And now for the news!
This week in the world of self-publishing:
This week we’re going to take a look at self-publishing news from around the world!
This article focuses on the self-publishing journey of Grew Fowler whose work, Jam Sandwiches, tells a touching story of an abandoned boy with Down Syndrome “and the lives he touches as he navigates his way through life.” After receiving rejection letter after rejection letter, Jam Sandwiches was originally something that Fowler published online through Amazon’s CreateSpace– this is an easy process where you fill out a questionnaire, talk with a design consultant, and then a few weeks later your books arrive on your doorstep. After growing up reading a lot of Stephen King, Fowler found comfort in the fact that King had wallpapered his writing room with rejection letters and decided to press ahead, carving his own path.
Lucky for Fowler, his book was eventually caught the eye of a leading publishing company in the UK and will be “formally launched this year at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in August – one of the world’s leading arts festivals,” after being translated into other languages.
Because self-publishing is still a fairly unheard of concept in New Zealand, Fowler acts as a sort of a pioneer, and perhaps an outlier as far as self-publishing goes in the country. Being picked up by a publishing company has been humbling for the author, who “maintains he just got lucky.” The challenge of writing something that is widely liked by a reading audience and that also catches the eye of a publishing house is grand. Most of us would be happy with just the former, and ecstatic with the latter. All we can do is put our work out there by whatever means we have available and see what happens.
In India, if a child said they wanted to be an author when they grew up just fifteen years ago, that would’ve most likely been a statement to be met by chagrin by their parents. However, with the emergence of self-publishing companies in India such as Power Publishers, becoming an author has become a more acceptable career choice that is being taken more seriously today.
“Just fifteen years ago, a new writer with the aspiration to become an author, or start a career in writing would have found a solid wall before her,” says Pinaki Ghosh, founder of Power Publishers, “It was practically impossible for a new author to publish a book in India.” In 2010, however, everything changed when digital printing became an option in the country. While traditional publishing companies in India were previously only willing to pick up books they could sell 5,000+ copies of, digital printing meant that first time authors were able to get 50 or less of their books published, meaning less risk for the publishing companies and authors.
Digital printing has equalized the playing field for writers in India and opened the door for self-publishing as an avenue for talented writers to get their work exposed and see if they can get picked up by a publishing company or successfully market their book and build a fanbase of their own.
As a self-publishing author, you may find it helpful to stay up-to-date on the trends and news related to the self-publishing industry. This will help you make informed decisions before, during and after the self-publishing process, which will lead to a greater self-publishing experience. To help you stay current on self-publishing topics, simply visit our blog every Monday to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.
Self Publishing Advisor 