Experiments in Self Publishing
There's a problem with novel writing. The novel is never really finished. It just reaches its deadline and there is nothing more that can be done with it. So we tell ourselves 'It IS done!' And our brains kind of accept that. We put it behind ourselves. Perhaps the tyranny of the deadline is a blessing after all.
But short stories often don't have deadlines. Two months ago, I wrote about my first self-publishing venture, a short story called 'Tricks of the Light'.
This story had been on my mind and bugging me for many years. I could never quite finish it. Just when I thought it was done, it would evolve into a different form. From screenplay to prose story, from prose to performance, from performance to collaborative audio project.
So I decided to print it as a booklet, giving myself the deadline of the States of Independence conference to get it done. But has the deadline helped me?
Yes. That's the simple answer. The story that had been bugging me for years has now settled down and accepted its new role as a finished thing. That's not to say I won't do more with it. But I now feel at peace. It isn't an itch that needs to be scratched.
I can also report that as of this week, my publishing venture has covered its costs and has started to make a small profit. A few pounds will never pay back all the years of work I put into it, of course. Not in a financial sense. But in covering its costs, it has at least shifted over from 'expensive and time-consuming hobby' to 'gainful employment'. It may even go on to yield a small but helpful income stream.
People attending talks I've given have been happy to spend £5 to take away a copy of the booklet. Though it is small, it is a pleasing object and they seem to feel richer having it than having the money in their pocket. Everyone wins.
More than that, I have learned much from the process of making a book. Some of that has been about storycraft - which came as a surprise...
The full article can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/gaslitempire...
But short stories often don't have deadlines. Two months ago, I wrote about my first self-publishing venture, a short story called 'Tricks of the Light'.
This story had been on my mind and bugging me for many years. I could never quite finish it. Just when I thought it was done, it would evolve into a different form. From screenplay to prose story, from prose to performance, from performance to collaborative audio project.
So I decided to print it as a booklet, giving myself the deadline of the States of Independence conference to get it done. But has the deadline helped me?
Yes. That's the simple answer. The story that had been bugging me for years has now settled down and accepted its new role as a finished thing. That's not to say I won't do more with it. But I now feel at peace. It isn't an itch that needs to be scratched.
I can also report that as of this week, my publishing venture has covered its costs and has started to make a small profit. A few pounds will never pay back all the years of work I put into it, of course. Not in a financial sense. But in covering its costs, it has at least shifted over from 'expensive and time-consuming hobby' to 'gainful employment'. It may even go on to yield a small but helpful income stream.
People attending talks I've given have been happy to spend £5 to take away a copy of the booklet. Though it is small, it is a pleasing object and they seem to feel richer having it than having the money in their pocket. Everyone wins.
More than that, I have learned much from the process of making a book. Some of that has been about storycraft - which came as a surprise...
The full article can be found here:
https://www.facebook.com/gaslitempire...
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