When you’re west of the Appalachians and out of the literati briar patch, fledgling authors run into monumental road blocks; there’s no one to talk to or confide in. Writer’s magazines seem to be motivational forums, not involving the meat and potatoes (mechanics) of publishing. You can join writer's groups, but soon you will find out most are just social groups with an interest in talking about books, not those primarily interested in mechanics and forcing the manuscript into publication. I use force because it takes a certain tenacity and aggression to get the job done. Please, less Twitter and more writing. There’s no rah-rah club or amen corner like there is in New York where the gatekeepers are deeply ensconced in their literary bubbles. Here in the Midwest there is no networking relationship where an agent knows the publisher, publicist or editor who’d give you even the first look. That group plays it safe and bets on established authors – the brand.
It doesn’t take many rejections (unless you’re a masochist) for one to consider more practical options in getting his or her book published. Besides, a negative aspect of the traditional publishing route is the time it takes. It’s almost like creating a book by chisel and hammer so I decided to seriously consider self-publishing. Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, and James Joyce were self-publishers. Another consideration was the fact that I was already performing the functions of a publisher. My first buy was tasking the design of the front cover to a Kansas City graphic arts company. Next was having a professional photographer take my picture for the web site, JournalSilentMajority.com. I hired printers to produce editing and backup copies of the book. I began experimental newspaper advertisements. Finally, I hired an attorney to create Valley Star Publishing, LLC. The best book on the process in my humble opinion is The Complete Guide to Self-Publishing by Marilyn Ross & Sue Collier - reasonably priced on Amazon.
I want the options of books in paper form and electronic form. I don’t believe for one moment that millions of Americans, especially Baby Boomers, are going to discard their love of physical books, nor do I reject the legitimacy and reality of e-Books and the power of the Internet. My plan is to produce both, initially with review copies assisting the editing process. I’m particularly interested in the possibilities of the Espresso Book Machine (EBM). The closer the manuscript is to a physical book, the closer it is to being a reality. I believe potential reviewers are more likely to read it.
One major hang up is the editing of JSM because it involves complex editing. There are approximately 751 footnotes and my text went through at least three versions of Word beginning with Windows 95. There are all kinds of unexpected glitches when I began doing the indexing like “Bookmark not Defined.” It took me a long time to learn what the prompt for indexing was. (F9 prompt, cursor placed before the first letter of the first entry.) I learned to limit indexing to the body of the text and not involve the footnote area. Indexes are important because they are a kind of topical fishing lure. Before I read a book I scan its index. If there’s none, I don’t consider the book serious; to me it’s on the level of cook books and romantic novels where the couple intertwines in blissful rapture. I believe JSM is a memoir and a serious U.S. history.
Finishing the editing process is where I’m at today. There’s been fourteen of my own edits, and yes, I’m sick of it. The first independent edit was humbling; I have no shortage of Post-It-Notes. The second and hopefully final edit has started. I want my book to be a quality product even if controversial nature of Journal of the Silent Majority turns some off with its uncomfortable truths. Once the editing process is finished, publishing can begin.
