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Writing and Publishing, Part 56:
Becoming your own publisher:
My publishing Effort:
Supreme Commander George:
This was my second pure fiction book. It was somewhat different
that The Siege of Acheron which was a horror romance story. In
Supreme Commander George I created a rollicking adventure story
set in the future. Thus, it is, in a way, science fiction. Therefore,
I felt the need for a different pseudonym to represent that style.
I created, Marcus Thyme to play that role. I was determine to
stay our of the genre box.
Of course, I also had to find a new manufacturer for this book. This time I was much more careful. I insisted on a tour of the facility and looked it over carefully. The place was clean and the people seemed to be very professional. When I gave them the book, I was very confident that it would be done right and it was.
I was also determine to make this the best cover I had ever done. I bought special props and took about 100 photographs of the props in various settings before I got what I wanted. I ended up with a cover which hints at the story without giving it away. It is indeed a promise to the reader which the story fulfills. I was and still am pleased with the effect. You may view it on this website by clicking on "Our Publications" and then "Supreme Commander George".
Nothing bad or good happened as a result of this book. I created a media release and sent it with copies of the book to a few so called book review editors. As I expected, I got no response whatsoever. I also entered the book in a couple of contests. I have already given you my thoughts on contests in a previous essay.
As I said, Supreme Commander George is an adventure story. However, my theme is not about adventure at all. In my theme, I take a close look at what happens when completely different cultures collide. This has always been a fascinating subject for me. I suppose it came out of reading a great deal of history.
There have been many examples of cultural collisions throughout human history. The activities of the European culture in the decimation of the American Indian culture is just one example. The Spanish destruction of the Inca empire is another. In Supreme Commander George I looked at this conflict of cultures in a different way. I went to the human level and tried to understand how individuals are affected. I was pleased with the result.
As to marketing, the sales of this book were on a par with my other sales; little to none. However, I had come out of my funk and I was determine to continue with writing and publishing. Although I would dearly love to sell books, I have set a number of standards of behavior for myself in that effort. The most important of those is that my integrity is infinitely more important that any amount of sales. This is really the basis of my growing list of personal and professional do's and don'ts. Here is the list for your inspection.
I will not misrepresent myself in any way in order to sell
products.
I will not betray my site visitors by using reference links to
other sites for profit.
I will not be a huckster.
I will offer the best of myself in my writing and publishing.
I will not use my website to mislead my visitors in any way.
I will not put anything on my website that I would not want my
grandchildren to see.
I will not publish smut.
I will not publish celebrity twaddle.
I will not publish pulp type romance stories.
I will not pay, in any form, for reviews of my products.
I will continue to offer my website visitors useful information
and entertainment.
I will not pay for better positions in search engine listings.
I will not write or publish anything which I do not believe.
I will not cut corners or rush to finish a product.
I will not suck up to distributors or booksellers.
I will support my country and serve it when necessary.
I'm sure that many people will consider this to be a silly and self defeating list. It may seem more appropriate to an ascetic hermit than a person hoping to compete in the marketplace. Nonetheless it is my personal philosophy. I really thought that the publishing industry was more or less that way. I simply wanted to be part of it. Now I find that I may be unique in regards to personal integrity in publishing. My experience so far, supports that suspicion.
That as it may be, I will continue my own path. I still have faith and hope. I will eventually reach the public with my products. Furthermore, I will do it without compromise. In the meantime, my products will continue to improve.
Next time, I will get into a discussion of my book, The Anatomy
of a PC.
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