Hello All,
Let me first welcome you to our blog, thank you for your time and ask for your patience as we roll toward our March 1st opening. You’d think over a year in development would have prepared my staff and I for just about anything – LOL. There’s always a tweak here and a tweedle there that pops up when you least expect it.
I wish I could say my experience in the publishing industry has been glamorous. It hasn’t. Exciting, yes. Hard work, you bet. Fulfilling, always. From my start with Asimov’s magazine to my work as an independently contracted editor, I’ve been all over the map. There were years when I wrote nothing but magazine articles, worked on a couple of ghost writing projects and sat around waiting for the mail. We all can’t be New York Time’s best sellers, and I was more than happy to just skip along, picking up work where I could and handling the projects that came my way.
Eirelander itself sprang from a frustration I acquired when I made the move to e-publishing. I do consider it the future of this industry, but when I actually became an e-published author, I naively expected it to resemble New York. I expected my work to be edited within an inch of its life, the cover art to have pertinence to the story and to work with professionals at all stages of the publishing process.
My first e-published novel, Northern Skye, went under contract with New Concepts Publishing nearly four years ago. Imagine my stunned dismay when my editor didn’t edit the story. I chalked that up to the ‘live and learn’ process. My second story with them, Night Beauty, was treated with similar respect. Since then, like my unglamorous years with New York, I’ve been all over the map.
My adventures in e-publisher have been varied and provided an overview of the field. One publisher folded. My experience with Cobblestone, Forbidden Publications, Whiskey Creek, and Whiskey Creek Torrid, has been a mixed bag with both positive and negative results. Ironically, the problems I did experience hearkened back to my own start in the magical world of publishing: the need for a well-edited story.
I went from one publisher to the other, and met several editors who could be great at their jobs if they were as invested in the story as I was, as invested in the story as I had been when I worked as an independent editor. I think this is where e-publishing lets an author down. A good novel takes months or longer to write. An author sacrifices time and puts heart and soul into each book. There’s no instant gratification here. If the author’s energy isn’t matched with an equal commitment by the publishing company, the result is a less-than-stellar release. Many an author has been disappointed by shoddy editing. Many a reader has tossed aside a book that could have been spectacular if only the editor cared as deeply as the author.
This got me thinking. The idea for Eirelander first popped up two years ago. Back then my life was running full-steam. Busy with ghost writing projects and working on contracts, while simultaneously running a mentoring group for aspiring authors and raising a family, my life was overflowing. Recent changes in my life gave me more time to breathe, to think, and to plan. The time had arrived to bring the dream of Eirelander to fruition. Where the tradition of old-style publishing met the innovative technology of the 21st Century.
The dream of every author is to see her or his book released. The commitment of Eirelander Publishing is to make those dreams come true.
Now, as we kick open the doors and let the sunshine in, I wanted to personally welcome you, and thank you all for your interest.
Remember, I’m always open to comments, questions or suggestions. Feel free to drop me a note at leemorris@eirelanderpublishing.com.
Sincere regards,
Lee
Editor in Chief, Eirelander Publishing
