Oh, the dread of finding an agent, the "trad pub club," which to many remains the holy grail for some reason. If anything, your passion is seeping out of this post at every paragraph and that's something you can't put a price tag on. Any agent would be lucky to have you. Looking forward to your next book "Watrspout," mon ami!
Troy, love this post! Really appreciate how you are continuing to explore, never closing any doors, but also fine-tuning the creative path you want to take by steadily writing, publishing, and building community. And thanks for the shout out — so glad I got to work with you for part of this long-haul effort.
Thanks for the post, Troy. I love the idea of continuing and expanding the camaraderie found here on Substack, and can attest to the fact that although my just-published debut novel won’t ever be a top seller, without the support and friendship I’ve found here—including the discovery of my marvelous copy editor—I wouldn’t be feeling the kind of joy I carry around in my heart on a daily basis.
“Books are being serialized and published, small presses are being born, interviews and conversations keep proliferating among the citizens because deep bonds really are being forged, and there remains so much potential for all of us when we band together and just … care. It’s that simple.”
— beautifully said, brother.
I’d also like you to know that, as someone who is working on his own book (terribly slowly in-between all the other life things), your example of self-publishing Lamb and promoting it so diligently, is truly inspiring to me. And so, yeah, what you’re doing is having more of an impact than you know.
I look forward to seeing all the stuff that’s coming from you, friend. :)
Aw, that warms my cockles, brother... 🧡 I'm VERY eager to see what you've got going - in your own time, of course, but I'll be happy to support you however I can. ::))
ah! the concentration of genius! a phenomenon i find fascinating across the ages, ie. montmontre ca. 1900, malibu in the 1970s, nyc the same time, patti & robert, the 1960s, et cetera, et cetera. twas lucky to find three volumes of woolf's letters at the friends of the library store here in berkeely. that said, i cannot encourage you enough to read the letters between VW and vita sackville west... 😏
that said, thank you for sharing your experience, views, your reasons for publishing as an indie author. tis just so encouraging seeing how you've developed on here charting your own path while cultivating this wonderful community of folx on here, Troy!
I finally watched "Vita & Virginia" this weekend - I have to sneak these sorts of things behind Leo's back because he can't abide anything lovey-dovey - and there was just the tiniest taste of their letters, I imagine I will need to buy a bodice to rip. :) Thanks pan!
I’m fine with the floor. I’ll even bring the cookies. 🍪 This whole post gives me hope and reminds me how much I love and appreciate the supportive community here.
Cozy fires and cookies are where it’s at! I’ve met so many authors this past year tangled in a web of algorithms and keywords and BookScan numbers. It’s enough to suck the soul right out of writing. Meanwhile, the hearth over here is warm and laps are ample.:)
You cracked me up at the tribute bands comment - just dropping that in at the end of the paragraph was brilliant🤣
This was an interesting read about publishing. I am ignorant of the process but I could feel the fatigue and frustration of going the trad route only to perhaps have it all wiped out and need to start over. That sounds so hard. Bravo to you Troy for self-publishing (for now).
Thanks Donna! The indie route has its own challenges for sure, but there is at least a certain sense of control (however illusory ;) and I think just where I'm at right now. 🧡
Troy, I may have mentioned that a number of years ago, there was a Bloomsbury show at the Block Museum at Northwestern University. It was my first introduction to them and I instantly loved them, how they lived, how they interacted with each other (the good parts). I like your comparison of Substack and having a Bloooomsbury family of your (our) own. Fondly, Michael
That sounds divine, LOVE a special exhibition. What I didn't mention is that I met one of the heirs of Bloomsbury - designer Cressida Bell, grand daughter of Vanessa - when I was studying in London in 2000. She was the former roommate of an ex boyfriend and we spent a lovely afternoon at her studio and over lunch talking about design. I think it quite sparked my dual interest in both the writing and design that's sustained my fascination with them all this time. Thanks Michael 💛
Obviously, the Bloomsburys were one of Gregory's favorites. He love their work, how they lived (Gregory had lived in a commune for a while), and how they decorated and lived in their homes.
You make a lot of sense, sigh, and finding the empowering (and poetic) side of it is wonderful. Also, don’t just dream of a retreat like the Bloomsburies had? If I ever get one, you can come stay anytime, Troy 💜💜
From time to time I still send a cold query ... with no expectations whatsoever, so I easily forget the email is out there. Meanwhile I keep writing and being published, by 3 different small presses. These "eggs in different baskets" things. I see it as a complement to the networking/community you write so well about. Building relationships. Same goes for magazine editors by the way. They're wonderful people!
The small presses angle (Hogarth Press, of course) was lingering over me the whole time I was writing this, but I just didn't feel I had the room in this one. But def something I want to explore in a future post (and for my own sake). I do wish I enjoyed writing (and reading) short stories more, I'm not sure what it is but like querying, I keep promising myself, and I keep not doing it. Thanks Martine!
