Having a book published is a dream for most writers, but traditional publishing can be slow, frustrating and limit an author’s control over their work. Here, storyteller and Storytelling Forum member Claire Druett explains the various reasons why she decided to self-publish her collection of original poems, Time and Place, and encourages others to get their voice out there:
A few years back, I was shortlisted by a publisher with the caveat that they had two years’ worth of folk on their books and no budget for any more.
I felt I was back at square one. I couldn’t attend the right dinner parties or get a poetry agent willing to take a chance.
People were telling me they enjoyed my poems. In the end I figured, why wait for external validation? I like what I’ve done. My friends and colleagues were harsh and fair critics, allowing me to edit and crop the collection, as well as getting help to design the cover and format.
This has led me to feel content in the fact that this time and investment hasn’t gone to waste; I’ve accomplished something by “putting it out there” and can move forward with other writing projects.
From my perspective, the tables have changed rather than turned with publishing. If you put your work out this way, the right people can still see it and there’s movement. It’s also introduced me to other writers – there’s plenty of encouragement and support out there.
It’s not as scary as I’d envisaged!
Time and Place: Selected Poems, published as Claire Obermarck, is available on Amazon for Kindle now. Click here to buy
To contact Claire:
https://tracsscot.wpengine.com/tracs/storytelling/directory-of-storytellers/storytellers/claire-druett
http://www.facebook.com/StorytellerClaireDruett/
