For much of my life, this was the motto. You have to publish or you’ll perish in achedemia. Day by day, research grant by research grant, theories and bullshit were pulled together into papers. Most papers were published because:

• Frank knew Sam
• Sam knew Joe
• Joe sits on John’s research grant committee.
• John’s brother’s wife’s sister’s husband runs a scientific magazine.

Of course they have ‘peer review’ but that’s mostly Sam, Joe, John, and Frank. Yep, that’s how it works.

Have friends? You’ll get published.

When this thing happened to me, and I had to had to had to write a novel, I had friends. Just not friends in publishing. That’s not exactly true since Lynda Sandoval and I are friends. Still, you know what I mean.

First, I was arrogant. Write a great book, it will get published. (I’m sure you’re laughing WITH me here….)

Because I wrote for the Open Grove for ten years, I knew that a great novel needed a peer review. The first draft of the novel went out to twenty-five friends. Their responses were amazing, helpful, and fabulous. One woman bought me a copy of her seventh grade English book so that I would have it. People were so generous with their time.

A second draft came. Another round of peer reivew with fabulous helpful suggestions. Amazing.

After revisions, the second draft made the rounds of agents, publishers, and anyone I could show it to. The rejections were immediate, painful, sometimes personal and worse, impersonal dismissive. Wow.

Until Scott Eagen emailed me to say, “Love the characters, but you need to rework it”.

Fuck.

The third draft happened and made the rounds. ?In the process, people said things like: “The best book I’ve read all year” or “If I was on the bus, I’d have missed my stop”.?

I was thrilled! I finally have a book ready, really ready to present to the publishing world.

And the publishing world fell apart.

Three years of work, fifty people’s time and effort, and… the publishing titan are falling down. I couldn’t imagine putting my three years of work onto the Titanic and hope that it makes the voyage. I’m not stupid.

Out of frustration:

• ?I started the Denver Cereal. And loved it. ?
• I read a few interesting articles.
• I watched?Cory Doctorow?create a career for his fiction online. ?(If you haven’t read the article?Giving it away, it’s worth a read.) His latest book was on the New York Times bestseller list for months.?

What should I do??

Then Black Wednesday happened. December 3, 2008, the publishing industry downsized.

Crap.

After a long, heart wreching conversation, I made my decision. ?I’m releasing the novel, called The Fey, into the wild.

To that end, the group of us started Cook Street Publishing. We plan to specialize in novels released on the web. Our motto is “fiction that’s written to be read.”

The Fey will make it’s debut appearance on this blog on Friday. Like Denver Cereal, I will release one chapter at a time on this blog and StoriesbyClaudia.com. The book will be available every day at AlextheFey.com. And the book is available for purchase.?

Unlike Denver Cereal, which is a serial fiction, this is a novel. It has a beginning, a middle and an end. The Fey is a thriller and the first of a series. The second book, Learning to Stand, is another waiting in the wings to be released, probably next year. The third book, Who I am, will be released in 2011.

At least that’s the plan so far.?

We’re starting something that’s sort of new and sort of old school. Remember James Joyce published the Dubliners himself. Walt Whitman sold his books door to door. Even Mark Twain owned a publishing company.

In the end, I can either leave the manuscripts rotting on my hard drive or share them.?

I guess I’m fool enough to share.

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