Writing beyond the fringes of ‘commercial’ literature requires a different mindset.
My aim is to transport my reader into a whole new, unknown, unexplored world. It goes without saying that getting my books published will always be an uphill struggle.
Is there a publishing conspiracy? Not in the true sense. They don’t all gather in a dark room to set the rules and decide who and what gets published. The conspiracy lies in accepted norms. Standards set by tried and tested methods to maximise the chances of success. The big publishers and most literary agents are driven almost entirely by the ‘THREE F’ syndrome. FAME, FOLLOWING and FORTUNE. It is entirely, in my opinion, all about money and success. Not surprisingly though, because all humanity is bent on accumulation of wealth and comfort.
What chance is there for an indie author? Self-publishing? Anonymity? A career change? Probably all three. My approach is to search out small, niche publishers. The risk for them is that these fringe offerings may not gain traction. The algorithms will determine visibility which will either devastate a career or make it go viral. The burning question is what the readers expectations are. Are they so obsessed with genre, word count and set tropes that they no longer search for something new? Have their minds been conditioned into set norms? Does the media hype promote these ideas? Probably all of these.
My assessment is that 70% of readers are young adult to middle-aged women who want pure, unadulterated escapism from the daily drudge. Even if this is so, are there still enough readers looking for something new, something different? It won’t be a best seller, but who cares, as long as it opens readers minds and sets us on our way. If there is a way to expose readers to new ideas, we must search for it and do all we can to break the conspiracy.