David and Goliath and Wee Little Writers

​For those of you who don’t know (and perhaps may not even have the slightest interest but you’re still reading, aren’t you?), my novel, I’m Not Her, was published by The Story Plant. The Story Plant is a small press in the scheme of things. In my opinion, there’s good things and bad things about publishing with a small press (as opposed to one of the BIG 5 publishing houses – which used to be the BIG 6 until Random House and Penguin merged). Let me list them for you.

1. Publishing with a small press gives me plenty of say, especially with my small press which was founded and run by people who are writers themselves. This means there is a “conversation” about edits and covers and back copy and promotional blather. We had plenty of back and forth about my cover, despite the fact that I have no idea what I’m doing when it comes to cover art. Still, I got my say. And it counted. Same with the story, most of my editor’s suggestions were awesome – they made it a MUCH better book, but I didn’t have to accept every one of them OR ELSE. I haven’t been inside the workings of a BIG press, but I can only imagine there isn’t time for all that, when you are one of so many.
2. The Story Plant has dozens of writers, but not thousands. This means I know pretty much everyone who messes with my book. Plus, I could easily (though I haven’t) call up some of the other Story Plant writers and chat. When my book came out, several of them tweeted it. My editor offered me free copies of all their books and I took him up on many of them. It feels very much like a team we are on, rather than a club we got in.
3. Publishing with a small press means things happen faster. I turned in my manuscript in January of 2015 and the book was published August 4, 2015. I see authors on twitter who have landed deals with big houses and write that they have a debut novel coming out in 2017. Wow. So much could happen between now and then. That’s a long wait. My second book is coming out less than a year after my first (in 2016, not 2017!). Pretty cool, but also pretty not possible at a BIG press.

So, those are some of the plusses. There are probably others, but in the interest of not jawing on too long on this post, I’ll leave it at that.
The minuses?

1. Publishing with a small press means it’s MUCH harder to get your book on shelves and into reader’s hands. While The Story Plant has WAY more connections than I do, they don’t have the connections and resources to promote books the way one of the BIG 5 could. In fact, I checked the Top Ten Debut Novel list on goodreads and 9 out of 10 of the books listed for 2015 were published by one of the BIG 5. It is what it is, but I have to tell you, it does feel a big rigged to me.
2. A smaller press has to focus on a few genres, while the BIG 5 publish it all. As a writer who dreams of writing in several genres, this means I have to go back to the beginning in terms of getting my YA manuscript sold. I have to find a completely other publisher, which any writer knows takes ENORMOUS amounts of time and energy. Again, it is what it is, not complaining here (let me be clear on that!), but there certainly doesn’t seem to be a coast setting in my writing career.
3. A BIG press has plenty of people to push foreign rights and movie deals. They can easily make audio books. All of those things mean more income for the writer. In fact, those sales can be WAY more than the paltry sum you get per book. I’m not saying my small press people won’t get my rights sold. It’s entirely possible, it’s just a lot harder and a much slower process.

A part of me is excited about trying for a bigger press with my YA book. But a part of me, the rebel-stand-up-for-what’s-fair-and-the-little-guy-matters part of me, thinks it’s kick-ass that I write for a small press. I like that I could right now call up my editor and publisher (who is one and the same, mind you) and ask him what he had for lunch. Not that I would. But I could. Just sayin’.

​#amwriting #smallpress

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