Why I Went Rogue and Published Independently

I spent 3 years writing a book, then I couldn’t find a literary agent to represent it. It’s a cliché, really. But there were extenuating circumstances. The subject of my book, The True Adventures of Gidon Lev, was in his mid-eighties, and there was some kind of mysterious virus beginning to make headlines. Gidon’s dearest wish was to hold his book in his hands, and it was up to me to make that dream come true for him. I queried over fifty agents. Those who responded said the same two things over and over. ‘A book about this subject is too depressing’ or ‘there are too many books about this subject.’

There’s a saying in Hollywood: ‘If anybody knew what made a hit, every movie would be a hit.’ It goes without saying, now as then, that nobody knows anything at all. I knew that my book was good. Maybe even Oprah good. It’s not a typical Holocaust story by any stretch of the imagination. My pitch described the book as hopeful and uplifting, a book in the vein of Tuesdays With Morrie or The Choice. No go.

Publishers and, by extension agents, are risk-averse. I get it. I was a story analyst in Hollywood for ten years. In essence, my job was to decide very quickly what kind of material was both well-written and likely to grab the attention of movie fans or, conversely, poorly conceived and likely to be an expensive bomb. I was one of the hundreds of underpaid gatekeepers in Hollywood, and it was a great job. I went on to become a developmental editor and book doctor.

In Hollywood, there’s another saying: ‘Viewers want the same. But different.’ There is a hunger for content that is both familiar and fresh, challenging, and comforting. I knew that The True Adventures fell into the latter category but with a twist: it was also likely to be one of the last books with the words of a living Holocaust survivor. In these tumultuous times, these stories matter now more than they ever did.

But I didn’t have time to wait for someone else to have faith in Gidon’s story, not to mention the eighteen months to two years it would take to get the book out should I get so lucky. I didn’t give up as much as go rogue. I decided to publish independently. The decision was right for Gidon and me. It got the book out there in the world, which for Gidon was the proudest moment of his long life.

But publishing independently was a strike against the book, right out of the gate. A noteworthy and exciting project on Facebook to help authors with canceled book tours during the Coronavirus refused to consider supporting The True Adventures because it wasn’t published traditionally. The majority of high exposure book review media outlets, as a policy, will not review independently published books. Many awards and book competitions either disallow independently published books or put them in their own category. ‘We have to draw the line somewhere,’ the refrain goes.

I understand. It’s math, really. A torrent of content needs gatekeepers, and gatekeepers cost money. It’s simply more efficient to use the “off” switch on content with no barrier to entry. Profit, loss, and creativity make for uneasy bedmates.

Creatives tell themselves that “the cream rises to the top,” but that’s a myth. Good work doesn’t “find its audience” magically. There are algorithms and keywords. Publicity is costly and time-consuming. Traditional publishers have the highest barrier to entry for writers and pockets deep enough to set that marketing and publicity machine into motion.

A manuscript is like someone trying to hitch a ride on the highway. Literary agents pass by without a glance. Unless writers have an attractive, almost impossible collection of achievements already: A platform, a strong presence on social media, and the most essential thing — a book that just so happens to have threaded the tiny, dancing needle of “what’s selling right now.” Having all of those things lined up is like nailing a moonshot from across the gym.

For independent writers, there is no barrier to entry, per se. Anyone can publish a book. But the next hurdle — getting it read at all — never mind reviewed well, recommended, and talked about, is a tough row to hoe. Writing is one thing, but navigating the complicated world of publicity, marketing, advertising, rankings, and keywords on dashboards over multiple platforms is what people have built entire careers around doing. For those writers who know for sure that they don’t want to spend the time attempting to learn these complicated, essential skills in a hurry, there is no shortage of services that will do it for you. But if you don’t understand the landscape, how do you know what you do and do not need? Who can you trust? What is reasonable to pay?

Online, Amazon and its algorithms are not democratic, actually. It takes considerable time and know-how to figure out the right keywords and how much to spend on your “sponsored” ad “bids.” It takes a distinct skill set to write copy for a compelling book description. It takes connections to get some good blurbs, and it takes cold hard cash to get trade reviews.

There are plentiful services and resources to help an indie writer get the word out about the book. But the field is crowded, confusing, and not inexpensive. And there are opportunists. I was offered a service in which, for the cost of several thousand dollars, my book would be a “best-seller.” Turns out, with the use of mass emails, advertising statistics, and a short-term boost of your sales, you too can be a best seller — for 24 to 48 hours.

