How I Went from a Co-op Disaster to a Legit Indie Publishing House to Achieve My Dream of Being a Published Novelist

 

Becoming a published author was a dream I had ever since I started writing my novel in high school. I was sixteen at the time, and it took a couple of years for me to finish writing that novel. I got the idea for my novel from a real-life experience – a series of dreams I kept having – and my dreams inspired me to turn it into a story.

 

Next came the task of giving my story a good title. Since the story contained a central theme, I decided to use this as a way of coming up with the title. In the story, the first child born in November fell victim to an ancient family curse, so I called the story November’s Child. (My mother was born in November, so of course she became the biggest member of my cheering squad.) Thinking my manuscript was ready to send out, I nabbed a copy of Writer’s Market and started querying publishers.

 

The rejections started trickling in, so I was ecstatic by the time I got an acceptance from a publishing company in Utah. This particular publisher had what they referred to as a “co-op” plan, where authors paid for a percentage of the cost to get books published. Not only this, but authors were also required to buy 100 copies of the published book.

 

I was young and naïve at the time. New to the world of authors and publishing. My dad got involved and reviewed the contract, but he was not very savvy about the publishing world either. At the time, I had no connections or networks with other authors, so I couldn’t ask about this publisher or this contract. I honestly thought this was a legit deal, so of course I signed their contract and sent them the money.

 

Months passed. I patiently waited, figuring that publishing a book would take time. I was contacted about a cover design, but I never saw any galleys to approve for the book. Finally, I received news that the book was now published, so I happily ordered my one hundred copies and got busy with book promotion. I was ecstatic that, finally, at the age of nineteen, I was a real novelist!  I even had a launch party for the book, inviting my journalism professor.

 

I was thrilled that my dream of becoming a published novelist had finally come true, but it soon turned into a nightmare.

 

While I was busy celebrating becoming an author and promoting the book, I noticed one thing: I wasn’t getting any royalty reports. Ever since I became an author, I made it my business to start learning everything I could about the business of being an author. I had learned that authors are supposed to receive royalty reports, but I never got any. I called the company constantly, but every time I called, I was given some excuse why nobody could speak to me.

 

Then the news came that this company was being investigated for fraud. I was shocked, now realizing that perhaps I had made a mistake in trusting them with my book (and with our money, part of which my dad chipped in). I kept tabs on developments in the story. Soon the truth came out: The two men who owned this company had swindled authors of their money. All of the money sent to these two men, who us writers had trusted, was kept for themselves, which they used to gamble away in another state. Fortunately, the fraud was discovered, and the men were ultimately imprisoned.

 

As for the company’s authors who lost royalties, an attorney attached to the case stepped in to help out. Eventually, it was arranged that the authors could purchase copies of the books, or all of their remainder copies of books would be destroyed. There wasn’t much talk about restitution for royalties. However, I decided to accept my losses and get the remainder copies of the books. (At least this time, I knew the money I sent to pay for these books would go towards helping out in repairing the damage those two men had caused with other companies.)

 

But where to go from there? That was the big question. I wasn’t prepared to give up: I still wanted to be a published author! But what could I do now?

 

This confusion spurred me into action. I got online and started communicating with a lot of people familiar with the case: Authors, attorneys and experts on the business of publishing. I spent months going back and forth with a variety of folks who offered a variety of suggestions.

 

Finally, I decided to try getting a literary agent. Fortunately, I had the luck of finding one locally, and she agreed to sign me on. She suggested I rewrite the book and she would get busy sending it to publishers. I rewrote the novel and sent it her way. Then I was no longer hearing from her as often as before. Months went by and I never heard anything about who she was pitching my book to, if anyone had shown interest in it, or even if she had received any requested changes.

 

Nothing. My emails even went unanswered.

 

Finally, out of frustration, I sent a final email saying I was withdrawing the manuscript from her consideration. I was done with this so-called “literary agent” who was ghosting me!

 

Still, at least I had a new draft of the novel. This time, though, I once again checked with my contacts about submitting it to publishers. They suggested that I should submit it, except that this time, give the novel a new title.

 

After some consideration and having a powwow with my siblings, a new title for my novel was finally chosen: Shadow of Samhain.

 

I started querying publishing companies again. At around this time, it was many years later. I was older and wiser – and more cautious about publishers willing to publish any book for a fee. Unfortunately, I got a number of rejections.

 

Meanwhile, I was still determined to get other books published: A poetry book and a children’s book. An author friend referred me to a new independent publisher called Gypsy Shadow Publishing, and I submitted my poetry book to them. They not only accepted my poetry book, Love is Like a Rainbow: Poems of Love and Devotion, for publication, but they also accepted my children’s book, The Yellow Rose. The two women running Gypsy Shadow were supportive, helpful, knowledgeable about the publishing business, and very prompt in replying to my emails. I was very happy to be signed with this publisher, and everything went well.

 

However, even though I was now a published author, I was still no longer a published novelist. This was a big deal for me! It was, after all, my dream to become a published novelist. Even though my first experience with this did not go well, I was willing to try again.

 

I wondered if my new publisher was willing to take on a book that was previously published. I checked in with them about this and they responded with suggestions concerning the manuscript’s availability to be republished. I followed their advice then I sent the manuscript.

 

Soon came a response from this publisher: They wanted the book. I was ecstatic to read the email subject line: “Offer of Contract.” The search for a new publisher for this book was over and Gypsy Shadow Publishing published Shadowof Samhain in October 2013. Sales of the book were mediocre, but I was thrilled to have my story back in print.

 

And, in a way, this offered closure from the disaster I lived through in my first attempt to get my novel published.

 

I have published many more books with Gypsy Shadow Publishing since then. The year 2023 was my ten-year anniversary as a novelist. I have written two other novels since the release of my first one and, in November of this year, my fourth novel will be published by Twisted Dreams Press. I plan to write and submit more novels in 2025!

 

It was a long, rough road in finally becoming a published novelist, but I’m so glad I never gave up on making my dream come true!