Self Publishing… and What Happened Next

This week's guest blogger is author Polly Courtney, who is due to publish her third novel very shortly. Polly self-published her first two books very successfully. Knowing that the decision to self-publish is a hot topic amongst authonomists, we asked her to share what she learnt from her experiences with our community...

Three years ago, I hadn't heard of the term 'self-publishing'. In a few weeks, I'll be launching my third novel, the first of a three-book deal with HarperCollins that came about largely through the success of my first two novels – both of them self-published.

I discovered my passion for writing quite unexpectedly: whilst working as an investment banker. I was so disillusioned with my life as a ‘high flyer’ that I wanted to expose to the world how it really was for young graduates in the Square Mile. I quit my job and set about collating the anecdotes I had scribbled down during my miserable year at the bank.

Initially, my intention was to get a traditional publishing deal. Looking back, I was naïve. Aged twenty-two, I had no idea about how the literary world worked. I sought advice from anyone who would offer it, and the general consensus seemed to be that in order to attract a publisher – and if I wanted to avoid the ‘slush pile’ – I needed representation. So, having polished up my first few chapters, I picked up a copy of The Writer’s Handbook, made a list of suitable literary agents and duly sent off my work.

I had been warned about the next part of the process. ‘Sit back and wait for the rejection letters to come’, someone had told me. Well, they did. But so too did four phone calls of interest. I couldn’t believe it. After some thorough research, I went with the largest, most commercial outfit and under my new guidance, I worked on the manuscript for a further year. Unfortunately, however, it took me this long to realise that the changes that would be required to satisfy my agent took away the whole essence of what I was trying to say with the novel; it seemed that my then-agent wanted to turn my book into yet another piece of ‘chick lit’.

In 2006, the City came under the spotlight when it transpired that bonus pay-outs were due to hit a record high that year. I knew that I had to get Golden Handcuffs out quickly, while the theme was still topical. That was when I looked into self-publishing.

I parted amicably with my literary agent and looked at my various options. There were a couple of online services that offered a way of getting my manuscript turned into a paperback, but I decided – having now spent two years working on the venture – that I needed to do things properly, which meant using a publisher that could offer widespread distribution.

I went with Troubador because they seemed professional and their service included marketing and of course, distribution, so my novel would automatically appear on Amazon etc. Troubador has very high standards and actually turns down a proportion of the submissions they receive. Their competitors seemed too much like vanity publishers – just trying to make money from the authors and not offering any long-term support. The decision I made was the right one. Troubador has been efficient, supportive and commercially astute throughout.

The launch of Golden Handcuffs was a huge success, not least because of a full-page spread in the Observer that I managed to attain just weeks before it came out, which spawned further coverage in The Times, Sunday Times, Independent, Guardian, Daily Express, Daily Mail, Evening Standard and several magazines, as well as radio and TV interviews. I worked hard to achieve maximum coverage, and Troubador pulled out all the stops, getting review copies out within a two-week timeframe and even bringing forward the publication date.

Around the time of the launch, someone recommended a literary agent who was just starting out and looking for quality, commercial women’s fiction. Within weeks I was signed up to Diane Banks Associates – a move that turned out to be an extremely good one. My agent successfully sold the foreign rights to Golden Handcuffs in several territories and before long we were discussing a second book.

I wrote Poles Apart during 2007: a fictional account of a Polish migrant friend’s story. It came close to being taken up by a couple of the main publishing houses – as did Golden Handcuffs when my new agent submitted the manuscript – but again, it seemed that the content matter was ‘too niche’ and not sufficiently ‘mass market’. I didn’t mind. Again, I self-published with Troubador in 2008 and, with the beginnings of a reader fan base and the success of my first novel under my belt – combined with the similarly topical theme of the book – I managed to attain good press coverage, and Poles Apart sold well. Again, my agent secured some of the foreign rights.

The first meeting with the Avon team at HarperCollins came about via my agent. Having read my previous two manuscripts and been aware of their self-published acclaim, the head of the imprint was keen to talk about my forthcoming novels. The brainstorm produced several ideas for the next book, and it didn’t take long to settle on a concept that appealed to everyone. I signed a three-book deal in late 2008. Six months later, I’m checking through the final typeset manuscript of the day i died and waiting for the exciting moment when I see my first HarperCollins novel in print.

Historically, self-publishing has been seen as a last resort – but not any more. For me, it was a perfect way of not only getting my first two novels on the shelves at the right time, but also securing a traditional publishing deal and kick-starting my career as a writer.

Discuss this and much more in the authonomy writers' forum.

Tweet