In 2007, while living and teaching English in China he self-published A Century is Nothing, a literary memoir.
This after receiving fifty rejection letters from literary agents, "No thanks...doesn't meet our needs...it's not mainstream for the general reader...too many characters...too long..."
The first thing a literary agent considers when reading a query, synopsis and the first five pages is, "Can I make 15% on this?"
Traditional publishing is a casino. A crap shoot. 50 Shades of Gravy is a perfect example.
After research he selected iUniverse, a print-on-demand company in the United States of Amnesia.
Print-on-demand offfered publishing packages and he figured, "What the hell. Release the monster." He paid.
They sent him an eighteen-page critique and structural suggestions. He implemented some and ignored others. He line edited the beast. He submitted a cover image and selected the design.
Six months later he received a hard copy in Turkey where he taught English. He opened the bulky brown envelope. The book slid onto the table. Thump!
The young Chinese girl's curious eyes stared at him from the cover. He'd made the image at a nursery school in a Fujian village. Her eyes said hello, I made it.
He felt grateful and elated. He turned pages, smelling paper, scanning ink. Wow, this is amazing. He also felt detached, knowing it was a deep letting go. It didn't belong to him now. It lived in the world. It was free.
The production company sent his friend in Amnesia 40 copies as part of the publishing agreement. He sent them to friends so they could read adventures. The POD had served its purpose.
In 2007, about a thousand years ago in the world of technology, E-book publishing was in its infancy. Now it's a viable alternative to POD and traditional publishers.
He canceled the agreement with iUniverse this fall and took control of the book. He printed it. He pulled out a red pen and slashed it. Into pieces.
In the process he created a smaller, lo-fat, slim version entitled, Subject to Change, his original working title. After revising (the party) he printed it, edited it again and published it on Amazon and Smashwords. Wa La.
He turned his attention to A Century is Nothing and repeated the process. Writing is re-writing or polishing.
He created a 2nd Edition with a new cover image and bought ISBNs from Bowker. He published it on Amazon and Smashwords as a paperback and E-book at a reasonable price. It ain't about the money. It's about the journey.
No editor or POD is going to drink champange from his skull.
When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
Now you know the process.
If it meets your read needs review it on Amazon (good, bad, ugly) and drop him a line. Sharing is caring. Thanks!
Happy reading!
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