Small presses are always teetering on the brink ... It isn't as dire as mags, but small presses close all the time and new ones pop up. There's little security for authors (and potential rights nightmares). You have to keep that in mind when you make your choice. I like the helping hand of a publisher. I'd rather not worry about technical stuff, like I would have to do in independent publishing. A publisher, even a small one, also has a bit more clout than a lone writer. But yes, the risks are there (and the fact you cut your profit in 2, basically, not that it represents a lot of clams, lol).
hehe Not a lot of cheddar either. Well, there are those concerns, as you say - and I've noticed other things - the number of reviews on retailers that small presses garner for books isn't always better (and sometimes less) than indie published, and the fact that it's getting harder and harder to even place reviews with bonafide journalists, for big and small presses. It's a lot to think about.
Reviews ... ha! You won't get help from your publisher. As mine said to me: "the media ignores us". So you have to hustle - push and pull, on your own - or you get nothing. But I hear even the Big 5 aren't giving the support they use to, sooooo.....
I don't at all blame you for the choice to stay indie! At this time in my career, putting out second, third, fourth etc books, I did the same. And things are worse now than they were then (although also better, I suppose, if there are more slices of the pie to be taken; every cloud!).
I would also love to have an in-person literary salon going on in my house or the house of one of my richest associates, haha!
The salon idea also has that allure, for sure, though the dream may be > the reality - someone's got to do all the washing up afterward! The BBs had servants - we have Bubba, though I've often thought after he finishes licking a plate: this is so clean I could put it back in the cupboard and no one would ever know. 😂
I love this way of thinking about online networks like the one here. When the network is strong, it branches out in unexpected directions, too. That’s how I found Lamb: someone in that network restocked one of your posts.
Your advice here is salient, too. There are people in my life—including, sometimes, me—who see success with an extended writing project as traditional publishing or bust. There’s allure to that “winner’s circle” (great term!), but there’s a cost to it also. Whenever you talk about your choice to self-publish, I am heartened and reminded that there are distinct advantages to forgoing that avenue, from editorial and timeline control to setting aside the Pick me! anxiety that accompanies cold querying.
Thank you for advocating for a different approach and mindset. It’s valuable to the very network you’ve cultivated.
I liken it to owning/building a tiny home or tree house rather than renting a mansion - a great fallback to have, and if we're in it for the long haul rather than a "get rich or die trying" attitude, we have time to learn all the ropes. Thanks Michael
Oh, the dread of finding an agent, the "trad pub club," which to many remains the holy grail for some reason. If anything, your passion is seeping out of this post at every paragraph and that's something you can't put a price tag on. Any agent would be lucky to have you. Looking forward to your next book "Watrspout," mon ami!
Troy, love this post! Really appreciate how you are continuing to explore, never closing any doors, but also fine-tuning the creative path you want to take by steadily writing, publishing, and building community. And thanks for the shout out — so glad I got to work with you for part of this long-haul effort.
Thanks Jeff (and YW) - your help was instrumental.
Thanks for the post, Troy. I love the idea of continuing and expanding the camaraderie found here on Substack, and can attest to the fact that although my just-published debut novel won’t ever be a top seller, without the support and friendship I’ve found here—including the discovery of my marvelous copy editor—I wouldn’t be feeling the kind of joy I carry around in my heart on a daily basis.
It’s a special place, mainly for the people even if the platform is taking a hard right turn at Albuquerque… ;) 💛
“Books are being serialized and published, small presses are being born, interviews and conversations keep proliferating among the citizens because deep bonds really are being forged, and there remains so much potential for all of us when we band together and just … care. It’s that simple.”
— beautifully said, brother.
I’d also like you to know that, as someone who is working on his own book (terribly slowly in-between all the other life things), your example of self-publishing Lamb and promoting it so diligently, is truly inspiring to me. And so, yeah, what you’re doing is having more of an impact than you know.
I look forward to seeing all the stuff that’s coming from you, friend. :)
Aw, that warms my cockles, brother... 🧡 I'm VERY eager to see what you've got going - in your own time, of course, but I'll be happy to support you however I can. ::))
Thanks brother, I really appreciate that. Especially given that you’ve already been so supportive :)
ah! the concentration of genius! a phenomenon i find fascinating across the ages, ie. montmontre ca. 1900, malibu in the 1970s, nyc the same time, patti & robert, the 1960s, et cetera, et cetera. twas lucky to find three volumes of woolf's letters at the friends of the library store here in berkeely. that said, i cannot encourage you enough to read the letters between VW and vita sackville west... 😏
that said, thank you for sharing your experience, views, your reasons for publishing as an indie author. tis just so encouraging seeing how you've developed on here charting your own path while cultivating this wonderful community of folx on here, Troy!
I finally watched "Vita & Virginia" this weekend - I have to sneak these sorts of things behind Leo's back because he can't abide anything lovey-dovey - and there was just the tiniest taste of their letters, I imagine I will need to buy a bodice to rip. :) Thanks pan!
I’m fine with the floor. I’ll even bring the cookies. 🍪 This whole post gives me hope and reminds me how much I love and appreciate the supportive community here.
