Whether you are a new writer or if you have several books behind you, you will know that publishing through a publisher is a very complicated task. Every large company looks for best-sellers that report large sales figures but whose magic formula for creation, in reality, they are completely unaware of. That the flute to find a best seller sounds is the same as that donkey in the well-known fable made it sound: by chance.
What are publishers looking for? We know that quality does not always prevail, but sales; sometimes the text is the least of it. For this reason, one of the requirements that are repeated is, for example, publishing well-known authors who will be a guarantee of success. So, if we are unknown to the general public, if we do not even have any prior novel under our belt that we are trying to move, how can we get our book to market?
Amazon
Amazon is an option that allows us to present high-quality texts that, otherwise, would remain in a drawer. But is it really necessary for everyone who starts to give up publishing with a publisher? Because it is not only about selling, nor about the possible promotion that a large company can offer you; but also of the possibility of working with publicists, designers, proofreaders and all that wide group of valid professionals in this industry to whom we would not have access if it were not for our contract with a publisher. Learning is the best gift for the novice writer because, let’s face it, if you’ve only written one book, you have a lot to learn.
I made these same reflections when I finished ghost writing my first novel and, seeing how others who have already traveled this path before me have done, I have discovered that the spectrum of colors of this fan of letters is broader than black or white.
Libros
The case that concerns me, and which is the path I am trying to take at the moment, is crowdfunding through Libros. This publishing house works in the following way: a writer sends the first chapters of his manuscript and a team made up of several people read them. If they decide that the text is of quality and that they, personally, would be interested in reading something like that; If they see potential, ultimately, they launch the aforementioned crowdfunding campaign.
What is this campaign about? In that if a certain number of people (in my case, 100), pre-purchase the novel, it is published. And, be careful, I say pre-buy, that is, it is not money given with nothing in return, because in exchange you get the book; on paper or digitally, that will depend on the amount you have paid. Well, not paid either, because they only charge you the support money if the novel comes to light, and if not, you, as a person who have decided to support that novel, have not lost anything.
These readers do not give their support blindly, but have the entire first chapter at their disposal so that they can decide. That is, they are really in the same position as the professionals of that publishing house, the readers also rule, their opinion also counts, and this is what makes this type of publication different.
Conclusion
Jaume has generously invited me to come here and talk about my book, and far from wanting to look like Paco Umbral in that well-known television moment, I have decided to contribute something else and tell you about this particular editorial process. If I can’t do it (because nowadays, selling 100 copies is very complicated), at least this article serves as a humble guide for someone who is starting out and wants to do things differently.
To finish, I leave you this link where you can read the first chapter of my novel, “Behind the gun”, as well as support me if, after reading it, you are curious and want to know more. If you cannot pre-purchase the book but you liked it, I will greatly appreciate all the dissemination you can make of the campaign.