Today we’re talking with a C. Allyn Pierson, a writer who has successfully used a print-on-demand service: iuniverse.
Congratulations on your new book, And This our Life. Tell us a little about it.
Thank you, it is exciting to finally see it print! And This Our Life is a sequel to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The book follows Elizabeth and Fitzwilliam Darcy through their first year of marriage. The other main plot which entwines the story of Darcy and Elizabeth is that of his much younger sister, Georgiana, who was a relatively minor character in Jane Austen’s story. Georgiana has reached the age at which she must be presented at court and make her debut in London society, and, ultimately, find a suitable husband. The story is set against the background of the Napoleonic Wars and the defeat and exile of Napoleon to Elba.
What brought you to write this book?
I have been a fan of Jane Austen for many years and was aware that there were many sequels, and I decided to look at some of them. As I read the descriptions it was immediately clear that the authors had scribbled them down without any regard to historical accuracy or even consistency of the characters with Austen’s original work. After reading a series of books I realized that I ‘knew’ what had ‘really’ happened and sat down and started writing. I guess you could say that I was motivated by annoyance to finally sit down and write!
Did you do any special research for it?
Yes. I think it is very important in historical fiction to fit the story into the historical context, rather than the other way around. I began my research with Wikipedia for an overview and then looked for specific online and printed references, some of which contradict each other, requiring that I make my best guess about what the truth was. I now have two entire shelves on Regency society, medicine, customs, etc!
It sounds like your book would be a great hit with Jane Austen fans. What kind of response are you getting so far?
As is the case with most self-published authors, my difficulty has been getting my book into the bookstores. The large chains, such as Barnes and Noble, have a nationwide policy of not carrying self-published books. I am well known in our community because I am a practicing physician so I have sold quite a few books locally. In addition, I have purchased ads on a Jane Austen fan website called the Republic of Pemberley (www.Pemberley.com), and I have also accumulated a few reviews on Amazon.com which were all positive, so, all-in-all, I am pleased with how sales are going.
You published your book with iuniverse. Not all writers know about this company. Could you tell us a little about it?
iUniverse is a subsidiary of Barnes and Noble which provides print-on-demand services. In past times writers would have to purchase a certain number of copies of the book, but print-on-demand allows writers to publish without this minimum purchase requirement. Each book is in the computer and when books are ordered they are printed, which takes about three days. Publication costs are paid by the author up front and are very reasonable. They also have secondary services available for purchase, such as author websites, publicist services, marketing services, etc.
What made you decide to use iuniverse?
I liked the way iUniverse advertised their services, and their service representative was very knowledgeable and explained the different packages available so that I could purchase the one that was right for my goals. Lastly, iUniverse makes it very clear in their contract that the rights to the book belong to the author, who may sell them to a traditional publishing company if they are able to.
What do you see as the advantages of this kind of publishing service? Are there any disadvantages?
The advantages of self-publishing are that you can start on the publication process as soon as you want, and every aspect is under your control. The disadvantage of self-publishing is the difficulty placing it in bookstores. IUniverse guarantees availability at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com, but it is very difficult to get it in the bricks and mortar stores.
Do you have any advice for aspiring writers who might want to use iuniverse, too?
Make sure that you follow-up any e-mails you send if you do not hear back within a couple of days—I had a number of instances where I sent e-mails to my publishing service associate (PSA), who is the only person you have direct contact with, and she did not receive them.
Would you publish with iuniverse again?
Absolutely!
Thank you so much! And best of luck with your book.
