further more, I never wrote a book that wasn't guaranteed to be published in hard copy.  I wrote all my books to commission, under contract.  Again this means that even before I sat down to write the words Chapter One, the advance was in my bank account, the contract was signed and sealed, the deadline had been agreed on and I knew exactly what date my book was going to be published.  I have never started to write a book without this type of guaranteed publication in place.  

This is simply professional practice.  Why would I waste time writing thousands of words without guaranteed publication? That's just madness when you're writing non-fiction.  Most non-fiction books are commissioned by the publishers.  Sometimes even the idea is the publisher's, not the author's.  Editors will contact one of their writers and say "We want a book on so and so - do you want to write it for us?"  This happened to me four times, which means that four out of my ten books were actually my editor's initial idea!  You do need to have built up a good relationship with an editor before this happens though.  The point is that if you play the game right, publishing opportunities will just come to you.

I realise that this will make for uncomfortable reading for some, especially if you are a rejected hopeful.  It seems unfair that I should have had contracts seemingly thrown at me, when others can't get a foot in the door of the publishing industry.  But the back story to my 'good fortune' is that I spent years sending out work and being rejected.  I started to send out work in my late teens, but I wasn't offered a publishing contract for my first book until I was 25. That is years of rejection, and working my way up the pecking order by publishing small things such as poetry and articles.  

Because you do have to work your way up through the slush pile, just like in any other industry.  One thing guaranteed to ruffle feathers among authors and editors alike, is wannabe writers thinking that they are entitled to jump straight to the top of the ladder, feeling entitled to a book contract or a place as a columnist, when they really haven't earned the right to that position.  It's akin to the tea-boy expecting to be Managing Director in his first week - it's arrogant, ignorant, and it's just never going to happen! Unless that is, he works his way up the corporate ladder and puts the work in, over a number of years; then he's in with a chance.

Some months ago I was talking to a new counsellor who asked about my psychotherapy writing, saying to me with a superior smirk "It's not easy to get published you know.  I've been trying for six months!"   To which I responded "You're right, it's not easy. It took me about seven years before I signed my first book contract, so you're still in the starting blocks. Keep at it."   Taken aback she then went on to say "Oh, are you self published then?" nodding at me expectantly.  "No. I'm not."  I replied.  

This is the kind of conversation I have to have time and time again. People find it hard to believe that I have been 'lucky' to have been given a traditional publishing contract, not just once or twice, but ten times over, with different publishing houses.  For some, it's just more than they can stomach.  In fact, for one hopeful, it riled her so much that she began to try and discredit me with my editors with a smear campaign.  Needless to say, my editors defended me admirably, and she shot herself in the foot of ever having her own work accepted by any of my publishers!  

Trying to tear down and discredit successful authors is not the way to get published.  In fact, it's the best way to get your own name black listed within the entire publishing industry, because editors all know each other and they do share information.   Jealousy is unbecoming, in any profession.  Don't give in to it. It won't get you published. Quite the opposite. 

Being paid to write is fantastic and I absolutely love my job with a passion and with gratitude.  Spending royalties for work that was published decades ago is also great fun.  I do feel extremely 

fortunate in my life and in my writing.  But I have worked hard for that success.  I've lived with strict, tight deadlines for nearly two decades.  I've produced words on demand, for most of my adult life.  I've created content for various publishers since I was 21.  I plan to continue, but for the moment, it's nice not to have a deadline looming on the horizon.  

It's nice to just be free, to write what I want, when I want, for whomever I want - I'm not tied to one genre or one publisher anymore.  This breathing space is just what I need right now.  It is the space I need to dream up new writing goals and to explore new avenues in terms of topic, genre, markets and so on.  It's nice to be free to grow in new directions as an artist, rather than trying to fit into a genre I had outgrown.  It is nice to have the time to dream on the page, letting my mind toy with fresh ideas, rather than having to produce this month's column.  Mostly, it's wonderful to be free to take my work back to the dream-seeds stage; where it's all my own and no one knows what I am writing about, or where I plan to publish it, so there is no target for people to aim at.  I feel like I have my writing back under my control and I can take my own sweet time with my new projects. And I do like to keep people guessing as to what I'll write and where I'll publish my work next! Until next time...