Holly Stacey Talks About Self-Publishing

Owner of Wyvern Publications Discusses Her Journey Into Print

Apr 23, 2009

Self-publishing can be scary but Holly Stacey has approached it with the same gusto which inspires her to write and has even started her own publishing company.

You published your book with your own independent publishing company. Was it difficult to publish and market a book?

Yes. It was very difficult but also very fun. Marketing is the toughest - most people don't really want to know and sending out a press release is easy, but getting a newspaper to print it is a different story. There were some interested parties along the way, like the magazine "Fey Nation" (all about faeries and folklore). The editor reviewed my book for their e-zine and gave it the thumbs up.

Do you have any advice to anyone wanting to self-publish?

I think the best advice to give is do your research. There are so many sharks out there ready to con authors out of their savings. People posing as self-publishers often turned out to be vanity publishers, even taking money for sales in the end!

I published with AuthorHouse and found them really good. However, distribution is the toughest problem a self-published author can have below marketing. Most chain bookstores don't want independent publishers because they prefer to invoice one supplier like Ingram or Garnders, but independent bookstores are often willing. Once you can prove your sales, some of the larger stores take you on, so form good relationships with as many independent bookstores as you can and do book signings.

Where is your favourite place to write? Are you a morning writer or a night owl?

My favourite place to write is my 'tower' - the spare room in the house that acts also as the library and my writing room. I write whenever I can. I tend to do e-mails first thing in the morning to get them out of the way and then I work on about two to three writing projects throughout the day. If I'm writing a dark scene, I like to write it out at night, but that's often impossible when my husband is trying to sleep.

How did you feel the first time you held your published novel The Faerie Conspiracies?

Angry. I know that sounds daft, but I was sure that the paper was supposed to have been thicker and the lot of books was delivered to a house down the road. I was ready for war. After a few calming teas and a flip through the book, I began to calm down. Then, I felt pretty good.

You can also find out more about Holly's independant publishing company Wyvern Publications on the Wyvern Publications Website.

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