HOW can new authors on the local landscape compete with a Stephen King, a JK Rowling, a Derek Walcott, even? They can’t. Many potentially good authors may have abandoned their dream of getting their work published at the door of big publishing houses that would not take a second look at the manuscript of an unknown, ‘unrated’ writer. If the royalty that comes with years of rejection before a nod of approval is given holds no true value — or place in reality — there is the benefit of self-publishing.

The idea is not simply a way of indulging one’s vanity, but a legitimate way to deal with industry shortcomings and challenges involved in getting a work out there for posterity and for profit.

One of the challenges facing writers of fiction in Jamaica is that the majority of the publishers, approximately 95 per cent, are publishers of academic material. That means, if you are a fiction writer, your chances of being published via the traditional route are very limited. Tanya Batson-Savage, author of a collection of Jamaican children’s stories, Pumpkin Belly and Other Stories, chose to self-publish in 2005, after realising just that. Not only were there few publishers of fiction locally, there were even fewer such publishers who were willing to take on a collection of children’s stories.

“It’s an area that I am very close to and passionate about and that I’m willing to sacrifice a lot for,” Batson-Savage said of the genre that has received little attention from publishers locally. She therefore in 2004 registered her own publishing house, Blue Mountain Publishing, so that she would be able to write and publish children’s stories that feature a Jamaican cast.

“The stories have their basis in folk creatures or proverbs but reflect a modern appeal that presents admirable heroes for both boys and girls,” Batson-Savage said.

The title story in Pumpkin Belly features a young boy who journeys to the belly of a pumpkin.

Similarly, Kellie Magnus decided to self-publish when, after living in New York for a while, she was unable to find a publisher who would do the kind of Caribbean children’s tales that she wanted to tell.

“In general, it’s difficult to get a large publisher to look at your work, especially if you are a first-time writer,” argued Magnus, who published the first in a series of books aimed at Caribbean children in 2003 with Little Lion Goes to School under the label, Jack Mandora.

Magnus published two more ‘Little Lion’ books, in 2007 and 2008. In the first book in the series, Little Lion struggles to fit in at school, where his classmates tease him for being poor and different. With his father’s help he learns to stand up for himself and to value who he is and not what he possesses.

The benefit of self-publishing in getting your work out is evident, said Baston-Savage.

“Essentially, you avoid rejection,” she said. “Are you going to tell yourself, ‘I don’t think you are worth it?’ I think not.”

For those who self-publish, Baston-Savage’s point is one of the main benefits of doing so, along with the artistic control of the work, the caveat that extensive quality control is utilised. However, there are some monetary benefits as well.

Writers who go the traditional route of literary agent to publisher to distributor to retailer, forego about 90 to 95 per cent of the profit on their work. This is because in the traditional route, the writer also foregoes much of the risks associated with publishing a work, and in business he who bears the risks, also bears the rewards. Magnus explained that the traditional publisher bears the costs for the legal advice and copyright issues, the editorial staff, the graphic designer, the advertising agency and the marketing campaign, in addition to any other costs that might accrue to the published work. For their trouble, the publisher gets the lion’s share of sometimes over 50 per cent of the profits, the distributor, up to 25 per cent and the retailer over 20 per cent depending on the contract. Meanwhile, the author gets an advance and five to 10 per cent of the profits, whether that is $50,000 or $5 million.

However, Batson-Savage said, if you self-publish, all of the profit are yours — but so are all the expenses. She explained that in Jamaica, that profit can be minimal. But, in alluding to the difference in the market for a blockbuster like Harry Potter, Batson- Savage said this issue of profit has to be interpreted in the context of scale.

“If you are selling 50 million copies, five per cent is good. But if you are selling 1,000 copies, not so good,” she explained.