Curtis Sittenfeld recently wrote a blog
titled “24 Things No One Tells You About Publishing”, which inspired author
Scott Berkun to respond with “28 (Better) Things No One Tells You AboutPublishing”. Both blogs are terrific, mixing humor with poignancy with business
and philosophy. Many points I agreed with, a few made me pause to think, and
one or two I disagreed with.
The blogs made me realize that there are
specific issues that Canadian authors need to consider. Given that a lot has
been said in the other blogs, I’ve listed only six points.
. Despite the comments of a few publishers,
authors, and agents I’ve heard at conferences over the years, it’s okay to use Canadian
scenes, characters, and references. Plenty of American readers are happy to
read stories set in Canada. The challenge has been convincing publishers of
this. Of course, not everyone will take to your setting, but to ignore the
unique and gorgeous geography in our backyards to appease an American publisher
is a missed opportunity.
. If your published book is in certain
Canadian libraries, you might be entitled to take part in the Public Lending
Right (PLR) Program through the Canada Council for the Arts. There’s a list of
rules for co-authors, illustrators, and so forth. If you qualify, you could
receive a cheque every February based on random samples taken from larger libraries
across the country. To learn more about how it works, go to www.plr-dpp.ca
. You might also qualify for remuneration
for published articles, short stories, books, etc. through the Access Copyright
program. You can learn the details at www.accesscopyright.ca
. Based on my self-publishing experiences,
libraries in smaller cities and towns that aren’t part of a larger library
system will buy your book directly. A professional query letter, flyer, and
ordering information were all that I needed. Library wholesalers will also buy
books from indie publishers, although expect them to ask for discounts.
. Doing business with Amazon can be costly,
particularly if you have a larger book. They ask for a 55% discount, and you
pay the shipping costs, and it isn’t cheap. Don’t rely on Amazon.com for print
sales. If you don’t have a U.S. post box, it’s a pain.
. Finally, if you’re going to be a Canadian
fiction author, you’d better have another income stream. It’s a fact of life
for 99% of authors. But you already knew that, right?
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