"Indie" Publishing

One decision today’s author must confront is whether to pursue publication through the traditional route with a major book company, or to strike out into the frontier of book sales independently. Once upon a time, a first-time novelist, like 19^th century Emily Bronte (Wuthering Heights) or even 20^th century J.D. Salinger (Catcher in the Rye) had no choice. They needed to capture the attention of an editor at a prominent book company or their story would never appear on the pages of a book in some enthralled reader’s hands. It’s impossible to know how many incredible stories from would-be novelists never saw the light of day. But today, authors have a choice.

The traditional path remains alive. But it is long and arduous, with limited odds for success. The aspiring author first creates an extensive story proposal and accompanying marketing plan, and submits that to a number of literary agents who represent that style of book. After several months of rejections, and several submissions to a new batch of agents, one might accept the proposal. Contracts are drawn, and that agent begins to shop around for a book company to publish the novel. Months pass. At this point, many stories never find a home. A few get picked up by a book company editor and a publishing contract is drafted. The author receives an advance payment, based upon expected sales. Then, the editor directs the author to begin re-writes of the story to fit what the editor believes will sell the best. Often, wholesale changes are made to the story at the direction of the editor. Finally, a year or so later, the book is ready and the presses roll out thousands of copies. For the next few months, the book company’s publicity department assists the author in developing a promotional campaign. But if sales don’t immediately spike, marketing resources are quickly withdrawn and the book is rapidly discounted. Many traditionally published novels only see an initial production run, and then end up in the budget pile at bookstores. A few enjoy popular success and the author ends up on Oprah.

The other path open to today’s author is independent (“Indie”) publishing. The author writes, re-writes, and edits his or her story to be the best possible, often using trusted readers to offer input on the draft manuscript. Then a publication company is hired to assist the author in getting the manuscript typeset in print-ready format (and Kindle/Smashwords formats), obtaining an ISBN number, sourcing a reliable “print-on-demand” print company, and getting the book placed in wholesale distributors as well as online retail outlets. Finally, when all is ready, the fate of the book is back in the hands of its creator. The number of people who ultimately read the book will be determined by the ability of the author to attract interest, and the reaction of those who read the story. Some, like E.L.James’ 50 Shades of Grey manage to break through and become best sellers. Others never sell more than a few dozen copies.

I chose to go the “Indie” route with Leaving Juneau County, partly because I’m far too independent-minded to survive the traditional process. But more importantly, I believe the story is just too darned good to be hacked apart by some New York editor who has never set foot in a small Wisconsin town. If you are touched by the story, I hope you will help me get the word out and refer the novel to your friends.