Who needs agents or publishers to market your novel when you can do it all yourself?
Canadian author and book designer Andrew Smith, whose previous works have been published by Ten Speed Press and McClelland & Stewart, has taken out the middle man and decided to publish his novel Edith’s War by himself, using a public blog to chronicle his victories and setbacks.
The blog includes excerpts from the novel-in-progress, a brief synopsis of the novel, and Smith’s thoughts relating to the many frustrations that come with self-publishing, including a literary agent telling him he’s too old to be published.
From Smith’s e-mail to Quillblog:
I’ve had the run-around from agents and publishers on a novel I wrote. So I’ve decided to self-publish and have set up a blog to chart the success or failure of the enterprise. The blog might prove to hold a morbid fascination for those who enjoy seeing people fail, or maybe the venture will be a huge success! Whatever the outcome, I intend to stick with it to the end.
Whether or not DIY self-publishing is a smart move, you have to admire the chutzpah it takes to air your hits and misses to the online community.