We’re starting a new publishing company. There is this strange place where we don’t have any books to sell because we have no sales track record for writers to be interested in us publishing their books for them. Can’t sell books we don’t get. Every publishing company starts this way.
I feel like an inchworm carrying a heavy backpack.
Luckily, I have been a part of the children’s writing world for a long time. This world is amazingly friendly and supportive. I’ve always heard that writers in the adult writing world can be cutthroat and competitive, and sometimes mean to each other. I’ve never experienced that here in the children’s book world. From super novice to multi-published, writers in this world are kind. At least that’s been my experience. I actually think it’s because of this experience that I’ve stayed involved as long as I have, and that I’m now moving to the next level of involvement.
And I’m excited about it.
Through known connections, and lots of emails and conversations, we are gradually inching along. We will have a small handful of books to offer by the end of 2020, with more in the wings working through the editing process. The goal is to be publishing a new book a month. It may take us a while to get to that level, but hopefully not too long. I think once writers learn about our mission, see the quality products we produce, and recognize our focus-partnership driven marketing, they will be as excited to publish with us as we are to have them.
In the meantime, we’re grateful for the intrepid authors willing to take a risk on us.
We’ll just keep inching along.