This blog came about from recent TRM visitors (not even angling inmates!) who called in to ask about the more controversial information- pre-Māori DNA, etc. and to learn (?) more about our publishing process with TONGARIRO Skulduggery. They were composing their own book and used TS as their inspiration. As it was more about publishing a historical account of a hobby subject, which I cannot possibly reveal, I assumed it would have a low distribution; I encouraged them towards self-publishing against traditional established publishers. This can be a touchy subject, and I readily accept that not everyone would agree.
Originally, TS was bounced off publishers, who lacked confidence in the outstanding success it has since achieved. Well, I think it was outstanding to pay its way, as its publication coincided with the Covid crisis when TRM had no inmates, and that is all that mattered. TS was originally published over five years ago. We do not want you to think it is such a great work of genius that it has been reprinted five more times.
The success is really all down to SWMBO’s sneaky marketing strategy. A copy was placed in every unit at TRM, aimed at bored anglers, worn out from wading the Tongariro and hungry for something more interesting than listening to Dan mislead them on his diabolical weather forecasting, to find an alternative time waster.
Instead, they were so enthralled with the plot, they had to buy a copy to take home or for their flight, so they could discover what eventually happened. Five years later…
So now you have SWMBO’s recipe and key steps on how to become a successful writer/publisher.
First step, buy a motel…
(Ph. Zane Cozens 021 655 784)
An inevitable trend recently has been the growth in self-publishing – a direct result of modern technology enabling writers to sell directly on social media. This follows two of the greatest books on trout fishing were almost ignored when mainstream publishers failed to realise their potential. Perhaps it is not so surprising when a brief study reveals some of the most famous novels were self-published after being rejected by traditional cautious publishers.
Some of the more famous self-published authors may be a surprise. Mark Twain, the quintessential American author, heads the list after he faced numerous rejections.
More recently E L James series of “Fifty Shades of…” erotic romance novels spawned a multimedia franchise including a film trilogy.
Robert Kiyosaki published his own series (Rich Dad Poor Dad) of personal self-help financial books.
Beatrix Potter (The Tale of Peter Rabbit) faced gender discrimination in the early 1900’s. Now her name is synonymous with beloved children’s classics.
Amanda Hocking has earned over $20 million from her young adult paranormal novels, selling over 1.5 million copies.
J K Rowling was rejected by over 12 publishers and endured a long struggle before Bloomsbury rescued Harry Potter in 1997 and has now published 7 volumes.
The most famous book for TRM inmates is, of course, “A River Runs Through It” by Norman Maclean. After his novel was rejected, his friend paid for five thousand copies to be published. Since then it has sold well over one million copies, although many sales may have been the result of Robert Redford making the epic film starring a new young actor whose name escapes me. Maclean was not an author. He was retired in his seventies when he wrote his classic book. Check your bookshelf – second-hand hardcover signed copies are advertised asking up to US$12,500.
Another of his greatest admirers, David James Duncan, experienced similar rejection with “The River Why” published by him in 1983. In an afterword twenty years later, reflecting on his publishing strategy, once The River Why was completed, he commented that it inspired dozens of tough-minded New York book editors literally to slam-dunk his manuscript into the nearest wastebasket and tell their editorial assistants to suggest he find a real job. When he showed a dozen or so of these rejection notes to literary friends who felt he had written a good novel, they speculated as to what was going on. A friend advised that a man named Norman Maclean had also written a fly-fishing fiction and had been rejected by all the same publishing houses and had finally been forced to have his draft printed by his own university’s press.
An American TRM inmate bought me a copy. My first attempt to read it failed when my attention lapsed, too tired from exhausting laundry duties. So it was thrust to the back of the “books to read” department in my bookshelf. When I finally tackled it again, I realised how brilliant it really was.
