The Publishing Adventures of A Hybrid Author

The Publishing Adventures of A Hybrid Author
by Michelle Cameron

When I got the call from my agent, telling me that Simon & Schuster wanted my first historical novel, I thought I had it made. 

I was wrong.

My previous book, a verse novel about William Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre, had been published by a tiny literary press. I loved working with the editor/publisher, who was passionate about my project. I loved being a full partner in how the book was designed, including the cover. But back when the publisher had offered to publish that book, she’d warned me: “I have no marketing and no distribution. You’ll have to manage all that yourself.” 

And I did, just grateful to have a book that I had created, one that I could hold in my hands. But now that I was accepted by a major publishing house, I thought S&S would take care of all that.

Wrong again. 

Yes, they had the distribution, but I was just one of the many writers they published, taking a chance on my novel because I was – virtually – a debut. And when my beloved editor was let go, due to a recession that meant the publishing house no longer wanted to pay her well-deserved salary, I was orphaned.

Mine is not an unusual story in the publishing world. But being orphaned meant I had no advocate in my publishing house. Having no advocate meant they made almost no effort to promote the book. Worst of all, they never gave me a paperback, which might have made all the difference. And when I appealed to my agent to change their minds, her response was: “But you don’t have the numbers.” 

I learned a valuable lesson thereby – authors out in the big leagues live and die on their sales record.  And mine meant that when my second agent tried to market a new historical novel, the Big Five and the larger independent houses all said no. Agents are almost as susceptible to rejection as authors, and this one dropped me as soon as she realized she couldn’t place the book. 

But I had a good novel that deserved to go out in the world. After blogging about my woes, a friend turned me on to She Writes Press, a hybrid publisher that had the distribution that my original small press lacked. SWP produces beautifully designed books, up to the standard of any of the larger houses. They were clear that you were expected to market your own work, and were remarkably transparent about the entire process, beginning to end. 

The drawback? This not-really-new model of publishing (think the Bronte sisters) meant that you had to invest in – aka pay for – your own publication, including printing, shipping, and promotion. Frankly, the price tag was daunting. Being new to this approach toward publishing, I didn’t realize how expensive all the costs, particularly promotion, would end up being. I was heartened, however, when I immediately began being paid royalties – something that doesn’t happen in the Big Five until you “earn out” your advance. My S&S novel has never paid me a dime beyond their initial payment, and, more than a decade later, I’m resigned to never receiving another penny.

People ask me, would I go back to SWP? – and the answer is, yes, because I am. My fourth novel, due out in August 2024, is a sequel to my second, so it just made sense to work with the same publisher. And I’m better informed this time around, knowing what is worth spending money on and what isn’t, which is a definite plus.

But before that book will be released, I have another novel coming out with yet another publishing model – a small traditional press. Many of my friends who were once published and then dropped by major houses – a friend of mine labels them “Big Five refugees” – are now working with smaller houses. These increase your royalties significantly, but many pay you no advance and no money until the house’s upfront costs are recouped. Mine has promised promotional help but I’ve learned not to totally rely on publishers for that. No longer as naïve or trusting as I once was, I’m also making my own publicity plans.

People often ask me: why not self-publish? Wouldn’t you then keep every cent your books earn? I’ve avoided this model thus far and honestly don’t think I’ll ever be tempted. My reason stretches back to my original, tiny publisher’s statement: no distribution and no marketing. Many genres, such as romance or fantasy, can make significant money just on Amazon eBook sales alone. Doing so, I’ve been told, generally requires bringing out multiple books in a year. Historical fiction, with the research required – at least the way I write it – makes that difficult, if not impossible.

Being an author in an industry that is constantly in flux may be stressful – no, let’s face it, is stressful. But if the major houses aren’t willing to engage and you still want to get your books out into the world, these days many worthy writers find that the only way to remain viable is to embrace the adventure of becoming a hybrid author. As I have.

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Michelle Cameron is the author of In the Shadow of the Globe (Lit Pot Press), The Fruit of Her Hands (Simon & Schuster’s Pocket Books), and Beyond the Ghetto Gates (She Writes Press). Her Babylon: a novel of Jewish Captivity was published by Wicked Son Press in September 2023 and is currently available wherever books are sold, while her sequel to Beyond the Ghetto Gates, Napoleon’s Mirage, will be published by She Writes Press in August 2024.

BABYLON

A multi-generational biblical saga of captivity, romance, faith, and redemption, set against the Judean exile in Babylon.

Everything changes for Sarah the day Nebuchadnezzar’s army storms Jerusalem. In an instant, her peaceful life on the farm is ripped away: her city sacked, her temple desecrated, her people enslaved. Marched across unforgiving desert sands to Babylon, Sarah and the remaining Judean people must find a way to keep their faith alive in a new and unforgiving home.

Displaced within an empire of strange gods and unimaginable wealth, Sarah and her descendants bear witness to palace intrigue, betrayal, brutal sacrifice, regicide, and a new war brewing in the east. Through every trial, the Hebrew people attempt to preserve their religion. Uri, Sarah’s son, transcribes incredible stories of prophets and visions, Creation and Exodus—stories that establish the central tenets of the Hebrew faith.

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Tags: featured, women writers

Category: Contemporary Women Writers, On Writing