More Thoughts on Independent Publishing

I am an independent publisher and, as such, have to find ways to distinguish my books from the literally thousands of other books out there that are published every year. One of my hopes is that the books I independently publish will be of a higher quality both in content and presentation than th others. This is a significant goal in this era of do-it-yourself publishing.

The first book that Parlez-Moi Press published was Lila Monell’s beautiful little book of poetry Split-Image Focus. We knew going into the project that poetry doesn’t sell all that well and the fact that we sold over 500 books in a matter of weeks was encouraging. The book was easy to produce because the poems were lovely and I had the advantage of Lila’s line drawings and her photography to enhance it with. I have no regrets at all about Split-Image Focus.

When Mark Williams approached me about his book I was reluctant at first just because I knew very little about the fishing industry and wasn’t sure about working with someone who was a complete stranger. But I was drawn into the project by his gift for words and his narrative ability. It was a struggle at times and it took us two full years to battle out parts of it but Mark surprised me by being much more open to criticism and making changes than I thought he would be. He would listen to my opinion on a section and then either say, no, it stays as it is, or okay, you know more about this than I do. I was impressed. Not a lot of writers can do that. I think the book is 95% where I would want it to be. There are a few parts I would change but it is, after all, his book.

People ask me to read for them a lot and it is difficult. I want to like everything I read but, of course, I don’t. I’ve had to learn to make some fine distinctions. Some people aren’t the greatest writers in the world but they are good storytellers and I’ve learned to make allowances for that. After all, look at Dan Brown. I can only envy his storytelling despite his dreadful writing style.

There are certain things I look for when I read critically: Does the story hold my interest? Does the writing get in the way of my enjoyment of reading? Does dialogue flow or sound stilted? And, of course, the most important rule for any writer: SHOW, DON’T TELL. That should be printed out in huge letters and pasted over every writer’s desk. Show me how this happened, show me how you were attracted to him, show me how this situation developed. Don’t tell me, let me participate, draw me in. Show me.

I’m also particularly picky about the use of analogies. Analogies are beautiful when done well and glaring when done badly. I would rather read a trite analogy than a bizarre one. I can forgive a writer who says her smile was like sunshine — some smiles are — and I can fall in love with a writer who says her smile was like an invitation to all my boyhood dreams. But when a writer says her smile was like opening a carton of eggs only her teeth were square instead of round, that’s it — I’m done. Good luck with your book.

I think those of us who independently publish have an obligation to work harder than ever to produce works of quality. Books are being pumped out off of presses at an alarming rate and, according to what I have read, most authors sell less than a hundred copies of their book. Mark and Lila have broken that record many times over but most do not. Quality is all. It would be a very good thing if professional editors were kept as busy as professional book manufacturers are.

So, back to work, I have too many projects going right now and more in the works. I’m busier than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs — or whatever the heck that analogy is.

Thanks for reading.