Alexander Clement's Blog
September 2, 2014
Getting Into Print
Back in the day there was practically no such thing as indie publishing. Well, okay, there was but it went by a rather more pejorative name. Vanity Publishing. As if the process was entirely designed to massage the misguided ego of the author, vanity publishing came in different forms. There were (and maybe still are) firms devoted to printing books by authors willing to stump up the cash. To sell the service they would provide rather too positive critiques of the work which doubtless would have been a beacon of hope following countless rejection letters from mainstream publishers. As an aside, I always felt rather sorry for the employees of vanity publishers who spent their time writing glowing reviews of hopelessly awful and unpublishable works. The law of averages suggests there must have been a few gems in there, though.
The white horse of indie publishing has galloped to the rescue and is developing apace. True there are still thousands of terrible books out there (and I don't exclude mainstream publishing from that) but at least there is a credible way for fiction to reach an audience, both in print and electronically, so that it can stand on its own merits with no negative connotations.
I am a traditionally published author and so familiar with that process. The idea of indie publishing an ebook, though, was rather intriguing and so I decided to give it a try with a new series of children's fiction. What the experience taught me was that the world is still not quite ready for children's books to be consumed in this way. Some day soon it will be but until then I needed a way of getting my work into print without the months of waiting for publishers or a speculative outlay in printing costs.
The answer was CreateSpace. This platform works using Amazon's sales channels and 'on demand' printing. As the name suggests, books can be bought individually and they are printed as and when ordered. You might imagine such a system must compromise on quality but I can attest that it does not. The process is relatively straightforward to navigate and helps less experienced authors format their text and cover to look as good as it can.
Once available through Amazon it can be delivered in the usual 3-5 days or quicker if you use Prime. Like all indie publishing the author has to do the donkey work of marketing and publicising but these days it's expected of all of us, even if we are lucky enough to have a big stable behind us.
So far, so good but I will report regularly with updates on my progress.
The white horse of indie publishing has galloped to the rescue and is developing apace. True there are still thousands of terrible books out there (and I don't exclude mainstream publishing from that) but at least there is a credible way for fiction to reach an audience, both in print and electronically, so that it can stand on its own merits with no negative connotations.
I am a traditionally published author and so familiar with that process. The idea of indie publishing an ebook, though, was rather intriguing and so I decided to give it a try with a new series of children's fiction. What the experience taught me was that the world is still not quite ready for children's books to be consumed in this way. Some day soon it will be but until then I needed a way of getting my work into print without the months of waiting for publishers or a speculative outlay in printing costs.
The answer was CreateSpace. This platform works using Amazon's sales channels and 'on demand' printing. As the name suggests, books can be bought individually and they are printed as and when ordered. You might imagine such a system must compromise on quality but I can attest that it does not. The process is relatively straightforward to navigate and helps less experienced authors format their text and cover to look as good as it can.
Once available through Amazon it can be delivered in the usual 3-5 days or quicker if you use Prime. Like all indie publishing the author has to do the donkey work of marketing and publicising but these days it's expected of all of us, even if we are lucky enough to have a big stable behind us.
So far, so good but I will report regularly with updates on my progress.
August 2, 2014
Drawing August
A little fun for the silly season, as the media insist on referring to it, is a strand on Twitter called #DrawingAugust. The idea is for artists and anyone inclined to pick up some art materials and get creative, to draw something each day during the month.
I was introduced to the idea by my wife, Andrea, who actually is an artist, and the results can be seen if you follow my twitter feed.
It rather takes me back to the late 1980s, the last time I sat down and really tried to create something visual while studying A-Level art in Guildford. I was always more comfortable with the small details and studies in monochrome rather than full blown paintings. I suppose that is the graphic designer-slash-cartoonist in me.
It is rather therapeutic, as it happens, and I would recommend it to anyone, regardless of how they view their own skill level. It's not about 'great art' and especially not photo-realism (although neither are precluded). It's about seeing things in a different way and using otherwise neglected parts of the brain. Go on, have a go!
I was introduced to the idea by my wife, Andrea, who actually is an artist, and the results can be seen if you follow my twitter feed.
It rather takes me back to the late 1980s, the last time I sat down and really tried to create something visual while studying A-Level art in Guildford. I was always more comfortable with the small details and studies in monochrome rather than full blown paintings. I suppose that is the graphic designer-slash-cartoonist in me.
It is rather therapeutic, as it happens, and I would recommend it to anyone, regardless of how they view their own skill level. It's not about 'great art' and especially not photo-realism (although neither are precluded). It's about seeing things in a different way and using otherwise neglected parts of the brain. Go on, have a go!
