#IrishWritersWed ‘What is a Hybrid Author?’ by Evie Gaughan @evgaughan #GuestPost

‘My third novel, The Story Collector, will be published by Urbane Publications in June, but I started out as a self-publisher. Just five short years ago, things were very different in the publishing landscape’

The wonderful Evie Gaughan returns to #IrishWritersWed today to tell us a little about her experience as a hybrid author.

Evie has been incredibly supportive of my blog and my Wednesday feature from the very beginning so I am thrilled she has joined us all today. Evie’s next book The Story Collector will be in your bookshops this Summer and I am honoured to have an advanced copy which I will be reviewing as part of the blogtour.

In the meantime, relax with a cuppa now and read the words of a very special lady, a person I have never *met*, but who I now would call my friend…..one of the many amazing people I have met on this incredible blogging journey!!

What is a Hybrid Author?

by Evie Gaughan

Referring to myself as a hybrid makes me feel a bit like an electric car, but what it really means is that I have experience of publishing from two very different perspectives.

My third novel, The Story Collector, will be published by Urbane Publications in June, but I started out as a self-publisher. Just five short years ago, things were very different in the publishing landscape. For one thing, hybrid authors were a rare species – I’m not even sure they had a name for it. 

And while self-publishing made it possible for authors to bypass the gatekeepers and bring their work directly to readers, there was a stigma surrounding their books. The belief was that if you self-published, you would never get a traditional deal.

Well, all of the naysayers were wrong and I have seen countless authors move seamlessly from self-published to published and back again! The digital revolution has, in my opinion, changed things for the better and as a result, authors are getting better deals and new publishers are establishing themselves as viable alternatives to the big five.

So what does that mean on a more personal level? Well, the other day, I emailed my publisher about some minor issue and he replied with the words ‘our book’. It just caught me because I realised, I’m not on my own anymore. Don’t get me wrong, one of the advantages of self-publishing is having all of the control and making all of the decisions. Us control freaks love that! But, here I am, on my third book and it’s just so lovely to have someone in my corner, fighting for ‘our book’. And I keep having little moments like that, where I’m reminded that I am part of a team who want my book to succeed just as much as I do.

One of the biggest differences between self-publishing and traditional publishing is, of course, distribution. A self-publisher has to wear many hats in order to project manage the production and release of a book. While online sales are relatively straight-forward, the whole ‘bricks and morter’ thing was just a step too far for me. I have trudged around to bookshops with my books in a suitcase (really!) and I have to say Kenny’s in Galway were amazing and still stock my books. So knowing that my books will appear in shops, especially in the UK where Urbane are based, without me having to make that happen, is so exciting.

Looking back, I now see that not getting a book deal from a traditional publisher all those years ago, was actually the best thing to happen to me! I have now signed with an independent publisher with a far greater sense of what kind of writer I am and what is important to me in a writer/publisher agreement. Instead of handing my book over and letting them make all of the decisions, I’m working with a publisher who sees collaboration as the best way forward.

So, like I advise people on my blog, there is more than one route to publishing and it certainly is not a one size fits all. The truth is, I’m loving the experience, but I’m so glad I started out as a self-published author. It has grounded me and means that I take nothing for granted. Moreover, I’ve proved to myself that I can do it alone if I need to, and that’s empowering.

The Story Collector is Coming Soon to a bookshop near you!

Book Blurb:

Thornwood Village, 1910. Anna, a young farm girl, volunteers to help an intriguing American visitor, Harold Griffin-Krauss, translate ‘fairy stories’ from Irish to English. But all is not as it seems and Anna soon finds herself at the heart of a mystery that threatens the future of her community and her very way of life…..

Captivated by the land of myth, folklore and superstition, Sarah Harper finds herself walking in the footsteps of Harold and Anna one hundred years later, unearthing dark secrets that both enchant and unnerve.

The Story Collector treads the intriguing line between the everyday and the otherworldly, the seen and the unseen. With a taste for the magical in everyday life, Evie Gaughan’s latest novel is full of ordinary characters with extraordinary tales to tell.

Bio:

Evie Gaughan is the author of The Heirloom, a fusion of historical and contemporary fiction set in Ireland and The Mysterious Bakery On Rue De Paris, a magical story about a French boulangerie.  Her third novel, The Story Collector, will be published by Urbane Publications in June 2018.

Living on the West Coast of Ireland, which is not renowned for its sunny climate, Evie escapes from the inclement weather into a converted attic, to write stories and dream about underfloor heating. Growing up in a walled medieval city, Evie developed a love of storytelling and all things historical. With a taste for the magical in everyday life, her stories are full of ordinary characters with extraordinary tales to tell.

Evie is also an artist and has been known to hold the odd exhibit of her works in her native Galway.

Website ~ https://eviegaughan.com/

Twitter ~ @evgaughan