We know that many NWR members are very creative, with many of you writing peoms, short stories and even novels. Here, NWR member Sally Krykant offers some advice on getting your work self published…
I have been writing for many years on and off. I began when my children were small and used to enter short story competitions. When I realised I wasn’t getting anywhere, I did an Open College of the Arts Creative writing course and improved, getting a few short story anthologies to take my work. However, I then changed direction completely and became a psychodynamic counsellor. During that time I hardly read a novel. My attention was concentrated on theory books and papers but I always knew I would return to writing.
Thinking psychodynamically has helped me enormously with writing, helping me to empathise with characters and think on many different levels about plot and developing story lines.
It is very difficult to get taken on by publishers. One absolutely needs an agent these days and so I knocked a few doors with negative response. Curtis Brown Associates in London gave me some encouragement when I sent them my manuscript for Seeds of Doubt, telling me it was a lot better than many they received and to keep on with the project. I joined a couple of writing groups and met people who had self published their work. At that time I was almost tempted to go with a vanity publisher but was warned off by many writers I spoke to on the Suffolk Writers website. There is a long article in the Writers’ & Artists’ Yearbook which warns writers not to go the vanity route – too expensive, those handling you do not necessarily have a publishing background or interest and also your work can be pulped if it doesn’t sell.
Self publishing has been an easy and inexpensive way of getting my book onto the shelves. Createspace is a part of Amazon. Firstly, you need someone you trust to proofread your manuscript. A fellow writer read mine. Next, you need to have it set out in the way it will be laid out. Createspace list all you need to know on their webpage. Finally, you need a book cover. You can either choose one from their examples or commission one yourself. I chose to have a young artist, who I found on Suffolk Writers, design mine. When you feel everything is in place you then need to send it across on a pdf file. It is then displayed for you on the account page which you will have set up. You will see your book in animated form on your computer and turn the pages, checking for layout errors. An ISBN number is automatically assigned. They will send you a paper copy for the last proof read.
As soon as you give the go ahead you can start ordering books to sell yourself, and your book is immediately for sale on Amazon Books. You can either do all of this yourself for very little or pay Createspace for services as you go along, but I would simply advise anyone to do it this way. You are in complete control. I felt I was collaborating with people rather than being taken over.
Sally Krykant