Wednesday 4 November 2015

Publishing a book is like stuffing a note into a bottle...


Publishing a book is like stuffing a note into a bottle and hurling it into the sea. Some bottles drown, some come safe to land, where the notes are read and then possibly cherished, or else misinterpreted, or else understood all too well by those who hate the message. You never know who your readers might be.”   Margaret Atwood


You have to love Margaret Atwood quotes, don't you? So today I find myself going back on my word. I said that from now on I was going to publish my books myself, unless I got a big publishers. However, on brazenly stating this at my last writer's group meeting I realised this brash statement of mine lacked any foresight. There are some great little independent publishers out there and I was a bit blinkered to think otherwise.


 I have therefore decided to approach a fairly new publisher, just one, with Poison in the Water. Why? Well I know someone who has had a book published with this firm and she seems completely happy with them. From what I have seen they seem really committed to their authors, building a relationship and helping with the all crucial marketing. But that is not the only reason I am approaching them. The other reason is that from the stuff they have published, this particular book of mine feels like a good fit. A determined female protagonist with a passion for life who works in fashion… Seems to fit with their target market. Anyway. I am hoping to submit to them soon (Their submission process doesn’t look too arduous either) and I will let you know if something comes of it. My only worry is that I am not getting it proof read before I submit…Obviously if I publish it I will pay for a full edit, but right now I can’t really justify doing so.


So there you have it. When I’m wrong I say I’m wrong.  Chupplejeep will still be self pubbed for now… the good news is that I have managed to put GT onto Scrivener (whoever invented Scrivener deserves a medal) so an updated version without the unfortunate typo and with an Under the Coconut Tree taster at the end will be available by the end of the week.  

In other news I have just finishes reading The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (I gave it three stars – It was a good book but it didn’t set my world on fire – possibly not the genre for me!) and I’m contemplating what to read next. I’m also looking forward to a writing group critique session coming up… I’ve grown fond of this sub group we have created. For a writer who doesn’t have many friends who write they are a breath of fresh air, people I can discuss plot and dialogue with without feeling like the geek!

I would also like to thank my readers (of this blog) for your support. I don’t get many comments on here and that’s fine but it can make you wonder who is actually reading this (apart from my followers of course!) But the other week I got an email from a fellow writer who said they had read my blog and liked it and it really put a smile on my face…

Until next time.



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