State of Independence

I published my fifth novel in July. I have to say, I'm pleased with the way it's turned out. I found a perfect photo for the cover, thanks to Depositphotos. I proof-read the novel about fifty-five times (well, slight exaggeration, but it was six times!) and I think it's now error-free... but I also know how sneaky those little typos can be. Early readers alerted me to a few that were lurking (big thanks to them) and hopefully now the errors have all been caught.

When you self-publish, you feel a lot of pressure to get it right. It's a lot of work, and yes, even a lot of worry. It's not a stress-free way to publish, that's for sure. But I love being in control of my own career. Yes, of course a big splashy book deal would be exciting, but I've already had that experience with my first novel (Mrs Sinclair's Suitcase, Hodder, 2014). That novel did really well, with fifteen rights deals, including two that were six-figure sums. It was an incredibly exciting time, but... it ended there. I'll never really understand why, or how, and I long ago gave up fretting over it. I was one of those authors whose second book wasn't quite "right". Things went a bit south for a while and it was a tough time for me. I fell out with publishing, let's put it that way. But I didn't fall out with writing.

Deciding to self-publish my second novel was a turning point. I made a few mistakes, but that was the best way to learn... and I ended up with a book I was very proud of. It did not-too-badly sales-wise, given all the circumstances. A Life Between Us remains my second best selling novel.

I self-published a third novel and set up my indie press. Followed by six years of utter madness! I had to give it all up last year to save my bank balance, my family-life, and myself. It was wild... but blimey, I learned a lot, and I'll never stop feeling proud of the books and authors I worked with. Looking back on it now, I tried to do too much too quickly. But it was a valuable learning curve. I am the absolute queen of sticking to a deadline, and I can multi-task like a pro. I also learned a shedload of valuable editing skills.

I brought out my novella The Hermit in 2022. That has gone under the radar, rather... but flipping heck, I'm proud of it. I am proud of its brevity, precision, and economy. It's unashamedly literary and I'm proud of that too, even though literary fiction and self-publishing are not a money-spinning combo. But it doesn't matter. I long ago gave up on the notion that I could make money from my books. That in itself was quite a freeing realisation...

My latest offering, We Are Family, is a more commercial novel... I think... I sent it to several agents, but didn't get any takers... not because I'm a bad writer (I'm a very good writer and I'm happy to know that about myself), but probably because I'm not a "zeitgeisty" writer. I'm not a political or state-of-the-nation writer... nor am I a particularly commercial writer... I'm also rather outspoken about publishing and its numerous faults... and because of the mainstream success of my debut novel in 2014, I can't even be sold as a debut novelist. All of these things are stacked against me, and honestly, I don't think I'll ever get a literary agent or a mainstream book deal again. And honestly again - it's OK. And honestly once more - I don't think I'll even try to get an agent again. I was screwed over by publishing a decade ago, and all trust has gone... but the fallout of that experience has taken me on a journey of self-discovery: I love doing my own thing. For instance, I'm not bound by the perceived wisdom of word counts. I tend to write short. We Are Family is 52k words, which is probably "too short" for upmarket women's fiction (which is possibly where my new novel sits in the market). But the story is as long as it needs to be and there is no padding. It's satisfying. Big tick!

So, now I have five books out in the world (one mainstream, four indie). I'm being true to my creative instincts, and to my vocation, which is writing. Second only to that is my editorial work, the true day job. Editing a single 80k word novel earns me more than all my book sales do in a year. That might seem quite a shocking statistic, but unless we get very lucky and/or have a big marketing budget, most of us aren't making a living from writing novels. For me, for now, it's OK. I love writing for its own sake, I always will, and self-publishing is a route I've become rather proud, even relieved, in many ways, to take.

Novel number 6 is on its way... my most ambitious project yet, and I still have lots to do. It's twentieth century working-class historical fiction, the first in a planned saga, and it has a huge cast. Not my usual style, but I'm giving it a try.

Until next time, happy reading, happy August,

Louise x

(PS, my books can be bought on my website, and online from all the major retailers. Your local bookshop can order them in for you too.)