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3 days to go... Wait, who's publishing it?

craigbezant

Bury Our Secrets will officially be released in 3 days (Monday 6 February)!


It's being released through... myself. Yes, I'm the publisher. Self-publisher. Why the hell would I do that, you ask?


First, a glimpse into my background. I’ve always been a writer. Many a story drafted. But for a stint in the earlier 2000s (2005-2014), I was the editor for and co-creator of small press, Dark Prints Press. In that time, I worked with a lot of people in the crime, fantasy and horror genres. A bucket list of amazing authors/people. I put together anthologies. Was nominated for awards. Won one (Best Edited Publication for Surviving the End). Participated in the entire process of bringing a book to life, down to the typesetting. So, in short, I had the knowledge and confidence to make books.


10 years later, that confidence has re-emerged. I have a series in Henry Herbert that I’m confident about (I’m currently drafting the 4th instalment); that shouldn’t just be sitting on my laptop, gathering virtual dust. Sure, I would have loved a publishing house to have picked it up. I sent it to 8 publishers on my bucket list (I have a few bucket lists). A couple rejected me. Most didn’t bother responding (unprofessional af – but that’s a post for another time). The impact of COVID has been huge on the risk publishers are willing to take on new authors. So… keep sending it around the world or do this myself? You read the first part of this post, so you know the decision.


It's not like I’m selling books from the boot of my car. Okay, so it’s not like I’m just selling books from the boot of my car. A HUGE difference from my time at Dark Prints is the professional avenues now available for self-publishers. Following same amazing advice from those who’ve gone before me, I’ve got Bury Our Secrets on multiple platforms, ready to go. Amazon for eBook (Kindle) and print editions. Draft2Digital to distribute to every other eBook/digital platform (Apple, Kobo, etc). IngramSpark to distribute the print edition to bookstores around the world (e.g. Book Depository, Dymocks in Australia). If you want a copy, you should be able to get it. If not, contact me.


The difference between the eBook and print editions? Well, another HUGE difference I’ve noticed in the decade between doing this is that many publishers (even the major ones) seem so strapped for time/low staffed, they’re pretty much doing the one version of the book and sending it for print and digital conversion. Which means you have print books without headers (book title, author name), with weird layouts including an abundance of orphans and widows (those lines hanging at the bottom/top of a page away from the rest of their paragraph buddies)… I could go on. So, I’ve poured a lot of time into the layout of my print edition (thank you, Affinity Publisher). It feels like a real book. That’s the reward for paying extra (than the eBook) – something special to hold in your hands. And the eBook version? I’ve kept it restriction-free – you can change the font/size on your reader, make it your own. Carry it with you, wherever you go. Either way, I hope you’ll be happy with the product––and the story, of course.


Next post, I’ll talk about the story itself and the inspirations behind it. Thanks for reading; exciting times ahead!







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