Grey Gecko Press

Last night I signed a contract to have my book published through Grey Gecko Press. While this is a small start-up publisher, I’ve been sold on the founder’s, Jason, vision. GGP is very much a hybrid between the traditional big house publisher and self-publication.

At first I was skeptical of the idea. A small start up company can’t provide very much service compared to a traditional publisher. The basics of the deal is that GGP preps the book and places it for sale in both e-book and print version. The initial costs for this process (cover-art, editing, initial book samples, etc) are split between GGP and the author 50/50. Then GGP gets 15% of the revenue. My first inclination was that I would be signing away some rights to my book and giving away some of my potential profits, for very little in return. Almost all of the distribution venues GGP uses are open to self-publication.

However, the more I talked to Jason and the more I came to understand his vision, the more I came to see that looking at GGP like a traditional publisher was the wrong light. GGP is really about turning self-publication into an successful endeavour. It’s a partnership much more so than traditional publication.

The formatting and editing service you gain access too, for example, allow your book to actually look professional. I’ve read a few self-published books, and they really, really could have used some good editing. This makes the book into something more than an amateurish self-indulgence that most self-publication is.

You also have access to a slightly wider distribution than you do via pure self-publication. It will be possible for bookstores and libraries to purchase the book. This probably won’t happen much, if any, but it’s nice that the option exists. There are also hardcover and paper version. I really want a hardcover version, even if no one else buys one, I personally want one.

Beyond that, you’re not alone in the process. Instead of being one self-publisher author amongst thousands, you are part of a team looking to help each other succeed. The audience for GGP may be small now, but that will only grow as each of the prospective authors get their books out there.

How is this different than a traditional publisher you might ask? You have a lot more control over the process. With a traditional publisher, granted this is entirely based on heresay, you basically sign away your book in exchange for an advance. No say on the cover art, the release date, and it will be a long time before you see any royalties, if ever. Now, a big publisher has more marketing potential, but it’s questionable how much that will really help the author.

So a big publisher would probably result in more over all book sales and far wider distribution. But, lately, I’ve come to the conclusion that the challenge of self-publication will be a much more fulfilling venture, even if the final financial outlook is lower. And with GGP, I still get that challenge and chance to succeed, but don’t have to do it all on my own.

The book is now in the hands of Hilary, the editor, and then we’ll see how much revision it needs. She’s the first person to read it whose not a close friend or family member. Still not sure how long until the books available for sale, there is still lots to do even if the editing goes quickly. But I’m excited by the future.