Those who can write equally as well as they can navigate or afford book marketing and publicity in the 21st century like a seasoned pro are rare. Those are the outliers.

I used the chewing and gum and paperclip strategy. I am relatively tech-savvy and already had a website and blog. I have a strong social media presence and have been published as an essayist in some high-profile publications. I figured out how to set up my Amazon author page and studied up on keywords. I asked a successful indie writer friend for advice, which he gave me very generously.

After much consideration, I took a considerable risk and spent something like $3,000 for trade reviews. I lucked out — the reviews were stellar.

“In this elegantly conceived memoir…is a remarkable tale of survival and unexpected kinship. A vitally important Holocaust story eruditely captured.”

— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Inventively structured and impeccably written, THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF GIDON LEV is a must-read book for anyone interested in Holocaust narratives.”

IndieReader (five-star review)

But good trade reviews only put so much fuel in the tank. These things must be leveraged. I emailed a long list of book marketing and publicity services and had a long hard think about what I could afford to do with what little money I could spend. The number of copies I would have to sell to pay for these costs was just too high. I couldn’t take the risk. But I wouldn’t give up.

I began writing articles related to topics and themes in The True Adventures of Gidon Lev and pitching those articles, two and three each week — to different magazines and publications. Sometimes I even got paid. I looked for every possible opportunity to promote the book. I hit up media outlets for reviews. Sometimes they said yes. I had a few successes, and my book sales responded in kind. I entered my book into several competitions and got lucky a couple of times. I created a marketing calendar, matching upcoming holidays or other events to the themes in my book. I still don’t have an overall budget; I’m simply doing what I can with what I have, incrementally. That makes it challenging but also interesting.

The good news is that I no longer feel hurried. I abide by the tortoise and the hare philosophy. The True Adventures of Gidon Lev is not “pegged” to any trend or particular zeitgeist: the book is timeless. The most important thing, to me, is that Gidon has his book. He loves the kudos and emails that he receives. His kids read his book and loved it, and he has several copies that he signs and gives away, beaming with pride.

I wish that this story could have a fairytale ending; that suddenly Reese Witherspoon or Oprah would find my book and wave their magic influencer wands over it. But I’m not holding my breath. I have other books to write.

It is true that through luck and networking and fate, there is a documentary filmmaker making a film about Gidon and the book, so that’s pretty great. But it wasn’t a result of anything I’d done for the book, it was a result of networking with and supporting this filmmaker on a previous film of his and staying in touch. We were Facebook friends and he noticed my posts about Gidon. The take-away from that is always be networking and by “networking”, I mean genuinely supporting your fellow creatives by showing up to their events, reading their books, seeing their films, and otherwise being a good friend.

Barriers for independent writers need to come down. If the author of a book published independently not only has the chops to write a book but also write excellent copy about the book and pitch it effectively to major media book reviewers — that writer has already jumped through some major hoops. The book should be eligible, side by side with traditionally published books to be reviewed, rather than bounced back immediately because of outdated “policies” and rules.

I wish that the road for independently published writers was paved with more straightforward guidelines and had more places to find trustworthy, vetted service providers and resources. Try to find one book about Amazon marketing or marketing independent books, and you’ll find fifty titles, all claiming to be the best. Try to find a good formatter, and you’ll find packages that sell covers, formatting, and keyword generation all lumped together. It’s a confusing, overwhelming, time-consuming maze out there. I will note that in my experience, The Alliance of Independent Authors is a pretty helpful and friendly place for writers.

It’s not news that the publishing world is changing quickly; every other day, we hear that nobody is buying books, or that everybody is buying books, or that Amazon is taking over the world. Nobody knows anything for sure, and it’s all true and not true at the same time. But what is evident is that content: books, movies, podcasts, essays, and articles are in demand. Sometimes in new, innovative forms and sometimes quite traditionally. We need stories. Writers, both consumers, and creators of content know this better than almost anybody else.

I don’t know what will become of The True Adventures of Gidon Lev; my learning curve has been steep. Most importantly, Gidon Lev is a happy man, with his dream fulfilled. And I have a book that I am proud of, tucked under my arm as I race down the field dodging obstacles and looking for an opening to score even one more happy reader.