My boots are huge

I started the first step in my marketing plan, yesterday. It seems crazy, my book isn't even out yet.


On that, I'm 100 pages into my hard copy edit. That's where I mark all the changes on a print out, as in the previous post. My entire m/s currently sits at 127 pages, double-space, 12-point TNR. This edit has some pretty big changes in it. I realised that some scenes which were conversational should really have been confrontational. This is sword and sorcery I'm writing after all it's supposed to be about marching from battle to battle.


After I'm finished, I have to put all my changes into the PC. Then I pop the book to an editor and to my cover artist. I'm confident with my story, I like it, I don't want to change it. Unless there is a gaping plot hole I won't be changing the structure. My artist plans to read my book for inspiration.


And then I do my marketing. Which I started yesterday. It's hard to market fiction, which is why I have decided to do non-fiction to put my name about a bit. So I started working on a non-fiction yesterday, which I aim to have finished by Xmas.


Which is roughly when I'll start the first Guns prequel. I don't have a title yet, but I do know it will be set in 1860, in London. Winter. There will be zombies. And Church knights. And really cool steampunk technology. The plot will involve an old book, somehow.


And Matilda will be evil, which will be fun to write. Embrace the demonic badness.


I have plans for work in other genres too, but I'm just going to keep going for now and see how far I can get. From Sept/Oct next year there's a film I really want to start filming, so I'll need to script it this year, and try and make enough money from the writing to have a float with which to start fundraising for my film.


But this non fiction is one of the hardest things I have ever done. Other companies make these books, and put together teams of 30 staff to pull it off. I have me, and a tea-brewing dwarf, and a quarter of that sentence was a lie.

Anonymous Independent Author

Hello, hi, how are you?

Well, I'm Chris and I'm an anonymous independent author, or I will be soon. See, I decided (like, years ago) that I want to self publish.

I know, I know - it's always the same reaction. How dare I suggest self-publishing as a genuine, reasonable, inexpensive, realistic alternative to the traditional way of doing things?

Um, because it is...

Oh, it's not always been so, I get that. There was a time when it was possible to bankrupt yourself just getting your book out there. I know that. But that's not my plan. I intend to do this with a budget of about a £5er, tops.

Yes, let the laughter roll in.

I'm serious.

This blog is going to detail the run up to my self-publishing adventure, and the aftermath, and will also feature my writing. I'll be setting up a free website soon, too, so I'll link to there. I'll link to everywhere that has any information on self-publishing, and I'll let you know exactly what I do and how it all works out for me.
It may all end in tears.

Probably not, though.

Even if it isn't a fantastic success story, I doubt it will make me cry.

And finally, why... do you know some publishing houses offer a £5000 advance for the rights to a novel for 50 years in all formats worldwide? Now partly that's due to the credit crunch and partly it's because of e-books. But my problem isn't the money, it's the "all formats, worldwide, for 50 years" part. If I hate my publisher, then what? I'll get my book back when I'm 77?

Yeeha, I'll be doing a lot with it when I'm nearly 80, won't I?

Probably not, no.

Okay, so not 50 years, that's a bit extreme. But seven years, fifty years, it doesn't really matter how long it is. 1 year is too long.

I want control. Over everything. I don't want to end up with a crap cover (it happens a lot) and I don't want to have to change the ending of my novel (I'm not one for happy endings. I like heroes to be martyrs. Publisher's don't).

So, yes, I'm self-publishing. I don't think it will make me rich, but I do think it will make me happy.

Of course, I'm happy as I am, too. I'm quite lucky that way.