Precious Things

 

If you do your homework when looking for a publisher, you will come across forums and blogs that will usually detail the biggest pitfalls of going with a small, independent press. One of them being, your precious book may end up in the hands of someone who will go bankrupt and you'll never regain your rights again.

This is very important, I'm not trying to diminish that. You can read about these stories in other industries. The phrase "in perpetuity" is probably one of the most daunting legal terms you can encounter. And even if your contract only lasts a certain period, is it any guarantee it will be dissolved if you can't contact the publisher who goes out of business? Obviously, it could be implied if you never hear anything once the contract expires, but it's still something worth considering.

In my case, I'm less afraid of the arrangement I made because, and you may not believe this, I don't have an emotional attachment to a lot of my work. Whatever I've written for myself stays with me, usually what I intend to publish is whatever I'm willing to let go. I actually can't read any of the books I've written that were either self or traditionally published. Once it's out in the world and other eyes have seen it, I can't go over it again. I know I'll want to fix something, or I'll see an error I can't do anything about, or I'll just be plain embarrassed, even if the work has been praised. So I don't have a love for these things. I genuinely regret letting some of them go now. Certain characters were probably more precious to me than the story I wrote. In my zeal to be published I sacrificed a few stories that were dearer to me. I have other versions of some characters in different places, but that's not for public consumption.

I probably have more affection for the novel I've finished recently and its characters that I'll be a bit sad to see them go out into the world. I don't know when this will be available but I am intending on getting it out there one way or another. I've been looking at other places to take it but given my previous experiences with them, I doubt they'll be interested. Getting the attention of an Australian publisher right now is difficult if you don't have a new or exciting voice that isn't also championing something about this country. I have no real parochial bond with where I live in the world, 98% of my writing is to escape my day so why would I put myself right back where I live? You'll see traces of who I know and where I'm from, but never exact details. And I won't write about people I know, either. I don't even use the names of people I know in my work. Again, trace elements are the most you'll receive, and I know people I know are worried I've written something mean, I've already been asked by one person if I've based a character on them and I really hadn't. So you're safe. Maybe something mean you did might pop up in an abstract way delivered by another character who bears no resemblance to you physically, but again, all of my characters are from out of nowhere but my own head. It suits me.

So you'll rarely catch me being so precious about my work I feel I have to protect it with my life. It's better that way.