Marcy Italiano

KATRINA AND THE FRENCHMAN:
A JOURNAL FROM THE STREET

Why I decided to self-publish:

Before you read this, I hope you already read why I wrote this story in the first place. If not, please take a moment to read that first. This book, this story, is not a career move or stepping block for me. This is a story I need to share, and a book I'm selling so that I can send donations back to help the people in New Orleans.

The first time I wrote the story I felt that it was time sensitive and should be published right away. It felt urgent. I knew that self-publication was the fastest and probably best-suited way to get the story out. I also didn't want anything left out or changed by an editor who might have been more concerned about marketability. This is not a fiction novel. This is not a story that I want altered and adorned with a flashy cover. It's raw, for better or worse.

I have friends in the industry that begged me to stick with traditional publishing. They believed (and still believe) the story deserved to “have it done right” and they started giving me contact names. Lots of names, for which I am very grateful. I've seen the arguments against self-publishing and I agree with them. In 2006 I started sending out copies of this story.

TOR, small press, University press, agents big and small, editors and publishing houses... rejections came back – some slowly, some quickly. I know it's all a part of the process. I didn't get my delicate heart squished and ran in the other direction. There was one response that came in and I made up my mind:

"I think you have created something powerful and important. It is not, however, something that O’More Publishing can print. ... The language is too harsh, for instance, for what we have worked on so far and what we plan on working on during the near future. BUT, the language reflects the story too closely to be changed; I could not ask you to change it."
-- Jessa R. Sexton, O'More Publishing

I talked about self-publishing in the summer of 2008 at a writers BBQ party and over some drinks I was convinced to try one more time and was given a couple more names. I had a hunch that they would not work out, but I tried anyway. I'm tenacious.

And I was right.

This is not a fictional story that I can sit on and throw around for years. I can't tell you how hard it has been to hold this story back, to keep it inside me and carry it, relive it over and over, to try to ignore that urgent feeling. The pain that is getting harder to bear as each day goes by without being able to share what happened. Once I decided to self-publish a small relief came over me. This is finally going to get done. MY way.

The whirlwind started and in a few days I found a local POD printer. Being able to see the product quality (and having met another local author that chose them for two books) convinced me that it was better than trying any of the popular online options. I spoke to representatives at the company, Googled standard printing layout and measurements, and used my own graphic knowledge to produce a product.

It's extremely easy. Far too easy. Having friends in the business means I was lucky to have two editors, as opposed to NO editors that most self-publishing authors have. I run my own web design business and have experience with graphics and photography. I have two books that have been traditionally published and I know about what a person needs to do to get the word out and sell a book. (Not that I can always do them all.) Hopefully you will agree that this results in a quality product. The sea of unpublishable novels that can potentially be printed this way is astounding.

Ultimately, I will also make more money from each sale which means there's more to donate. This is an important factor.

The next time I write fiction novel like PAIN MACHINE, or even another non-fiction novel like SPIRITS AND DEATH IN NIAGARA, you can bet I will go back to traditional publishing. There are professional publishing houses and agents and editors out there for a reason. They know what they're doing.

I did my best. I believe I've made the right decision for this story. I hope I can count on you to buy a copy, help me make a difference, and spread the word about KATRINA AND THE FRENCHMAN: A JOURNAL FROM THE STREET.