From CBC News:
Vancouver-based author Sharon Rowse was thrilled when after years of trying she finally landed a book deal with a New York publisher.
“It had always been my dream to be published,” Rowse said.
Her novel, a historical crime story that takes place in her home town, had been “a bit of a hard sell” for the American market.
But reality poured a big bucket of cold water on her dreams when the publisher was bought out, and its mystery section discontinued.
“My book was the last one to come off the press, which meant that I was suddenly without a publisher with a book that had just literally come out two weeks before the publisher closed,” she said.
Rowse searched for a new publisher for her book, but “nobody wanted to pick it up.”
Instead of letting her writing languish, she decided to take control of the process and added it to the the growing trove of self-published works that are increasingly finding their way into the hands of readers.
. . . .
Writers like Rowse are the target of a pending new collection of local self-published authors at the Vancouver Public Library — and other libraries across Canada are doing the same.
“Knowing that there’s been this huge outpouring of self-publishing over the past few years, we want to make sure that we’re finding that kind of content when it’s coming from Vancouver,” said Christina de Castell, VPL’s director of collections and technology.
“We really want to give Vancouver authors an opportunity to have a platform to share their work.”
Link to the rest at CBC News and thanks to Sadie for the tip.
It seem to be the 42% share for indie books in the last but one Author Earnings report that triggered this. Acceptance of indie publishing is slow here, but you’d never have seen “self publishing gains respect” a year or two ago. It represents a shift in viewpoint for the Canadian market – we’re behind the US market in recognition of indie publishing by quite a bit.
You can definitely see the conflicting viewpoints in the article. But it’s a start. (And yeah, 10K?)
I’ve been indie since 2010, following PG, Joe Konrath, DWS and KKR right from the start. Doing everything the hard way – 10 books worth. And this feels like the early beginnings of indie acceptance here – finally!
Is it just me, or does anyone else wonder why they chose to focus on someone who hasn’t published anything new in almost a year, ranks in the millions and has few to no reviews? Hardly a shining example of how going indie can be successful.
I could have the wrong Sharon Rowse, but the one I looked at is in Vancouver and publishes stories set in the area, and no others showed up in a quick search.
Nope, you have the right Sharon, Sheila.
No idea why she contacted me, but the story was supposed to highlight the Vancouver Public Libary’s new program supporting local indie authors. I wasn’t about to turn it down.
It was never about the “vanity” press to begin with. That’s just the name mainstream publishers and writers used to smear the self-publishing movement in the long dark years before Kindle. I was a part of that movement, and it’s ALWAYS been about the freedom to do things your own way, and write whatever you feel like writing without having to get the stamp of approval from the gatekeepers.
“It’s no longer about the vanity press”???
Um, except the last few sentences showcase a service that charges $10k; but, hey, it lets authors keep all the “profits.”
At least Hugh Howey finally achieved his dream of having “Wool” featured next to “Prehistoric Passion from Mars.”
“Um, except the last few sentences showcase a service that charges $10k; but, hey, it lets authors keep all the “profits.””
Haha, so true.
A cover that is now burned into memory.