Self-Publish or Perish

Roughly two years ago, I finished writing a novel called Dream of an Inland Sea. Unfortunately, I have terrible timing, as Lehman Brothers had just gone into bankruptcy, and most of us were simultaneously learning about real estate derivatives and sensing that our economic security had been horribly undermined.

Many years before, I worked in book publishing in New York City (HarperCollins, Alfred A. Knopf), and I knew that this industry was not unlike others; when people become more conservative regarding financial risks, every business is affected. In book publishing, this means agents and editors view all incoming manuscripts with more reserve than they did before—and this was in addition to the reserve they’d already developed due to Americans’ changing reading habits, the growth of the internet, and the availability of e-books.

But, ever hopeful, I began sending my book to agents. After three or four rejections, I almost had one, but someone at the agency with veto power prevailed. At this point, I went through some soul-searching. Is the book flawed? I wondered. Do I need revisions, or am I satisfied with its vision and execution?

I decided I was happy with the book but that I didn’t have the energy to pursue finding an agent. This decision was, no doubt, affected by the journey I’d been on with my twins, both of whom have special needs. Publishing the book was no longer my most important focus, and I was at peace that I had managed to finish the manuscript. I decided to put it away and bide my time. I had children to raise, and maybe the book didn’t need to be in the marketplace.

Then my high school band mate Dean Fetzer and his wife, Debra, came for a visit. They live in England, and Dean is also a writer. He, too, had not found a place within traditional publishing, but with energy and can-do, he’d begun successfully to self-publish his mystery novels online. During his visit, he said, “Why don’t I help you? Can I read the book?”

At first, I was dubious. When I went through the graduate program at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, “vanity publishing” (which was how self-publishing was once described) was  considered just that: evidence of the author’s feeling of self-importance, a purple signpost announcing the person’s inability to write or, at the very least, to successfully edit his- or her own work.

But the publishing industry has changed, and I decided that I should, too. I have friends who have been successful with the typical publishing route, and I applaud them, and of course, I still wish to join them, as it would be ever so lovely to have an advance and a publicity machine. But because I was at peace about the book, I thought, Why not? The novel might not sell a lot of copies, but maybe someone will enjoy it. That was an electrifying thought, as no writer honestly writes entirely for the self.

So…my book is now available in paper and ebook form. This novel means a great deal to me, and I would be so honored should any of you decide to read it. Here are the links:

PAPERBACK:

US
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0956158188/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0956158188&linkCode=as2&tag=deafet-20
UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0956158188/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=deafet-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0956158188

KINDLE:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=dream%20of%20an%20inland%20sea