Self-Publishing WELCOME TO THE MADHOUSE: A Writer's Odyssey

Self-Publishing WELCOME TO THE MADHOUSE: A Writer's Odyssey by S.E. Sasaki

Chapter One: Crazy Ambitions?

Having written a science fiction series, beginning with Welcome to the Madhouse, which had moderate success on Wattpad (short-listed for a Watty Award for Best SF/Fantasy Novel of 2013, over 7,000 followers, and over 9,000 complete book reads), I wanted to explore the possibility of getting my book published, out there in the real world.

Crazy though it may sound, I wanted a book published with my name on the cover, available for purchase on the shelves of local bookstores. Having always loved reading and having always harbored a secret desire to write fiction, a book on the shelves next to J.R.R. Tolkien or George R.R. Martin would be a fantastic dream come true. Unfortunately, I had no R.R.'s in my name, but I was not going to let that stop me! (I could always add the R.R.'s, if necessary to a pen name, couldn't I?).

Once the story was written and re-written and edited and re-edited and copy-edited and polished - to the point where there could not possibly be any flaws, (God darn it!) - it was time to make the Big Decision: Do I look for a traditional publisher or self-publish?

Most people think that having one's book published by the traditional publisher is better. You get the marketing, the advertising, the distribution to all the retail book stores, and you get a royalty.

However . . .

As a first time author, your royalty is not that much, sometimes $2,000.00 to $5,000.00 dollars and you get paid perhaps 5% of book sales . . . if you are lucky! In most cases, the royalty is subtracted from your book sales, however, so you do not get a cheque until your royalty payment surpasses that initial $2,000.00 - $5,000.00 you were first given. Nowadays, it is not usually a signing bonus.

The traditional publisher buys the rights to your book for a certain period of time; hopefully the author has not signed for forever! During that time period, they usually ask for the right to publish all print books, audio books, ebooks, and if the author has given away these rights, also for all foreign book rights and subsidiary rights including TV, movie, video games, merchandise, etc. The publisher may do absolutely nothing with those rights. They may do no advertising and marketing of your book, or very little. They may produce a very unsatisfactory product, for which you will have little say. They might push your book, but with a first time author, that happens less and less. There is no guarantee.

The difficulty is getting your book to a publisher to be read.

Many publishers will not look at a book unless you have a literary agent - in other words, 'representation'. Many publishers do not look at any 'unsolicited manuscripts', especially the big publishers. Therefore, you are advised to go in search of a literary agent. The major problem with literary agents, these days, is they are not interested in you unless you have already published a book. In these times, it would be true to say that it is harder to find an agent to represent you than it is finding a publisher.

To find a literary agent, one can consult the Guide to Literary Agents, which lists all of the agents and what they are interested in representing. To contact these agents, go to their websites and do as you are told. Most literary agents take fifteen percent of your royalties but they will work hard to sell your book to a publisher and get you a good deal. If you have a good agent.

They say, to find a good agent, speak to authors and find one who is happy with his or her agent.

Literary agents are an elusive breed and the best place to meet them, are at literary meetings, where they do not want you to approach them and launch into stories about your books but ask polite questions instead. You are supposed to cultivate a relationship with them over many meetings, even though it is costing you a great deal to travel to even just one meeting and you are a poor, starving artist. You must not look too hungry, too needy, or too desperate (even though your are hungry, needy, and desperate). Like a frightened animal, they might scurry away.

Meeting editors at these literary meetings, which can often take place all over the world, such as Brighton, England, Washington, D.C., Tokyo, Japan, or Toronto, Canada, can sometimes be easier, if you catch them after a panel. Coming right out and asking them to read your manuscript may produce the same result as with the agents. You see their face shut right down and close up shop before your very eyes. Almost like a personality implosion. It seems that editors must be cultivated as well.

The ideal way to get an editor or agent to look at your manuscript is to make friends with other writers - successful writers - and hope that they will take enough interest in you to suggest your work to their agent or editor. Overall, it is a very daunting task, very time consuming, very costly, and often disheartening and discouraging.

It does seem that trying to get anyone in the traditional publishing world to look at your manuscript can take years, can cost a lot, can involve a lot of travel to meetings, and definitely involves lots of rejection.

When one does find an editor willing to look at your manuscript, do not be surprised - as I was - that it can take years for them to get back to you about your book. In the meantime, in the traditional publishing world, it is considered poor practice to show your manuscript to any other publisher, while the first one is looking at it. You can send your manuscript to as many agents as you like, at the same time, but not publishers or editors. Bad form, you know, old chap.

Of course, you do not want to bug the editor that has your manuscript too much, in case he or she gets annoyed with you and says, 'No', so you wait . . . and wait . . . and wait . . . and wait. Your hair can go gray and your joints can seize up while you wait.

When the 'No' finally comes, you are relieved, because by then you are so enraged, you do not want these people to have anything to do with your book. Therefore, when you ask an editor to look at your manuscript, it is always wise to find out from other writers how long the editor takes to get back. Other writers will know and tell you. Avoid 'so and so'! They tale forever!

I wish I had asked first!

Many of the publishers, editors, and agents, are primarily interested in recommendations from the authors they are working with. If you are a good writer and your friend, the published writer, goes to his or her agent/editor/publisher and recommends you, that means a lot. They hear, from someone they trust, that you are a reasonable human being, a good friend, and an excellent writer.

It was a surprise to me to find that the traditional publishing world for genre fiction ie. science fiction, fantasy, and horror, was such a small world, and the same people seem to attend all of the same meetings.

If you want to go the traditional publishing route and you have the money, attend the meetings. Go up to other writers and make friends. Do not push your manuscript in anyone's face. Everyone knows that is why you are there - to get your book published - but make friends.

That is how I found my first publisher . . .