This is where I join the 21st Century - wish me luck.
I need to come clean to all possible readers. There is one thing, and one thing only that is driving my arrival in the electronic era - the need to let the world know about my novel, The Edge of Things. So if you don't want to know about its publication, read no further. But if you do ...
OK, first a potted history. I retired from the best job in the world*** in January 2001 and immediately set about writing the novels I'd always promised myself I'd write. seven years, and five novels later, I stopped. What, I asked myself, was the point in writing novel after novel if no publisher would take them on? And they wouldn't. Lots of people read my books, and they were all very positive and encouraging in their response. But the many headed hydra that passes for a publishing industry nowadays (many heads - only one Random body) didn't want to know.
If your work isn't likely to sell millions (and mine isn't) the one great publisher in the sky is not interested. Ideally your writing should be fantastic (mine is wholly realistic) light (mine is dark) blockbuster-long (mine are concise and swift) and endlessly replicable (mine are all one-offs).
I gave up. But good friends told me off most robustly for throwing in the towel (thank you Malcolm and Andra). And then it dawned on me that publishing started out, back in the early C18, as writers paying (usually by subscription) a printer to print and distribute their work. So why not now? And then I discover the huge and growing "print on demand" publishing sub-industry. So the door is open again.
The wonderful Sandy Cunningham (look out his poetry on Xlibris.com or Amazon) suggested I try Xlibris. So I did.
They are first-rate guys there, tremendously supportive and determined to make your book as professionally produced as possible. They had a little hiccup in adjusting to the idea that they'd need to market my book in the UK (they're USA based) but now everything has come together.
A short delay occasioned by the need to have a truly professional cover design (Thanks, Patrick - once again), and now we are ready to launch. I've proofed the galleys (see - I speak the language!) and now await the review copies (hard and softback - no corner-cutting). Then on 1st August we launch.
Wish me luck. Because if this one works, there are four more where it came from - and I firmly intend getting on with more. 65 is late in life to start - I have some lost time to make up ...
Watch this space.
*** Headteacher of a Barnsley Comprehensive school, if you must know
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