Intrigue, Risk and Adventures in Publishing
Laura Wright January 23, 2008
My first query and acceptance actually came as a surprise. At the time, I had several novels written and casually started a general discussion with an editor. I will state first that this may strike unease in the hearts of many because it wasn’t a “normal,” venture and this wasn’t just any editor. It was an “
ebook editor.” Back then, the hot-button-topic in the written world was the dreaded “ebook.” The fears and stigmas associated with ebooks of that period in literary history are nearly identical to the “POD,” propaganda of today.
I had heard all the rumors. Ebooks were always poor quality, poorly created, the editors were sordid, victimized writers were always traumatized, and it was never a pleasant experience in any way, shape, or form. It was an emerging practice in the field of publication that needed to be eradicated as soon as possible! The media hated ebooks, periodicals hated ebooks, and everyone else hated ebooks.
These establishments were portrayed as the physical manifestation of all desperation and treachery. Only “
amateur” authors even considered such notions. If “
serious” authors visited the page, they would immediately leave knowing they didn’t engage in such risqué endeavors.
However, I didn’t believe it. Well, not all of it. I thought it would make an interesting topic for a non-fiction article when I chronicled the dubious behavior. There was also the fact that I could see ebooks as a wonderful new way of connecting authors and readers. I did my research before becoming involved with the company. I checked message boards, the Better Business Bureau, and any other resources I could find.
I then encountered the fact that this company was… a
startup. This is another word that often makes writers shudder. “Startup” publishers most often have the same stigmas hanging over them as ebook and POD publishers because they are so frequently intertwined. Due to costs associated with production and distribution, ebooks and POD books are far cheaper to make. That means more authors can be published. Many do not like that idea, at all.
Why such assumptions about the two methods as a whole? Many suspect this is subtle propaganda from the current publishing world. In reality, there are only around eight publishing corporations in New York. Eight. Random House has a countless number of subsidiary and imprint companies, just to name one of them.
Keeping the competition to a minimum is rumored to be the reason for such hatred and disdain of small and independent publishers. Is it a fact? No one will likely ever have an adequate answer. It goes without saying there are seedy start-ups and there are scam artists throughout the field of writing, in every medium. But, many startups just want to reach readers. Many are started by writers and authors themselves who are incredibly frustrated with current professional publishing practices. Every writer wants to be published nationally and most are disgusted by the nepotism and favoritism practiced at standard regional publishers.
I was no exception to that frustration. I had queried countless professionals only to be rejected. Many of the professionals I queried were as unprofessional as possible. I’ve had queries completely forgotten. I’ve even received rejection letters years after submitting a manuscript and follow-up letter. The publisher that waited a few years was a mid-sized New York publisher with a long and established position in the field who accepted queries from authors.
My issue had nothing to do with the rejection, it was the complete disregard even for a follow-up. By the time I received their rejection, the book was already being published with another company. Due to their silence, I had assumed it was lost somewhere in their slush pile and recycled years earlier.
More agents treated me like a number or an aggravation than an associate or professional. Large publishers won’t even examine a manuscript unless it comes through an unaffiliated third party. Then, they offer an incredibly brief period to establish any sales or it’s “out-of-print.” Those are just a few of my reasons for entertaining concepts of alternative publication.
I queried the ebook company out of curiosity. However, the editor was prompt, professional, and nothing at all like what I’d heard. I decided to take it to another level. My curiosity was racing. The publisher was “Free-Fiction.com,” and their mission was simple. They offered free ebook fiction to readers. They paid authors from revenue generated through ads and from private donations.
I waited for an invoice from the epublisher so I could decline and all progress cease. After all, weren’t all “epublishers” really just “self publishers?” However, such a charge never came.
I received word that my book was accepted. I submitted my final draft and assumed it would be assembled and published online. That was the “standard” I’d heard so much. I didn’t believe my book would need a great deal of editing so I wasn’t particularly concerned with it.
