It's about the product

by Robert A. Myres
(Pocatello, Idaho)

I wrote Silicon Valley to Southern Africa from notes I had accumulated over the year I spent living and working as a volunteer teacher in Namibia. I had shared a few of my stories and experiences with friends and family, and they strongly encouraged me to turn the experience into a book.

I have always written, and often dreamed of publishing a book, but I had done the research and knew how difficult it was to attract a publisher, or even an agent to work on your behalf. I had several half-finished manuscripts, but never got serious about finishing them because I never felt like there was a chance of publishing. In 2004, I attended the Sydney Writers Festival where myself and other aspiring writers sat and listened to author after author, and publisher after publisher, go on and on about how difficult it was to get a book published. And if that wasn't enough to deter you, getting published is not the same thing as getting a few bucks for your effort. Even if you manage to get your book published, it was unlikely anyone would be willing to put a serious marketing effort behind a new author, which translated means that you are unlikely to get paid a reasonable amount for your efforts.

It was not a message that inspired one to go work for years on a book.

The turning point for me came when I realized that I had to break the entire process down, and view each component of the writing, editing, publishing and marketing independently.

I decided to focus fully on the first component, which was to write a great book. If I could accomplish that, I felt, that would be a formidable and significant thing on its own. I then reviewed my notes and came to the conclusion that there was a lot of good writing in there. If I wasn't yet a writer, I was certainly a very experienced reader and I knew good writing from bad.

I started my book.

I focused my efforts fully on the responsibility of writing the very best book I was capable of. I did not think or worry about what came after. I spent the next year re-writing my manuscript 6 times, in the process trimming my original notes from over 500,000 words to 160,000. I focused my narrative on keeping the emotion of the experience in the storyline, using the best of my observations, while maintaining continuity.

When I felt comfortable with my manuscript, I hired a retired journalist who was an acquaintance to read the book and provide editorial feedback. His feedback was thoughtful, concise, and was a significant factor in the final refinement of my manuscript. Like most authors, my manuscript benefited greatly from the eyes and feedback of a professional.

When I had a final product that I felt comfortable with, including hiring a local graphic artist to create a book cover, I then faced the decision of whether to send out dozens or even hundreds of solicitations in an effort to attract a publisher or agent. As everyone who has researched this process knows, it is a daunting and time consuming commitment, and requires a very thick skin. In the end, while I felt I had a product that was credible and marketable, I decided that even if I did find someone to publish my book, the odds of getting any kind of reasonable deal in exchange for the rights to my book were very remote.

So I made the decision to self-publish. I am fairly handy with the computer, so I did my own typesetting and layout using easily referenced documentation off the web. I then had a few close friends whom I trust to copy edit and provide feedback and which prompted a new round of changes. Next I hired a semi-professional copy editor from the local college from which I create a final document. I researched printers and settled on a company out of Miami. I sent my final documents, reviewed a proof a few days later, and a few weeks after that I received a shipment of 500 books.

Now, 18 months later, all the books are gone and I am again deciding whether to let the book remain out of print, make another order, or perhaps analyze a print on demand option. I have not done any marketing except for a link off my charity's website and a book release party in my small hometown of Pocatello Idaho.

I have no regrets about the path I chose. I have little faith that I could have attracted a real publisher. Maybe one day I will, but it really does not seem so important to me. I am happy to write for the act of writing and while getting the final document into a credible format is important, it does not seem so important to find a mass audience. I am happy to have a published book and do not feel any embarrassment over the fact that it is self-published.

While I would welcome the attention and money of commercial success, I have not felt compelled to go looking for it.