Craig Lancaster Guests - Part 2

MISADVENTURES IN SELF-PUBLISHING
By Craig Lancaster

When I originally published my novel through CreateSpace, I did it in the crudest way possible. I used CreateSpace's pre-made templates to build a cover that, in retrospect, screamed “sloppy self-pub job.” I formatted the inside pages haphazardly in Word, with vast spaces between the lines. (True story: Later, when I reconfigured the interior, the book went from 342 pages to 256 just because I tightened up the leading.) I did a less-than-careful edit, resulting in my missing dropped words and backward quote marks and other such signs of an amateur at work. And I unleashed this book on the public! Oh, the retroactive shame.

Slowly, though, I found my footing. A professor at Montana State Billings, Sue Hart, let me talk with her creative-writing class and helped me make some contacts. Local writers were generous with their advice and direction. Eventually, as encouragement and response to my book built, I started trying to place it with an agent and then, I hoped, a publisher.

While querying agents -- a process that remains unfulfilled; I am, as yet, without representation -- I also set about recasting my book. It got two new covers. I edited the book block three or four times. In a few short months, the book became something indistinguishable from the offerings of major houses, at least in appearance. Meanwhile, I was reading everything I could about marketing and the business end of publishing. I began actively seeking out reviews. I resolved to speak to any civic group or arts festival that would have me. Slowly, more people started reading my little book and suggesting it to others.

The entire time, queries kept going out and rejections kept coming back. Some of them were really lovely -- handwritten notes praising the story but wondering where it fit -- and that soothed the sting as much as being told "no" can be soothed.

Just about the time I figured that the book now known as 600 Hours of Edward would remain forever self-published, and as I was nearing the finish line on my second novel and preparing it for its own round of queries, I got a note from Riverbend Publishing in Helena, Montana, expressing interest in my book. The president, Chris Cauble, said he wanted some other people to read it first.

“This will take some time,” he wrote to me.

I wrote back: “Take all the time you need.”

At this point, I really didn't think anything would come of it, and I had moved my hopes for being published to the new manuscript I was working on. I was wrong. More on that in the final installment.
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To enter into a drawing for a copy of the book, go to Craig's website and sign-up for his mailing list.

Or simply buy 600 Hours of Edward on Amazon.com


You can also visit his blog by clicking here.