- The Third Magpie is accessible literature but when querying, at a little over 500 pages long (137K words) it is too long for many publishers to consider as a debut novel. They take on a book assessing the financial risks as well as the literary merits. It is expensive to print and market books, so I had a choice, reduce the word count by a third or self-publish.
- Self-publishing isn’t an easy options and it isn’t the natural territory for literary novels. Most successful self-publishers are based in one or two particular genres. But once I found out how hard it is to sell literary through the traditional publishing, I thought, ‘What have I got to lose?’ I knew I had both the time and the support to deal with all the other aspects of self-publishing that is usually handled by an agent and/or publisher.
- Most of the early days were spent on research, what needs to be done and in what order. Things like, buying and registering an ISBN, comparing printing options and costs, learning how to typeset both for digital and physical copies, employing an editor and a cover designer; only once this had been done, did we set about producing the book.
- When you traditionally publish you hand over control and some of the rewards to the publisher and they take on the promotion of your novel. It is in their interests to sell as many as possible as quickly as possible, in order to cover the outlay. In self-publishing, it is all down to you. You keep control and the rewards, but, you finance it all and bear all the risks.
- Unlike the traditional publishers, who need to see a quick return on an investment, when you self-publish you may not see any profits for a long time. Go in with your eyes open and understand, this is a marathon not a sprint. Allow yourself the right to make some mistakes, learn from them. Take advice from those who have gone before you but be wary of those who offer you instant success, at a price. Reviews may be limited, you may even face some hostility for self-publishing, but keep in mind the concept of self-publishing – or at least taking on board the financial risk of your novel – was commonplace before the 20th century.
- As things stand, a traditional publishing deal can offer many advantages, but given the technologies available to all, the coming century will inevitably see changes on how people read and most of all, how writers publish. Kindle Direct Publishing has been a game changer, but there are other options appearing too; raise funds for a print run via a Kickstarter event, publish chapters at a time on WattPad or become an Instagram writers/poets and gather a fan base, By it’s very nature, self-publishing opens doors to those for whom the traditional option is a difficult option to crack. A computer has no interest in the colour of your skin, your educational background, you age or sexual orientation. It can be a freeing experience to know you get to publish exactly what you imagined when sitting at a desk for the first time. Maybe not everyone will read it, but it will always be your book baby.
About The Third Magpie
Caring teacher and loving husband, Finn tolerates daily humiliation to be with Sophie, the woman he loves. Fragile & naturally compliant he must summon all his courage to survive the system. Despite the injustice, they dream of a normal life, where liberty and identity are not subverted by ever tightening restrictions.When a powerful politician requests that Finn tutor his daughter, it seems like a change of fortune, but in New Albany, every opportunity comes at price.
How far must Sophie go to save the man she loves?
For fans of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, ‘VOX’, ‘1984’, and other speculative fiction, ‘The Third Magpie takes the reader into a terrifyingly plausible world where a wristband identifies you as different, restricting your job opportunities, your movement, and even who you can marry. It is a society where propaganda masks extremism that threatens your very existence.
About M.S. Clements
Of Anglo-Spanish heritage, M.S. Clements grew up in Exeter, Devon. After gaining a degree in Economics and Spanish, Clements moved to London and trained for a PGCE at The Institute of Education. She continues to run a Spanish club for primary aged girls at a local school and tutors privately. M.S. Clements has published short stories and poetry both online and in print, and is a founding member of @Virtwriting, an online writers’ group. Her debut novel The Third Magpie was published in 2020.
Thank you so much for sharing your tips M!
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