It was then that I gained a new appreciation for the agony of writing. The harsh editorial process that followed was brutal, more so than anything I’d ever encountered. The most painful aspect was the fact that editor was also teaching me. I could look for a daily email chronicling the changes of the day, why it was changed, and what weaknesses I should look for in my writing.
Was it so? Could it be? After three or four days of these grueling emails, I decided to check them out. They were, after all, an “ebook” editor and how could that much flawed writing pass my own eyes?
Sadly, the research backed them up. I had no one in my corner during this battle of words. I ceded my adamant opinions and reached the most important realization of my career at that time: I was a crappy writer.
Regardless of the fact that I’d been pushing my pencil since elementary school, regardless of the fact that I digested thesauruses and dictionaries as a hobby, I had no knowledge of my writing weaknesses and they were everywhere in my book. I was 25 at the time, but had been writing the majority of my life.
My passive tense was running away with my momentum. My archaic vocabulary had infiltrated my prose and sucked the life from my paragraphs. My characters were ever-changing as were their weaponry (i.e. the knife in Chapter 3 transformed into a gun in Chapter 4). I was appalled at my own inability and literary incompetence.
My editor was gracious enough to answer my questions and patient enough to deal with my inexperience. This “ebook” company completely transformed my career and my writing future. I was shocked at the need for self-editing and amazed that no one had previously mentioned it.
The days passed by and after three months of hard work, it was finished. My book was polished, my cover prepared, and I was ready. In truth, I didn’t expect fame and fortune. The book I submitted was not one of my favorites at the time, but I grew to love it after so much work. I assumed there would be a few readers here and there and it would be a good way to get some exposure and feedback.
What I received was not what was expected. I know the stigmas and standard rumors will dictate that, because I wasn’t trumped as Anne Rice or Mary Higgins Clark overnight, I failed, but it was quite the contrary.
Suddenly, one reader became ten. Then, one hundred. Then, into the thousands and ten thousands. Emails began coming in from all over the world. Readers were writing from Sri Lanka, Columbia, the Netherlands, India, so on and so forth.
I achieved the largest newspaper article I’d ever had, at that time, with an ebook. This hated, despised, and thoroughly loathed form of publishing gave me more than I ever anticipated.
Within two years, I had logged over 30,000 downloads and over 1,000,000 pages read. Did I get rich? The financial idea is laughable. Did I become recognized? That went beyond all expectation.
The publisher closed several years ago and never recovered. Despite their popularity, the CEO was too physically ill to continue keeping the site together. She wore many hats to keep that company going and no adequate substitute was ever found.
This was my first adventure in publishing, and remains one of my most favorite.
The moral of the story? Not all new things are, “bad.” Today’s “seedy” startup may be tomorrow’s successful corporation. Writers should be trusted to use proper judgment regarding their careers, without bashing the method as a whole. Every voice wants to be heard and if there are unorthodox mediums that will allow it, they should be considered.
Ebooks aren’t for everyone. New methods aren’t for every writer. But, every writer should consider an alternative mode of publication, even if it’s just to evaluate the response from readers. It may be a powerful weapon in your quest for traditional literary establishment.
About Laura Wright
Laura Wright is currently the author of three books with many more in draft status.
While I'm Dying, her first novel, was one of the first successful ebook stories online. This mystery novel achieved well over 30,000 downloads and over 1,000,000 pages read within two years of publication when estimates dictated ebook authors could only expect 5,000 downloads, if their book did well, during it's lifetime.
Timeslips and Terrors, published by Penknife Press in Chicago, was released in 2005. This short story anthology combines stories of timeslips and terrors to entertain audiences. The book features stories and novellas written over a span of 15 years.
Virginia Creeper is a paranormal thriller just released in 2007. This novel chronicles the discovery of a brutal human trafficking ring hidden in the remote Appalachian Mountains.
Wright is currently the owner and administrator of
www.laurawrites.net and
www.vacreeper.com. She works as a web instructor, consultant, and advertising writer.
Laura Wright Profile at OnceWritten.com
