Association of Christian Writers

A cautionary tale

Last year, US publisher Harlequin decided to break into the lucrative self-publishing market. They set up DellArte, a new Harlequin imprint for the authors whose manuscripts they had rejected for ‘proper’ publication. Those authors had the option of paying for the printing of their manuscript, and would have the respected name of Harlequin behind them.

The cheers of the rejected authors were immediately drowned by the uproar from the publishing world. The Mystery Writers of America promptly de-listed Harlequin as an approved publisher, saying that authors might not use Harlequin books as their basis for membership, and that their books would no longer be eligible for awards.  The Romance Writers of America and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America followed suit.

MWA rules state that publishers may not charge fees for publication. Why?

When readers see a publisher’s name on a book, they have a guarantee of quality. The manuscript has been assessed by a professional as worthy of the investment of publication: the text has been properly edited, the cover and layout designed. The only reliable assumption that can be made about a self-published book is that the author could afford to pay.

Organisations serving professional writers use mainstream publication as their gateway, and Harlequin were blurring the distinction. Faced with their authors’ exclusion from these organisations, the company capitulated within days, and removed its name from the imprint.

What do ACW members think?

This doesn’t necessarily mean that self-published books are second class. Many are of the highest quality, and authors may have a variety of reasons for choosing the self-publishing route.

Two members, Iris Lloyd and Simon Baynes, have written in the Spring edition of Christian Writer about their experiences of self-publishing. Faced with repeated rejections, they decided to publish for themselves.

Other writers hope that getting their book printed and bound will make it more appealing to agents and publishers. They are encouraged by success stories like that of G P Taylor, whose self-published Shadowmancer was taken up by Faber and Faber.

Have you self-published? Do you have a view?

In case you missed it, click here for Chair Lin Ball’s article on self-publishing in Christian Writer.

Leave your comments below and add to the debate.

Fay Sampson is one of ACW’s most prolific and experienced members. She will have three titles published this year, including her fortieth book. In the Blood couples genealogical investigation with the investigation of a present-day mystery.

‘I’m enjoying writing the family history series,’ she says. ‘All the detection appeals to the side of me that used to teach maths.’

Fay combined writing and teaching for 12 years before switching to writing full-time. Confessing to a low boredom threshold, she varies genre and age-range, tackling children’s and adult books, fiction and non-fiction, but is happiest writing fantasy.

‘I tend to be guided by the Spirit: I wait until I feel a conviction as to what to do next, and I’m often led into an area different from the one I’ve just finished. It’s probably not been very good for my career profile! Now I’m getting older, ideas aren’t coming quite as readily as they used to and I’m having to be more thoughtful and make more considered choices.’

Her writing routine begins in the morning – in bed!

‘I get up and have breakfast, then go back to bed, propped up with pillows, and write in longhand until a natural break arrives. The more relaxed your body is, the more energetic your mind can be. I write fast, sometimes putting in one or two alternatives for certain words. Longhand works well for fiction – it’s an organic process and there’s a lot happening subconsciously. Starting off on the computer is fine for non-fiction, which is more of a head job.

‘When I transfer the longhand version onto computer I sit back and make editorial judgments as I go. Often I discover a subplot, which I can then bring out in a second draft.

‘I do have an overall plan, with a start and a finish and some high points along the way, but it’s like crossing a Dartmoor bog – you can see where to start and where you want to go, but there are surprises and you have to be open to changes of direction.’

Places – boggy or not – are very important to Fay, who likes writing with a map spread out in front of her.

‘I always wonder, “What could have happened here?” I’m not very good at thinking up plots from scratch, so I tend to use bits of myths, legends and history. I’m not particularly character-driven either; I just explore the stories and the characters come to life.’

Fay ‘enjoys ambivalence’ and finds that she can get the best mileage from supposing that two different versions of events are simultaneously true. And ‘it’s very difficult not to over-sentimentalise goodness – imaginary goodness can be boring.’ The laughing, energetic, spontaneous dolphin Arthmael in the Pangur Ban books is a perfect image of goodness which convinces without cloying.

‘Every writer betrays their moral stance in what they write,’ Fay believes. ‘It happens every time you commit your imagination to paper – you can’t get away from it. But I never start by wanting to write a book about an issue. It is helpful for writers to be aware of what they’re saying, however. I have written about sex, for instance – it’s an important motivating factor in many legends, so it needs to be taken seriously – but it doesn’t need to be explicit.’

As well as writing her own books, Fay edits for writing consultancy The Writers’ Workshop and is ACW’s very own fiction critic (see ACW services). All writers, she says, need talent and determination. ‘We have to be willing to learn and hungry to keep improving.’

Find out more about Fay’s books at www.faysampson.co.uk