Isabel
Isabel is now also an author, with her debut novel Paris Mon Amour, published in ebook and audio in June 2016 with Canelo. Isabel made the decision to self-publish the print version of Paris Mon Amour, and that's what we're talking about on my blog today. Here she is...
Could
you tell us about your decision to self–publish your novel Paris Mon Amour in print?
There are two sides to this. Firstly, from the very start (even at the
launch!) there was something about this novel that made people want a print
version. That’s largely due to the
stunning cover by Dan Mogford, which we kept for the paperback. And like most
authors, my dream was always to hold a book I’d written in my hand!
What actually made it happen was one of those random
strokes of luck. The Fiction Buyer from
WH Smith Travel read the novel, loved it and wanted to stock it. For that,
there obviously needed to be a print edition and when my and my agent’s
attempts to find a print publisher didn’t succeed (the tight timescale didn’t
help), I couldn’t let the opportunity pass and decided to do it myself. It was a daunting prospect, but I really
believe in this book and it would have felt like unfinished business not to.
What
are the advantages of self-publishing?
It’s fantastic to be in control – you hear so many
stories about authors being less than happy with their covers, blurbs,
marketing efforts, etc. and I got to make those decisions and have everything
just the way I wanted it, right down to the font size. I was lucky to have the
support of everyone I needed to make it work: my agent, my digital publishers
Canelo and the very impressive indie publishing team at Clays printers, who specialise
in guiding the uninitiated through every stage.
And
the disadvantages?
I suppose it’s the flipside of the above. When you’re in charge, the buck stops with
you. It was a massive learning curve and I worried about making some terrible
mistake that wouldn’t come to light in time because nobody was looking over my
shoulder. (It wasn’t until I’d read the finished paperback that I was fully
convinced I’d sent the right version to print, despite checking a hundred
times!) There’s so much to stay on top of and it’s hard work, but fortunately
I’ve always enjoyed project management and collaboration and am fairly
organised by nature. Finally, although the printing costs per unit are
surprisingly low, overall it’s an expensive and risky venture. Let’s just say I am not on the waiting list
for any yachts!
As a
self-published author, did you feel that any doors were closed to you? For
instance, press coverage?
No, I have been pleasantly surprised - it was far more of
an issue when my book was digital only. However, I’m not sure how
representative my experience as a self-published author actually is. This is a very unusual situation with the
novel having first been commercially published in digital and audio a year ago.
Wearing my marketing hat – I used to work in that field – I was able to make a
virtue of the novel’s track record and the response from readers. Over half of
the independent bookshops I approached individually with my Advance Information
Sheet got back to me showing an interest – I was delighted.
Did
any aspects of self-publishing surprise you?
(I found the marketing to be more work and more time consuming than I’d
imagined…!)
The thing that surprised me most was how tricky
typesetting still is. Like many people,
I naïvely assumed that in the digital age you just run the text through a
programme and it comes out looking lovely. In reality it’s an art requiring
patience and painstaking attention to detail; solving one issue (such as crazy
hyphenation) often causes another (‘widows and orphans’, anyone?). I am so grateful
to Simon Collinson of Canelo for bringing his talents and sense of humour to
the task.
You
set up your own Literary Sofa imprint to release the paperback. Do you think
readers care who a book is published by?
In a word, no. I think readers mostly care about two
things: whether a book appeals and whether it is any good, both in terms of
content and presentation. One of the
biggest challenges self-publishers face is ‘discoverability’ – getting it onto
readers’ radar in the first place. Once
that’s achieved, it’s down to us to prove we can compete. One thing that seems to have surprised a lot
of people is that the quality of my self-published book matches traditionally
published ones, and I’m really proud of that.
Self-publishing has come a long way and is now an important part of the
industry; disparaging it is an easy way to look out of touch.
What’s
next for you?
When things calm down, I am really looking forward to
making a start on my next novel, also set in Paris. I have a detailed outline but bringing Paris Mon Amour out in print has taken
over my life these last four months; it’s certainly true that self-publishing
has a major impact on writing time. Otherwise, I am busy preparing for my new
Perseverance and Motivation for Writers workshops with psychologist Voula
Grand. Without those ‘resilient
thinking’ skills, I might not have had the nerve to tackle my paperback
project, but I’m already very glad I did!
***
Many thanks to Isabel for joining me today. Her route to publication is a fascinating story in itself! Paris Mon Amour is a fabulous novel, which totally deserves to be available in print as well as in ebook and audio. I wish her every success and can not wait to get my hands on a copy.
Published on Monday 22nd May, you can buy it on Amazon, and of course in all good WHSmiths Travel bookstores. It is a perfect holiday read!
Next time I'm returning to my From the Other Side series of posts, in which I interview book bloggers. See you then!
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