A Parting of the Ways

Firstly, following on from my post the other day, Leggy has been in contact and is still in the land of the living. Over the past twelve months, he has encountered some personal issues, none of which I will divulge as it is neither my business nor my place. However, it has led to long delays in publication, and he had such a backlog he cancelled his Christmas anthology. The Halloween one was huge but ran late as a consequence. I submitted Recovery over a year ago and have been getting twitchy as I have in that time, completed another novel, Rose. I don’t want to wait another year for that to hit the market.

All of this brings me to something that has been burbling away for some while. Leg Iron Books was always intended to be a small-scale project, and Leggy has remained true to his original vision. It’s a jumping-off point for new writers. When he started it in 2016, I had one novel and a few short stories languishing on my hard drive. Leg Iron Books breathed new life into them, setting me on a path to writing more. Now, seven novels and four short story collections later, I realise that without Leggy and his encouragement, none of this would have happened. But here is the rub: where do I go from here? When we were first getting going, and I had a couple of novels published, I suggested real-world marketing rather than relying solely on Amazon and Internet sales. While he was not dismissive, there were logistical issues (Aberdeen and Bristol for starters), then COVID came along, and the idea died. Well, it did, and it didn’t.

In 2016, I was working full-time, so the editing and publishing process, let alone marketing, was too much to contemplate. However, since then, I have dropped much of my work and only work one or two days a week, so I have more time for this stuff. Also, Mrs L Elect is keen to be involved in working a stall at a market. She’s an extrovert and likes going out to meet new people. Weird, I know, but it takes all sorts.

By taking over the publishing process, I can buy in bulk stock at cost and take them to various markets and fairs to sell at retail. Will I make much? I very much doubt it. However, doing so will be interesting, and I will reach a market that doesn’t necessarily buy via the Internet and may not even have the Internet.

The thing is, I want to do this. Going my own way will give me the freedom to do it. So, here we are; I am parting with Leg Iron Books. The parting is amicable, and I would always recommend Leggy to anyone wanting to start, as they will have access to the whole procedure, including the editing, which is perhaps the most important part after the initial writing. Leggy will also provide cover art for those who cannot. It is an excellent way to learn the craft. I just outgrew it, which was something that Leggy always anticipated as a possibility.

I will still write stories for his Underdog Anthologies as this gives me the discipline to write to a deadline.

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