From idea to publication: Ensure you have the write stuff for your book

After just going through the difficult process herself, Jo Kerrigan traces a book’s journey from pub idea to publication.

WRITING a book takes a lot of time and determination. The bright idea in the pub, the brilliant notion on holiday isn’t any good until you put in the spadework. A familiar phrase is, “I always thought I could write a book…”? But you have to be dedicated to take it from thought to triumph.

Publishers these days expect to see a well thought out proposal, with theme, length, submission date, and, most importantly, the potential readership. Throwing a clever idea in their direction isn’t enough. You have to show that you’ve done your thinking in advance. Their in-tray is miniscule, their waste basket is huge.

My latest book was originally entitled ‘The Otherworld’, and intended as an overview of the legends and fairy tales of traditional Ireland. Digging into the background however led down the path of ancient beliefs and practices.

A Sheelah-na-gig

Wandering all over the country from Donegal to Dunquin, Belmullet to Belfast, one discovered customs and observances that were patently part of a much older set of beliefs. Why are sheelah-na-gigs so often found near churches? Just what links Danu, the ancient earth mother, with the thousands of grottoes that dot the countryside? What actually lies beneath the gigantic basilica on Lough Derg?

Traditions like washing your face in the dew on May morning, never digging up a hawthorn tree, tying a rag to a tree by a holy well, are familiar. But did you realise that country folk still take their cattle to hilltop wells and stone circles to ensure their health for the coming year? Or that one of the most vivid examples of surviving pagan tradition is that of the Wren Boys?

NEW DIRECTIONS

It’s incredible how, once you’ve got past people’s initial reluctance, the most amazing stories come out. “Oh yes, we’ve got the banshee in our family,” said a young nurse matter-of-factly. “It’s a while since I heard it though.”

And frighteningly unforgettable was the old countryman to whom I suggested that the banshee might simply be the shriek of a barn owl or the cry of a vixen. His face darkened and he thumped the table. “Woman don’t you understand what I’m telling you? If you’re meant to hear it, then hear it you will!”

The hairs genuinely rose on the back of my neck.

It became clear that this was no longer solely on the magical world of Tír na n’Óg and the Sidhe. Still involved, certainly, but the theme had changed. Fairy tales had given way to reality. And this meant another meeting with the publishers, an explanation of what was evolving. Fortunately, it wasn’t the first time they’d seen a book change direction.

It’s one of the fascinating things about writing. Be it a romantic novel or an academic treatise, you might think at the beginning that you know exactly what you want to do, but as the work progresses, you inevitably find that you are being led down avenues you never expected, opening doors you didn’t know existed.

You start off with bright ideas and lots of enthusiasm. You imagine it’s already written, you’re composing your acceptance speech to the Booker prize committee. Then come the agonising months of wallowing in utter chaos. That’s the real danger stage, when it would be so easy to give up. But you have to keep going. Even when the structure is almost decided, the writing almost done, your editor, with the sharp eye of detachment, spots inconsistencies, duplications, errors.

Pictures that were thought ideal will not fit the space available, and others need to be provided urgently. (Fortunately my partner in crime, Richard Mills, is an accomplished photographer.) Then come the first proofs and the checking for typos. And second proofs when it is at last starting to look like a real book. (It’s the book designer’s job to create miracles out of acres of text and piles of pictures.)

By the time the advance copy drops into your letter box, you are exhausted. And yet there is nothing like that moment you hold the actual finished book. Yes, it’s like parenthood in a way.

PUBLICITY TRAIL

And, like parenthood, the job isn’t done yet. Publicity is essential. Do you have any idea how many new books flood on to the shelves each year? Each week? Frightening. Somehow yours has to be up there and visible.

A single mention on radio, TV, in the local media, on Facebook, can make all the difference. These days publishers expect you to play your part, identify opportunities that they might not have considered, make sure the word gets out there.

And what about the fortune we’re going to make, I hear you cry. Does the money roll in now? Afraid not. The hard fact is that there is rarely much to be made out of a book. Especially in the small Irish market. A reputable publisher will pay you a smallish sum which is deducted from later royalties.

Other, less reputable, will suggest you contribute to the (admittedly enormous) costs of getting the thing into print.

And yes, we’ve all heard the tale of Cecelia Ahern and others who got huge advances. Good connections help a lot, since they enable the publisher to save on expensive publicity and marketing.

Everyone wants to hear about a book written by a pop star, a screen idol, even a major political figure. And just occasionally a first-timer will strike gold with something really good that starts a bidding war. But they’re the rare exceptions.

You don’t write a book because you expect to live off the proceeds for the rest of your life. You write it because you want to, you have to.

Old Ways, Old Secrets: Pagan Ireland – Myth, Landscape, Tradition is out now through O’Brien Press. €16.99.

So you want to get published?

- If you really want to be published above all, rather than write the personal epic of your dreams, then be practical and choose your field carefully.

- Many people think they could write a best-selling novel but most can’t. Go for non-fiction. Cookery books regularly top the list. You’ll need a new approach though and, most importantly, mouthwatering photographs. Close behind cookery books in popularity are what one might generally categorise as mis-lit — stories of heartbreak, suffering, abuse. If you have a wretched past to disclose, or know someone who has, then get writing.

- If none of this seems possible, then go for the zany. Organise Your Own Divorce Party or 16 Ways To Get Across Dublin Without Meeting Anyone.

- Self-publishing has also become a whole lot easier. Be aware, though, that quite apart from the writing, the editing, proofing, formatting and printing cost a great deal, and that’s before you ever start on the marketing. And the workload is immense.

- It’s feasible to do the whole thing electronically and never touch paper at all. There are companies who will guide you through the process, but naturally enough they charge. You’ll have done it yourself, though, and haven’t had to go cap in hand from publisher to publisher.