27 October 2005
About face...
Earlier this month, after much deliberation on my part--and talking to my fiancee and my best friend--I had made the decision to take my new YA series to the streets. Sort of. Instead of self-publishing the series like I had originally planned, I was going to go the traditional route. My New Years Res was to snag an agent. A meeting I went to made me do a COMPLETE 180. I'm a member of NAWW (www.naww.org) -- National Association of Women's Writers--and went to my first meeting with the local chapter last night. Our speaker was Jerry (I forgot his last name), former VP of Time Warner Books. He was there to talk about what goes on behind the scenes of the major publishers. Stuff that authors should know, but don't. Needless to say, it was very enlightening. Since his contract terminated in May of this year, he's made a point of talking with writing groups to inform authors of what they're getting into with the bigger publishers. He was in no way discouraging writers from getting an agent or getting their work published. However, my view of the more popular publishing houses has been...tainted, I guess is the word I'm looking for. They can end your career as a writer forever. They can turn you into a one-book or two-book wonder, never to be seen or heard from again. He suggested that writers start with the small and/or independent pressess--sell about 2,000-3,000 copies (more if possible)--and have the bigger houses come chase you. And I thought, "What a novel idea". No pun intended. At least, not on purpose. To have some big, bad-ass NY publishing house pursue me like a man desperate for a booty call is a picture that makes me smile. From ear to ear.
I'm thinking this is a sign. A sign that I should stand by my company, publish my own books, and find better ways to get my name out there. It's the reason I started my own company in the first place and the meeting last night seemed to validate my decision. Truth be known, I had doubts. Ok, not doubts, really, more like reservations. I don't know how other writers envision their covers, but halfway thru my novels--sometimes even before I write them--I know what my covers are going to look like. Or I have a pretty good idea, anyway. After talking to some authors, I know now that as a new, unknown author, I wouldn't have much say in the creation of my book covers with the bigger publishers. I was told I could make suggestions, but in the end, the publisher would have the final say. (FYI: publishers like it when you get involved in the book creating process). Maybe when I'd sold more copies, become a little bit more well-known, would I then have more say. I didn't--don't--like that too much. I had considered it a sacrifce--a sacrifice for the greater good, that is--and I didn't know if I could go thru with it. True, they could make it better, incorporate some of my ideas, but it would be second best. Because it wasn't what I wanted. It wouldn't be my creation.
So. From now on, I'm doing it my way. Until I get another sign.
