So this is not a tale of a brilliant self-marketing campaign that led to a publishing deal, nor is it a case-study of a state-of-the-art submissions programme.
An offer I couldn’t refuse
So this is not a tale of a brilliant self-marketing campaign that led to a publishing deal, nor is it a case-study of a state-of-the-art submissions programme.
Nope, it’s a paean to serendipity, to great timing and to the need to tell anyone, even strangers, that you’re a writer.
In the confessional spirit of earlier posts, I stand before you and say: “My name is Ian Phillips and I am a bridge addict.” No, I don’t mean one of those strange Channel-5-real-life-documentary people who form an emotional or even physical attachment with an edifice made of concrete, wire and piles. I play the card game and have done so for years (it’s how I met my wife).
I was at a club, and finished a round of the competition early. We chat sotto voce with our opponents. ‘What do you do?’ ‘I write.’ ‘Oh, what?’ ‘Stuff for businesses, speeches and the like. And you?’ ‘I’m a publisher.’ ‘I’ve also written a novel.’ ‘Really! What’s it about?’
I give her the elevator pitch (something I really recommend - I’ve worked hard to try and summarise it in very short phrases, usually starting with my equivalent of the legendary pitch to Hollywood for ‘Alien’ (‘Jaws In Space’.) Mine: ‘A Kosher Satanic Verses.’
‘I’d like to read it.’ We had a subsequent chat over the phone and I sent it to her.
I hadn’t heard of Alliance Publishing Press, but really liked its use of Print-On-Demand (even if the end-product can’t benefit from the versatility of traditional print). The industry norm of investing working capital in stock and distribution, let alone advances, seems to me somewhat archaic. Surely it was in everyone’s interest to pour resources into increasing demand. With the explosion of channels for selling as well as communicating, this seemed completely logical, modern and, most important, author-friendly.
I was also drawn to the benefits of working with a small company. I like knowing precisely who’s going to be doing what with my book – and interacting with them. The atmosphere was more collegiate, more personal, than I would imagine a large publisher to be. They readily surmised that I am somewhat anal, so the notion of being genuinely consulted on issues like marketing and design was both seductive and a relief.
I sat down with the whole team and they were really enthusiastic about ‘Grosse Fugue’, even while flagging concerns about the ending. Believing that all things are resolvable between those committed to progress, I decided to commit. All that was needed now was to do a deal and get edited.
The deal was easy.
Ian Phillips is a freelance writer for businesses whose first novel, Grosse Fugue, will be published by Alliance Publishing Press on April 11th. He’s tweeting developments @Ian_at_theWord.
Dear Ian, as a professional editor yourself, I presume it was easy for you to step back from your work and view it critically, despite the roar in reaction to doubts about the ending and appendix.
I am thinking of self-publishing on Kindle (fiction), so any tips on self-editing, or know of any blogger on this site who can help?
I know where you are coming from on the more people I tell I am a writer that I just don't know who I am talking too. I am also not adverse to letting people read my work. I have at the moment an article which is to do with the mental health issue of stress and depression and the suicide thing. I let people read it so they can maybe help me in finding the right publication for it. I have tried a few places but it seems that the personal touch isn't doing it but I feel somewhat strongly that for people to learn and understand the subject it needs to be publishable. I am waiting on word back from some people to see if they can give me any more leads as to where to aim for next. I have to admit I am a bit of a dog with a bone on this one.
Many thanks, Christina, I'm so pleased you're enjoying it - and hope it continues for the whole series. I'm the first to acknowledge the critical importance of luck in securing a publishing deal. I'm tempted to repeat a rather tired cliché variously attributed to Arnold Palmer and Gary Player when holing from a bunker. A spectator remarked that it was a lucky shot, to which the golfer replied that it was funny - the more he practised, the luckier he got.
For me, the lesson was never to be ashamed to say that I'm a writer, even though I remain unpublished. My personal shtick was to deploy the self-deprecatory line 'Unpublished, and probably unpublishable.' as a defence mechanism (sword, not shield).
The thing is, apart from an industrialised process to approach agents and/or publishers, just talking to people can reap rewards. You never know who or what they know.