Judges and Publishers
Rejection and rebellion in the act of indie ownership
Hey! How do you judge a book by its cover?
While my little break after so much talk and so much focus on Significatorius looks like abandonment from the outside looking in, I assure you it’s at least believably a part of the plan.
A crucial phase of my editing process is putting as much distance between me and my manuscript as possible.
When I feel close to the words and pages, that can be a bad thing. The ruthless mind required for refinement means tearing up anything and everything where and when it’s appropriate.
Whatever excuses were once in place need to be forgotten in the name of telling a better story.
There’s a need for a powerful peace to get through all that work, every page, and still feel strong on the other side.
I’ll be jumping back in this week and hopefully get through the text at a decent pace. I don’t see much changing, but it’ll be nice to smooth out any obvious edges before moving forward.
From there, it’ll be more about an even bigger decision waiting just around the corner.
You see, a big part of the writing profession — at least for those who have pretensions (read: delusions) of a career — is publishing, marketing, and selling.
One of these is a contentious subject for some.
That is to say, the breakdown between traditional publishing and others.
Plastic Publishing
In the literary industry, most things rely on an odd mixture of connections and legacy. Books are, after all, a part of entertainment.
And that means the industry includes all the pitfalls.
The overarching structure of modern publishing forces unknown or failed authors like myself to further question the modes and methods. The exhausting loop of gatekeepers with convoluted keys begs the question of whether or not it’s worth it at all.
The traditional path involves sending out pitches called query letters to agents who represent similar genres and styles. Those agents then pitch editors who reject the manuscript either because they don’t have the time or don’t like the story.
Eventually, after several rounds of edits, the agent will pitch publishers. Those publishers may then demand more edits.
And we haven’t even talked about receiving a single penny.
If a publisher picks up the book, the accounting then involves inventory logistics and all the marketing the author is still expected to handle.
And even then.
There’s no guarantee you’ll really get paid.
A bet on a gamble on a questionable deal.
A long-shot sure-thing win with the odds pulled ever thin.
Indie Dreams
There used to be next to no choice for the eager writer looking to grind their name into Sisyphus’ boulder.
Or so the cold corporate logic would want you to believe.
Not only can your story be stolen at any step along the way — and before a lawyer jumps down my throat, I don’t mean the exact words, but it is indeed difficult to prove provenance when a very similar idea shows up on shelves under a slightly different name.
Theft, after all, has ever been a low-class crime.
But the alternatives also come with a heavy-handed side-eye. Indie publishers are often, unfortunately, seen as inherently lesser. These smaller shops usually specialize in less commercial genres and are less focused on mass-appeal bottom lines.
A blessing and a curse, depending on how deep your empty pockets are willing to go.
While I have likely received over a thousand rejections for my query letters across my books, those from indie publishers have gone much further and been much nicer about the whole process.
Self-satisfied Supply
There is, then, the redheaded stepchild of publishing.
The thorn in the side of the big wigs.
Self-published authors who have the audacity to just put their work out there on their own. Such a bold move instantly disqualifies you from most traditional query routes.
Judge, jury, and executioner, I name thee mine own hand!
(Unless your book becomes popular then suddenly the rules no longer apply.)
None of the prestige and no guarantees.
However, there are very few certainties in any form of publishing. How the market responds is unpredictable without a celebrity endorsement.
What is certain is that with self-publishing the author retains full creative control, for better or worse.
Where I feel like that matters most for something like Significatorius is that going through any other option would mean losing my little sister’s art.
And that, I suppose, brings us back to judging a book by its cover. Not just for the sale or the content, but how I myself would judge my work if it no longer matched the story in my head.
Is a book even mine if it doesn’t feel like my words?
Combining that thought with how any story after editing would hardly resemble the one I originally wrote makes me feel more and more comfortable with just self-publishing.
Especially when I’d be doing most of the marketing anyway.
Top One Percent
I received an email last week saying I am in the top 1% of Substack publishers.
This is for consistency and not popularity, I assure you.
In fact, I have less than 100 (free) subscribers at this point, but I’m somehow in the top percentile.
So, spread the word if you will. I could use a few more readers here since it seems to be the most prestigious point of entry into my world.
I doubt I’ll build a list of a million fans, but perhaps there are still a few out there who would allow me to reach a hundred.
A smaller dream, but one I may be able to wake up and still grasp.
Until next time.
—JMB