Writing "What about the Boy?"

 By Stephen Gallup

 In our early thirties, my wife Judy and I became parents of a developmentally disabled child. Much time passed before anyone began to grasp the nature and scope of his affliction, but we insisted that help for him, in some form, had to be available.

Making It Happen

My memoir, What About the Boy? was in work for several years. The basic story existed in a computer file so long ago that I had to move it across numerous operating systems. During all that time, I continued to think about the content, returning frequently to write new bits, rewrite old ones, and reluctantly chop out passages to maintain a reasonable word count. I participated in critique groups and attended workshops, and then repeated the process. Don't ask how long this went on.

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A small literary journal had published my first chapter, but as time passed I began to wonder whether anything further would ever see the light of day. No doubt many hopeful authors exist in that mode. And there's really nothing wrong with it. My book's very long gestation period forced me to see the content from other people's perspectives and to re-evaluate my own, and I’m sure this improved it.

There came a point, however, when I sensed that I couldn't kick that masterpiece up many more notches, even if I tinkered with it for the rest of my life. Several friends were getting their work published, via one route or another, and I resolved that it was now or never.

Never mind the ailing economy in general or the faltering publishing industry. What About the Boy? was coming.

By this time, I’d recognized that literary agents and traditional publishing houses were not going to be helpful. Many saw my book proposal. Some appeared to like it. But given my lack of a track record as an author, or of a vast following (what they call a platform), nobody wanted to take a chance on me. That was OK, because I didn't mind taking the chance. Of all the stories I might pen in my life, this one will be my statement. It's the one I have to do right by.

Now, it's true that self-publishing has become associated in many people's minds with dubious quality, unfortunately, with good reason. I could show you examples in which the print is hard to read or the binding is too stiff, and far too many never had the benefit of a competent editor or proof-reader.

But you know what? I can also name well-known traditionally published titles that have similar issues.

So what is the advantage of going with a mainstream publisher today, assuming you can? Will your project be a priority for them? Will they market it? Will they send you on a book tour? The answer to all the above is a resounding No, unless you happen to be a celebrity. Even if your book is published by a well-known house, it's just about guaranteed to be a commercial failure (along with more than 80 percent of their other titles) unless you yourself launch and fund an energetic and creative promotional campaign.

This is not to say that every author even wants promotion. I've known many who were content simply to finish their projects and get a few copies printed to hand out to friends and family. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this, either. Any of a dozen or more well-known POD establishments will give you an acceptable product for a nominal fee. My information is that most sell fewer than 100 copies online and almost no copies in bookstores, but nevertheless this is a route to becoming a "published author."

I went with self-publishing, first of all, because there was no other choice. And I opted for true self-publishing, as opposed to print on demand, simply because I wanted to control the entire process and have the best possible chance of getting it out into the world.

Since the author has to do the hard work of marketing anyway (it's hard work for most authors, I suspect), and since the expertise needed to generate a high-quality product is available outside publishing houses, there's no need to worry about gatekeepers. Knowing the most obvious kinds of glitches to avoid, such as typos, and having definite opinions regarding details such the kind of paper to use, etc., I stayed on top of the copyediting, book design, printing, and distribution -- using resources recommended to me by a publicist who has also served as a mentor. From what I hear, industry insiders are saying good things about the advance copies.

So now the pub date looms. Amazon and other websites are taking orders. The publicist is hand-selling into bookstores. I'm blogging and lining up media interviews. No one can say whether all this activity will lead to commercial success, but at least I have done what I can to give my book the launch it deserves. Soon it will be time for another project, and I’m already sorting through ideas for it.

Maybe the gestation period next time around will be a little shorter.

For information regarding Stephen Gallup's memoir What About the Boy? A Father's Pledge to His Disabled Son, visit www.fatherspledge.com.