This was such a wonderful thing to read! In an industry that tends towards the dramatic (to put it kindly), it's refreshing to read a story about people being lovely and trying their best.
I've been very very lucky to have encountered a lot of kindness in my publishing journey. But perhaps the one that stands out most is when I got my first publishing contract. I was twenty-five, with stars in my eyes that something I'd written was gonna be a real honest-to-goodness book. An indie publisher (veeeery indie, like two-people-in-a-basement indie) was interested in my book. And all I knew about the contract portion of things was "royalties won't make you a millionaire."
Enter an author whom I'd been a fan of for about seven years, ever since I won her debut in a raffle. I'd been going to her book launches for years, and we were friendly by this point in the "oh hi, how've you been!" kind of way. So when I mentioned by upcoming debut, she offered to read my contract over and point out any red flags she saw, having been burned by her first indie publisher imploding in the past.
As good as her word, she looked over the contract when I got it, and provided thorough analysis. The royalty rates were good! The promotion and such was expected! I should go over the part about rights reversion very carefully, in case things go awry.
Sure enough, things went awry. The publisher imploded mere months after my book was published. And thanks to this author's advice, I had a clear contract in black and white that got me my book back, which went on to a good life with a bigger publisher. But were it not for this author taking the time out of her insanely busy schedule to walk me through this, I shudder to think at the protracted drama this all could have turned into. It was an incredible kindness, one I'll never forget.
I emailed the PR lady of one of my favourite writers, to ask for tips about how she'd found success as a self-published author. She was ever so kind and encouraging; in fact, I think her encouragement was more important to me than the actual tips! And I always get a thrill, chatting to 'proper' authors like you and feeling like part of a writing community!
I love this essay--thank you for sharing it. A couple of years ago, I attended a woodworking show where one of the pieces on display was by a woman (the only woman in the show), so I emailed her to compliment her work and ask if she might have time to talk with me, a new woodworker just starting out. I felt bad asking for her time, because there are fewer women in this field and it often seems like they’re getting asked these kinds of questions, but I also just wanted to connect with someone I could relate to (as a woman myself). And she took half an hour to answer my basic how-do-you-make-a-living-woodworking questions, and then remembered me years later when she was curating that same annual show. It was my first time meeting her in person and she walked me around the show, pointing out details and explaining joinery. She was so gracious. A few weeks later, she emailed to ask if I’d be interested in apprenticing with her, which I rapidly said yes to, and I’ve been working with her for the last six months--and those have been some of the best moments of my time woodworking. She’s so inspiring and I feel lucky to get to learn from her. And it inspired me to write about woodworking and share that writing with others.
This was such a wonderful thing to read! In an industry that tends towards the dramatic (to put it kindly), it's refreshing to read a story about people being lovely and trying their best.
I've been very very lucky to have encountered a lot of kindness in my publishing journey. But perhaps the one that stands out most is when I got my first publishing contract. I was twenty-five, with stars in my eyes that something I'd written was gonna be a real honest-to-goodness book. An indie publisher (veeeery indie, like two-people-in-a-basement indie) was interested in my book. And all I knew about the contract portion of things was "royalties won't make you a millionaire."
Enter an author whom I'd been a fan of for about seven years, ever since I won her debut in a raffle. I'd been going to her book launches for years, and we were friendly by this point in the "oh hi, how've you been!" kind of way. So when I mentioned by upcoming debut, she offered to read my contract over and point out any red flags she saw, having been burned by her first indie publisher imploding in the past.
As good as her word, she looked over the contract when I got it, and provided thorough analysis. The royalty rates were good! The promotion and such was expected! I should go over the part about rights reversion very carefully, in case things go awry.
Sure enough, things went awry. The publisher imploded mere months after my book was published. And thanks to this author's advice, I had a clear contract in black and white that got me my book back, which went on to a good life with a bigger publisher. But were it not for this author taking the time out of her insanely busy schedule to walk me through this, I shudder to think at the protracted drama this all could have turned into. It was an incredible kindness, one I'll never forget.
I love this post. I was about to text you “who was the author?!” but saw the answer in footnotes. So nice to hear you’re still friends.
Practicing kindness shouldn’t be so hard, but I think the internet creates a buffer/wall that makes some people act in ways they wouldn’t in person.
I emailed the PR lady of one of my favourite writers, to ask for tips about how she'd found success as a self-published author. She was ever so kind and encouraging; in fact, I think her encouragement was more important to me than the actual tips! And I always get a thrill, chatting to 'proper' authors like you and feeling like part of a writing community!
I love this essay--thank you for sharing it. A couple of years ago, I attended a woodworking show where one of the pieces on display was by a woman (the only woman in the show), so I emailed her to compliment her work and ask if she might have time to talk with me, a new woodworker just starting out. I felt bad asking for her time, because there are fewer women in this field and it often seems like they’re getting asked these kinds of questions, but I also just wanted to connect with someone I could relate to (as a woman myself). And she took half an hour to answer my basic how-do-you-make-a-living-woodworking questions, and then remembered me years later when she was curating that same annual show. It was my first time meeting her in person and she walked me around the show, pointing out details and explaining joinery. She was so gracious. A few weeks later, she emailed to ask if I’d be interested in apprenticing with her, which I rapidly said yes to, and I’ve been working with her for the last six months--and those have been some of the best moments of my time woodworking. She’s so inspiring and I feel lucky to get to learn from her. And it inspired me to write about woodworking and share that writing with others.
I LOVE this! Kindness is so underrated. Be the change you want to see. 😊🥰