A few years ago, I was faced with a situation that will be dishearteningly familiar to many writers. With my novel as finished as it would ever be and, following a string of refusals, I was finally taken on by an agent. For many weeks, I was on Cloud Nine – until, that is, the publishers’ responses came trickling in, along the lines of: ‘We found much to enjoy in this book, but unfortunately we do not feel able...’
An earlier novel had also got nowhere, and it was at this stage that I began asking myself what I wanted for my books. The answer was straightforward enough: for them to be out in the world, being read and hopefully enjoyed by as many readers as possible.
So I wanted now to reach out to authors who find themselves in a similar position and share my experience of working with the independent publisher, Troubador – one of the best decisions I’ve made, and which has been a source of deep satisfaction and enjoyment.
Amongst the many benefits has been the refreshing change to have my work treated with respect. Whilst I appreciate the pressures that agents are under – and we all know what a very tough field this is – for an author to be kept waiting for weeks, sometimes months, without any kind of communication, or for promised phone calls and emails not to be followed up on, is truly disheartening. By contrast, from the very first contact with the Troubador team, all queries, however small, have been responded to promptly and professionally.
The second bonus is being in charge of every step in the process. Troubador offers many options, particularly on the marketing side – you
can check this out on their website – and I’ve always appreciated how there’s never been any sense of pressure from them. The various choices on
offer can seem daunting, but they are explained clearly and with patience –everything from the book’s format to the number of printed copies to the high quality jacket design. I’ve selected both paperback and eBook formats so you can see samples of their jacket designs above.
Which brings me to another huge bonus – the speed of publication that Troubador offers. Often this is a matter of months, compared with the conventional route that, as we know, can take years.
The last benefit I want to highlight is to do with trust. In this increasingly murky world of online scams, to have confidence in a company’s integrity, is no small thing and I’ve always found Troubador totally upfront and reliable, with each stage clearly set out, including the costings.
Which brings me to the elephant in the room, because I appreciate that the outlay involved may not make this a viable route for many. But for me and no doubt many others, it has proved a confidence-boosting and rewarding experience.
Everyone writes for different reasons and mine has been the deep satisfaction of seeing my novels produced to a very high standard, being widely promoted, nationally and internationally, and seeing them on the shelf of my local bookstore.
And, in case you’re wondering, Troubador have not asked me to write this blog, nor do I have any connection with them, other than the professional one.
Would I use Troubador in the future? Most certainly.
E J Pepper grew up in Worcestershire and Co. Donegal and now lives with her husband in Southern England. She has an M.A. in Creative Writing from Chichester University, and has worked as a marital therapist, university lecturer and magistrate. She is the author of three novels, published by Troubador. ‘The Colours of the Dance,’ won the First Novel Prize, and ‘Flight Path’ was winner of the Exeter Novel Prize. ‘Winter Kill,’ a literary thriller, is her third book. She is currently working on her fourth novel.
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