Andy Merrick asked Nerine Dorman:

Hi Nerine, I have been looking at the BFS shortlist too and couldn't help feeling erked that it's only out there for tickling the underbelly of heavy weight publishers. How did you get on with the different publishers you have associated with? I would really like to know as my writing is Dark too and I am learning how hard it is to catch a break without writing pulp.

Nerine Dorman Hi Andy – tricky question. I've generally had good experiences with the bigger presses, however the wheels take a long time to turn when it comes to getting anything done with them, either as author or editor. "Hurry up and wait" seems to be the underlying theme there, and the decision-making process for anything can take a while. Small presses are generally easier to deal with, but I've had mixed experiences there as many either went belly up within two years of opening doors or in one case, got swallowed up by a large publisher that is a nightmare to deal with. There are but a handful of small presses I'll still work with – for the rest I won't touch with a ten-foot barge pole unless I can see they have a reputation for dealing straight with authors and editors. My current feeling is that the industry is volatile, and if authors are looking for the best of both worlds when it comes to self-publishing vs. traditional publishing, my advice (especially to authors writing niche fiction) is to consider creating an authors' co-op. I'm currently experimenting with this model and am hoping to garner positive results.

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