I'm a writer, too

So I've published 25 books by 16 people (okay, 27 people if you count all the anthology contributors!) over the last three and a half years - not a bad haul. Two of them were my own novels, so in that sense I've been guilty of a sort of ego-publishing. I did the best I was able at the time. Maybe I relied too much on my own knowledge in declaring these books were ready...certainly my personal sales figures haven't been stellar, though of course numbers aren't everything. It's just a little hard to get motivated to write a sequel for Legendary Space Pilgrims when only twenty people read it in the first place.

There have been times I despaired of my own writing and decided to focus on publishing. That's a lot of fun and has more immediate results. It takes a little less time to publish someone else's book than to write one of my own.

However, eventually I began to pine for the writing life. I set up the Avenir Eclectia project in part for myself, to create a space where I could finish an ultra-short story in one sitting and publish it. Others found the same to be true.

But there's got to be more. More than just struggling on alone, stabbing in the dark and hoping for better sales on the next book. I need help.

Yup, the publisher - wearing her writer hat - needs a publisher. A support network to carry on the infrastructure while I worry about making my story the best it can be. And an editor to stand by my side and call me on to higher excellence. To make me better than I could ever be on my own.

Enter PYP. A press somewhat like my own in size and setup, with some overlap in genre, the very highest of standards, and a drive to shoot for the stars. With an indomitable Captain at the helm who - at times inexplicably to me - really likes the way I write.

And so it is, dear friends, that I reveal the happenings of this week: I've signed three contracts with PYP: for two brand new novels individually plus an omnibus edition. The titles we've settled on for now are A Guildswoman's Dream and A Guildswoman's Journey. I have a lot of writing to do! Some is done already, and we've been working on edits - at times with much hilarity as I remember my own dealings from the other side of the table. Yes, I complain and whinge, but ultimately it's the editor's call and I absolutely respect that. Hope I'm not too much trouble, Chila!

Splashdown fans, never fear! It's not going anywhere. In fact, this deal has been in the works for well over a year, so it's not new - we just formalised it at last.

So there you have it. The publisher is a writer again. Watch this space, but don't hold your breath: we're going to give this project as long as it takes until we're completely happy with the result.

The deed is done. :)