On April 7th 2019 (my 30th birthday), my crowdfunding campaign had commenced. I had pre-sold 302 copies of Generation Nanny and raised a little under $6,000.00 to fund the publishing process. I had 15 offers from a variety of publishers all over the country who expressed their interest in publishing my book…
THIS WAS ALL SO EXCITING!
At the time, I was 75% of my way done with my book and was as-ready-as-I’d-ever-be to share my fairly presentable manuscript with potential publishers. It was nerve racking and the #impostersyndrome everyone talks about was beginning to settle in.
Throughout this experience, I have one main takeaway:
WE’VE STILL GOT A LONG WAY TO GO…
The traditional model for publishing, does not work in favor of first-time authors and in my experience, it was especially difficult as a young woman writing a memoir on feminist, women’s issues to be taken seriously.
Like many industries, the publishing industry is ruled by macro-corporations like Harper Collins, Penguin Random House, whatever-whatever. One, much smaller, traditional publisher expressed interest in my book: SourceBooks. I had never heard of it before, but for whatever reason, the buzz that reverberated from my small circle of experienced published authors, convinced me otherwise.
So, I jump on a call with SourceBooks…
“Hey there, nice to meet you, I am curious how this whole process would work with you all, especially what you think the cost is going to be”. I am trying to sound curious, polite, knowledgeable and able to vet whatever information was coming next… Prowess, aiming for prowess. If you know me at all, I don’t exude this trait naturally so it likely wasn’t working.
“Oh yeah, so you wrote a book about Nannying huh!?” What sounded like an older man, in his 50’s, was on the other end. “You know, I always joked that I myself need a nanny!” He chuckled.
Uh. Er. Huh? Was this a fantasy thing he was talking about? Like HE, as a grown man needed a nanny? or like, his KID needs a nanny? I react with prowess (I think) and ignore the comment to the best I can. He continues to enlighten me about the process of how the publishing process would work with his company, that I would work in tandem to finish the book, and the price for me would reflect the efficiency of which we completed all the steps. As a first-timer, I knew the learning curve would be long, and I knew I would surpass what my $6000.00 ($4,500 after taxes and the platforms’ cut) budget was allowing me to do so.
This was already intimidating.
I gave him a brief description of the context of my book while describing the feminist and socially conscious vibe I was going for.
“I try to write through a lense that highlights the intersectionality of complex social issues like gender, race, class, and culture” I add.
“Intersection-what?” He asks, “I’ve never heard that word before, did you make it up?”
After explaining the meaning of the word: intersectionality - I ended the call. “Yes sure, let me think it over. I will reach out in a few weeks”. I was leading him on, I had already decided, this wasn’t the route I wanted to go.
There was a bit of a skeezy-salesman vibe to him. He was nice, probably well-intended, he was likely a Dad and maybe a good husband but I wasn’t willing to overlook the comment he made at the beginning of the call…
His comment told me 2 things:
1. He would never get what my book was really about
2. He didn’t take me seriously.
After a week passes, he follows up via email and as his attempt to be cute he reiterates the same comment… again! This time it was in writing, so at this point I knew WHAT he was referencing to and honestly, it was just obnoxious.
So, let’s unpack this statement a bit:
The nanny character/role typically falls into one of two descriptions: Old grandmother figure or young-ish, hot nanny lady. People much prefer the sexualized and provocative character in movies and books - think the Nanny sitcom from the 90’s: big hair, boobs, short skirts, and a spicy Jersey demeanor; Or Julie Andrews in both the Sound of Music and Mary Poppins- not sexy per say but still beautiful - I am certain someone out there has a weird fantasy about her. If you look for books on Amazon about nannies you will find plenty of romance novels and tell-all’s about hidden affairs and cheating husbands. On the other end, there’s so much Freudian implications to a grown man stating that he needs a nanny for himself so … Yeah... gross.
The purpose of my book is to break these stereotypes and make the Nanny a real woman, not just a woman who tries to steal your husband.
I get it, this guy simply lacked the knowledge, he didn’t know any better. To be real, I am pretty tired of giving people like him a pass for obnoxious comments. It showed me that he hadn’t read my manuscript I had shared with him a few weeks prior, and that he wasn’t well versed in feminism or women’s issues. It showed me that I needed to be more intentional about my publishing decision and what I’ve learned through this, is that many people running the show nowadays are just like this guy. Older and well into their professional publishing careers, possibly predominately men, and definitely not reading women’s literature.
So, I looked for the following criteria:
Female owned publishing company
Find someone who will understand my brand, my ideas, and beliefs as a feminist
Feel like my money was being well spent, with no hidden fees
Find a company that would let me keep ALL THE RIGHTS TO MY BOOK
I decided I didn’t care whether it was a traditional publishing deal or not, I simply wanted to stay true to my values and use the money for what I believe in…
which led me to…
Positively Powered Publishing
Owned and run by book coach, published author, and publisher, Amy Collette out of Denver, Colorado. Amy and I have a relationship that goes back to the beginning of this journey when I started writing my book. She has been my coach, my confidant, my friend, and often times my therapist as I have navigated the last three years of writing my story with her by my side. She inspired me to crowdfund on Publishizer because she knew my financial constraints, and set me up for success with them, even if it meant I published with someone else. She has helped so many female authors publish their books, values women’s stories, and knows the importance in empowering first time authors like me.
Most of the time authors will get themselves an agent to help them get a book deal with a publisher. This process is not so favorable for first-time authors, as they typically don’t have much leverage for getting a book deal in the first place, and therefore agents are hesitant to take them on.
I guess being an author is a lot like being a musician looking for a record deal. Both are static systems that often prevent new talent from ever reaching the ears, or the eyes, of the general public. Systems like this usually only favor artists with friends in high places or with money; the typical joe, like me, doesn’t stand a chance.
Of course, the internet has transformed the way artists can display and promote their work, enabling them to avoid the money-hungry agents, and promote themselves in an organic way. Crowdfunding their work, gaining a social media following, using free services that will feature their work such as blogs for writers, Instagram for visual and photography artists and influencers, Reverbnation for musicians, etc. I am happy to see more avenues for writers like me and thank women like Amy, for diversifying the publishing industry with her incredible spirit, drive, and energy to empower others.
Please check out her other work on her website: @UNLEASH YOUR INNER AUTHOR