I'm glad it hit, Julie - the floor is where it's at... :)
Cozy fires and cookies are where it’s at! I’ve met so many authors this past year tangled in a web of algorithms and keywords and BookScan numbers. It’s enough to suck the soul right out of writing. Meanwhile, the hearth over here is warm and laps are ample.:)
Fun - a moveable salon to far flung homes. Thanks Kim 🍪🧡🤗
You cracked me up at the tribute bands comment - just dropping that in at the end of the paragraph was brilliant🤣
This was an interesting read about publishing. I am ignorant of the process but I could feel the fatigue and frustration of going the trad route only to perhaps have it all wiped out and need to start over. That sounds so hard. Bravo to you Troy for self-publishing (for now).
Thanks Donna! The indie route has its own challenges for sure, but there is at least a certain sense of control (however illusory ;) and I think just where I'm at right now. 🧡
Troy, I may have mentioned that a number of years ago, there was a Bloomsbury show at the Block Museum at Northwestern University. It was my first introduction to them and I instantly loved them, how they lived, how they interacted with each other (the good parts). I like your comparison of Substack and having a Bloooomsbury family of your (our) own. Fondly, Michael
That sounds divine, LOVE a special exhibition. What I didn't mention is that I met one of the heirs of Bloomsbury - designer Cressida Bell, grand daughter of Vanessa - when I was studying in London in 2000. She was the former roommate of an ex boyfriend and we spent a lovely afternoon at her studio and over lunch talking about design. I think it quite sparked my dual interest in both the writing and design that's sustained my fascination with them all this time. Thanks Michael 💛
Obviously, the Bloomsburys were one of Gregory's favorites. He love their work, how they lived (Gregory had lived in a commune for a while), and how they decorated and lived in their homes.
You make a lot of sense, sigh, and finding the empowering (and poetic) side of it is wonderful. Also, don’t just dream of a retreat like the Bloomsburies had? If I ever get one, you can come stay anytime, Troy 💜💜
I dream of nothing else, my dear - a typewriter and a gypsy caravan in a ramshackle orchard, yes please, I'll be right over.................. 💛🩷🧡
From time to time I still send a cold query ... with no expectations whatsoever, so I easily forget the email is out there. Meanwhile I keep writing and being published, by 3 different small presses. These "eggs in different baskets" things. I see it as a complement to the networking/community you write so well about. Building relationships. Same goes for magazine editors by the way. They're wonderful people!
The small presses angle (Hogarth Press, of course) was lingering over me the whole time I was writing this, but I just didn't feel I had the room in this one. But def something I want to explore in a future post (and for my own sake). I do wish I enjoyed writing (and reading) short stories more, I'm not sure what it is but like querying, I keep promising myself, and I keep not doing it. Thanks Martine!
Small presses are always teetering on the brink ... It isn't as dire as mags, but small presses close all the time and new ones pop up. There's little security for authors (and potential rights nightmares). You have to keep that in mind when you make your choice. I like the helping hand of a publisher. I'd rather not worry about technical stuff, like I would have to do in independent publishing. A publisher, even a small one, also has a bit more clout than a lone writer. But yes, the risks are there (and the fact you cut your profit in 2, basically, not that it represents a lot of clams, lol).
hehe Not a lot of cheddar either. Well, there are those concerns, as you say - and I've noticed other things - the number of reviews on retailers that small presses garner for books isn't always better (and sometimes less) than indie published, and the fact that it's getting harder and harder to even place reviews with bonafide journalists, for big and small presses. It's a lot to think about.
Reviews ... ha! You won't get help from your publisher. As mine said to me: "the media ignores us". So you have to hustle - push and pull, on your own - or you get nothing. But I hear even the Big 5 aren't giving the support they use to, sooooo.....
I don't at all blame you for the choice to stay indie! At this time in my career, putting out second, third, fourth etc books, I did the same. And things are worse now than they were then (although also better, I suppose, if there are more slices of the pie to be taken; every cloud!).
I would also love to have an in-person literary salon going on in my house or the house of one of my richest associates, haha!
The salon idea also has that allure, for sure, though the dream may be > the reality - someone's got to do all the washing up afterward! The BBs had servants - we have Bubba, though I've often thought after he finishes licking a plate: this is so clean I could put it back in the cupboard and no one would ever know. 😂
Ahaha! Yes good point, definitely we should hold it at someone else's house
I love this way of thinking about online networks like the one here. When the network is strong, it branches out in unexpected directions, too. That’s how I found Lamb: someone in that network restocked one of your posts.
Your advice here is salient, too. There are people in my life—including, sometimes, me—who see success with an extended writing project as traditional publishing or bust. There’s allure to that “winner’s circle” (great term!), but there’s a cost to it also. Whenever you talk about your choice to self-publish, I am heartened and reminded that there are distinct advantages to forgoing that avenue, from editorial and timeline control to setting aside the Pick me! anxiety that accompanies cold querying.
Thank you for advocating for a different approach and mindset. It’s valuable to the very network you’ve cultivated.
I liken it to owning/building a tiny home or tree house rather than renting a mansion - a great fallback to have, and if we're in it for the long haul rather than a "get rich or die trying" attitude, we have time to learn all the ropes. Thanks Michael