Something to talk about

McFetridge has been getting a lot of play on old bloody knucks the past few days here.

First, I pimp the debut of Let it Ride and the excerpt he was running over at Do Some Damage

Next up, I participate in the whole creative writers thing he tags me in.

And tonight, Mr. McFetridge makes another appearance for this:

Writers' Co-op Publishing.



And now you're asking yourself, what the hell is Writer's Co-op publishing?

Well, here's a little back story over at Declan Burke's little slice of internet (and one of the blogs which drew me ever so deep into this whole online writing community thing I'm now so happily entrenched in.) meat pie, Crime Always Pays, right Here, Here, and, you betcha, Here.

If you're a regular reader of the blog, you'll know that Dec is no stranger to Co-operative publishing. In fact, his first novel, Eight Ball Boogie, was published in a similar manner, and recently he's been considering publishing his fourth novel, Gonzo Noir, in the same way.

Do I think this is such a hot idea?
Do I think this idea seems a little bit like self publishing?

To be honest, I don't really care.
Dec's a good writer and I'll buy whatever he puts out because I enjoy his novels. And just because his books aren't being put out by one of the "Big" publishing houses doesn't mean his work is less attractive to me.

I can say this of all the writers who I enjoy reading.

But, to get back to McFetridge.

John put the idea out there that what if there was an organization of writers--a collective--who paid in dues, elected an editorial board, and then published books put forth by it's members and approved by the editorial board.

And along with publishing the books, freelance editors and artists are brought on board--and paid with the collectives dues--to give the novels and books being published a nice professional sheen.

Now, do I think this kind of idea could work?

Do I think this sounds a bit like self publishing?

My answer to the first question is: Yes, I think it could work perfectly.
I think all you really need for this kind of venture to work is a group people who are passionate about what they do and are willing to part with a little bit of their time and money. (Shit, I already do this with Crimefactory.)

And to question #2:
No, it doesn't sound anything like self publishing, especially since you have to make it past an editorial board just like you do at the "Big" publishing houses, with the exception being that chances are the editorial board of the collective would give you a reason why they wanted to pass on the book instead of just telling you that they're not interested at this time.

But what gets me really excited about the prospect of Writer's Co-op publishing is that finally, we, the writers, get to decide how our work is presented and with how it's sold and marketed. (Not that most writers don't have to do 99% of their own marketing already.)

And, yes, it's only an idea right now, but, damn, what a great idea it is.

If you'd like to join in and see where this idea goes, take a look at the link below and join up if it interests you?

Writer's Co-op publishing