121. That’s the number that got ‘Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’ by Robert M. Pirsig into the Guinness Book of World Records as ‘the bestseller most rejected by publishers.’ Today, for better or for worse, publishing your book need no longer require such teeth clenching determination. Instead local writers of every ilk are finding themselves taking charge of their own work – either going into collaboration with a subsidy publisher, paying a vanity publisher to print and distribute their work for them or self-publishing their own work.
Such alliances have raised interesting questions about the quality of the finished book even as they allow authors a chance to thumb their noses at sceptics. Clearly, actually getting a book into stores continues to be a test of your confidence in your work – whether it’s believing that publisher no. 122 will have the good taste to love your novel or that the book you just emptied your savings account to print is going to bring you fame and fortune.
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After weighing her options, Rozaine Cooray chose to have Perera Hussein Publishing House print her book under their Bay Owl imprint. “It was expensive for a first time author,” she admits, “I put my savings into it...I had no way of knowing what the response would be like, it was something I had to do out of passion. I had to make my call on what I really wanted to do in life, as opposed to having a back account.” ‘Colours of the Sun’ was in its third draft then, and it would be another two drafts and an equal number of years before it was ready. “As much as I evolved, the book evolved,” Rozaine explains, adding “as an artist, when you produce something, you want to share it.”
If you believe Sam Perera, that Rozaine was published at all meant that her original manuscript had clear potential. The publishing house he runs with his wife, Ameena Hussein is both a straight up commercial publishing house as well as a sometime subsidy publishing outfit that shares the cost with its authors. He’s frank about ‘good’ not being the only criteria – “given that we are so small, it is necessary that our books sell.” Still, a book that might be unviable as a PH publication could still have promise; it’s these he considers for Bay Owl. “If I think it has no potential at all, I won’t go with it even as a Bay Owl book...people know it comes from us and that would be undermining myself.” This is also why the duo only work with authors who will accept gentle editing – “if you don’t think you can improve on your work, go find a printer,” says Sam.
However, if you’ve put your money in, you might not see it back unless your book sells. “Essentially an author needs to believe in their work, even more than a publisher does,” he says. At the very least, you’ll need the backing of someone who does. Lishan Perera first became a published author with Vijitha Yapa at the tender age of 11 and has since released 4 books. “It’s been really worthwhile because I know he’s talented,” says his mother Chandini Perera. She sees it as an investment in her son’s future and in his confidence, but not in his bank balance. “In Sri Lanka you never make your costs back,” she says.
This is particularly true for poets. Sakuntala Sachithanandan may have won the Gratiaen Prize but she says poets might as well write only for other poets – her readership is still tiny. When she too saw her work in print, she turned to Godage International Publishers to publish and distribute the book for her. This way she didn’t have to personally visit the head office of every major bookseller in town – some so many floors up that “it’s like going up Siripada.” Many authors consider this service a fair exchange for royalties.
After all, even with printing costs taken care of, there’s editorial, book design, distribution and promotion to consider, says Mr. Vijitha Yapa. His publishing house offers authors who pay in full for printing approximately 40% of the royalties – in theory enough to cover the initial costs if your book sells well.Be warned: it’s typically a long, intense process – “we are not printers, we are publishers,” he says explaining that it can take time. Editorial work is the culprit, but is limited to proofreading and plot related suggestions. “We don’t interfere with the style of the author...the author has the final say with regard to what goes into the book.”
Sonali Fernando is a published poet but this time with Stamford Lake. She says it was gratifying to see her work in print, though certainly not profitable. With both collections ‘Wallflower Girl’ and ‘Road to Emmaus,’ she orchestrated most of the publicity. The enthusiasm that she and many such authors display endears them to Sam.
“The level of author participation in a subsidy work is phenomenal,” he says, explaining that there is simply no room to be shy and retiring. Instead his authors are out there campaigning for press coverage and book signings. “I like people to read my word, want them to read it, and want them to tell me what they think about it,” says Brandon Ingram, a two time author with Bay Owl. “It’s the only way to grow as a writer.“ |
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