What the hell is Bothersome Books?
Quite simply, a banner under which I plan to self-publish my works, starting with my debut novel Welcome to the Fold. A second novel, vegan(Vn), will be released in 2019.
Bothersome Books grew from the realization that my works would be both more accessible and more marketable under one virtual roof. Also, I am far too lazy to design separate sites for each title.
So, you’re just self-publishing?
Pretty much, yes. Though I myself have worked in publishing, marketing and journalism, and everything that will be published here will have been edited and proofread by several professionals.
Why bother self-publishing?
The sad truth is that a publishing deal no longer guarantees more of a readership than the self-publishing route. In my time as a hack journalist and role as a creative writing tutor I’ve encountered many writers and heard many horror stories from creators who’ve had their dreams scarpered by small publishing houses. In a weak economic climate in which publishers and publications are dropping off like flies, it’s nigh on impossible for an unknown author to get either an agent or the attention of the sort of larger publisher that could do one’s work justice. So I go it alone…
That said, if anyone from a decent publisher is reading this and considering giving me a big bag of cash, I’m open to offers.
I like the cut of Bothersome Books’ jib. I also have a book, webcomic or short story that I want to distribute online and need some help…
While this site is currently devoted to my own work, it is my long-term plan to make Bothersome Books not so much a publishing site as an imprint that self-publishers who lack that resources or ability to convert their work to eBook formats and promote themselves online can use. A self-publishers community, if you will, rather than an expensive service sold to unwitting writers and artists.
I plan to release a book of short stories sometime this year, with contributions from other writers, and hope to make this an annual occurrence. These anthologies will be considered a non-profit venture, that hopes to spread the work on good fiction. Work included on the label will not be picked for commercial viability but for its quality. Nothing will be published that we do not believe in 100%.
Why publish Welcome to the Fold in multiple parts?
There are two main reasons for this. First and foremost, such a business model allows me to provide the first half of the book for free without giving the whole damn thing away. I am well aware that any new writer entering the digital publishing world is likely to find their work lost in the proverbial haystack, and I’m confident that allowing readers to experience the first two parts of Welcome to the Fold for free will encourage them to part with real cash money for the final two parts.
As for the second reason, I’ll begin by reiterating Arshile Gorky’s oft-quoted “I never finish a painting – I just stop working on it for a while”. Realistically, I’m the sort of writer who struggles to finish anything; a creative potterer who would quite happily rewrite and rework the same book for the rest of my life. Putting my novel out in separate parts allows me to get around this.
Similarly, the two follow-ups to Welcome to the Fold (tentatively titled Split Infinites and Along the Moebius Strip) will be released in episodes. Much like the idea of putting a webcomic online at a rate of a page per week, this approach allows me to get my words out on to the E ink page at a far more regular pace. The second book in the series is already under way, and has been planned from the day one with such a distribution model in mind.
I really enjoyed Welcome to the Fold and want more. Now. How can I help?
If you enjoyed Welcome to the Fold and would like to read the next instalments ASAP, please consider doing one of the following:
- Tell your friends about this book. Tell your family. Tell your dog. Tell the pretty girl at the supermarket checkout. Just spread the word, indiscriminately.
- Write a review of the book (or a news piece) on Amazon, your blog or any other literature related site.
- Tell a publisher about this rather fine little series of books you’ve just discovered.
- Donate a small amount using the Paypal button at bothersomebooks.shelfabuse.com/donate. Every contribution bestows me a little more writey time.
- Purchase my other works and, likewise, spread the word.
Is that a typo? You sicken me!
We do our best to ensure that everything published under Bothersome Books is edited and polished to a high professional standard. However, this is the real world, and occasionally things slip under the radar. Feel free to contact us at contact@bothersomebooks.co.uk so that others may be spared the misplaced apostrophe that ruined your day.
Are those rats on your logo? Euww!
I’m not quite sure where the rats came into this. But infiltrate my mind those bothersome rodents did, and I guess they’re here to stay. I like to think that there are two stances on rats: those that have had them as pets, and those that haven’t. Destructive vermin they may be, but let a fancy rat into your life and you will experience the sort of love and affection that only a dog could offer. They also make the perfect writer’s companions: Philip K. Dick was on to something.