The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Writer #15

A week of lessons

It’s been an interesting and insightful week.

One thing above all else is clear.  If the course of true love never runs smooth, then the course of publishing is also a white-water, white-knuckle ride.

Watching the process from the inside, I realise just how hard it is on so many different levels.  It requires tenacity, faith and vision.  They need to find a book they can believe in, deal with the obstreperous, egotistical writer (that’s me, folks) and keep their eyes on the prize.

It now seems impossible to believe that a book can succeed without being available on Amazon.  And with only one national bookshop chain here in the UK, it’s Waterstones and the enervating challenge of targeting the 1,000 or so independents.

So, for example, the critical element of the POD publisher is the nexus between printer/distributor and retailers, be they online or high-street.  This is essentially an automated process that doesn’t appear to take too kindly to human intervention.  Waiting for the system to unwind requires patience and tranquillity.  Much of this is invisible to the likes of you and me.  As writers and readers, we take our product when we can, producing what outsiders can scarcely imagine in terms of output, even if much of it lands on the cutting-room floor, and getting our mitts on books via Amazon, ABE or our local bookshop.

Let me tell you, I don’t do patience.  And tranquillity is not really my stock-in-trade.  The only time I’m laid back is for a medical procedure of unspeakable invasiveness (try and put that image out your mind, if you can).  So, funnily enough, the whole e-book thing is more sympathetic.  Converting the text into Kindle format, getting it through the Amazon ‘stocking’ system and readers downloading it was fast, flawless and hassle-free.

So I’ve learned quite a lot since my last blog.  That commercial processes work in their own sweet way and can’t be rushed.  That publishing requires the dexterity of the juggler, the mental acuity of an Einstein and the patience of a saint.  Also that, sooner rather than later, I may have to revisit my decision to eschew e-books in preference for the tactile pleasure of handling books, picking one out from a shelf or just settling down in an armchair with a beloved and trusted old friend.

But, for now, I have to write a speech for tonight’s launch at Waterstones Hampstead.  I’ll report back next week, if that’s ok with you.

Ian Phillips is a freelance writer for businesses whose first novel, Grosse Fugue, is being published by Alliance Publishing Press. Further information is now available at www.alliancepublishingpress.com. The website dedicated to the novel is at www.grossefugue.com and  Ian’s tweeting developments @Ian_at_theWord.