Green Hill Publishing
1300 810 131
Contact us
Green Hill Publishing
The Cathartic Memoir – I’ve journeyed from contempt to enthusiasm

The Cathartic Memoir – I’ve journeyed from contempt to enthusiasm

clock - estimated reading time  Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Why write and publish a memoir? This Blog Post dedicated to Julien and others labouring to write their memoirs and asking themselves the question “will anyone be interested?”

What is a Misery Memoir? This is a derogatory term invented by the traditional publishing industry to denigrate the validity and efficacy of a memoir that has a narrative – telling a story – of an individual’s suffering or experience of injustice caused by the actions of others. In discussion with a traditional publishing colleague he remarked “the industry needs to purge itself from the Misery Memoir.”  In contrast, my view on the so called Misery Memoir has radically changed from contempt, to acceptance, to enthusiasm. As a company that facilitates the publishing of memoirs, I’ve thought long and hard about where these books fit in the publishing landscape.

Prince Harry book SpareThey can be enormously popular. Ironically Prince Harry’s traditionally published Spare, was a narrative of how he was wronged by the very people closest to him, the institution of the royal family, and the media. The book is the fastest selling non-fiction in world history, selling around 6 million copies to date (since its release in 2022). In the first day the book sold 1.43 million copies. Why? I read the book and found it distasteful and quite annoying. But I sort of enjoyed reading it, devouring its bulk in a couple of days. It was biased and negative but at the same time an enjoyable read.

My conversion to the validity of the Misery Memoir came through a fuller understanding of why reading these can actually be a feel-good. Sometimes it’s an insight into other people’s unreasonable behaviour and poor thought patterns, including bitterness, jealousy and resentment… ‘how can people think like that’. This can justify my dislike of the book’s writer, but most importantly it can be an exercise in empathy… ‘Harry’s experience is a little like mine’.

My fresh understanding was validated when I read Aristotle’s Poetics, in which he coined the term catharsis. When we complain about other people’s behaviour behind their backs it can be cathartic, especially when others in the conversation have a similar complaint. Don’t judge me! This is common to human experience and you know what I’m talking about. In one corporate setting – when I worked at a university –  meetings sometimes strayed into vicious critiques of other people. At these all-in sessions people can leave strangely satisfied, often feeling much better because others feel the same way. Participants can feel a sense of relief and healing.

In no way am I endorsing this behaviour but I’m analysing the effect. Character assassinations are cowardly, however, can you see the effect on the human psyche? For the critics it can be positive. It can be therapeutic.

Listening to Blues music can make people feel better.

Aristotle commented on the positive effect on audiences watching a Greek tragedy – a theatre production that in a way parallels a Misery Memoir. The Greek tragedies evoked both fear and pity. For Aristotle this resulted in catharsis for the audience – a release or purging of bad emotions.

Alexandra Kostoulas at medium.com puts this very well:

   In Aristotle’s Poetics, a lengthy and ancient treatise that draws out among other things the concept of the 5-act dramatic structure of plays, emotional catharsis comes to the audience after the audience experiences tragedy.

   After watching a tragedy, when everybody dies in the end, as we cry, we feel cleansed. Think about the end of Romeo and Juliet. This kind of art lets us feel the feelings. As the theory goes, after a good cry, we feel better. We feel better because we have directed our own anxieties outward and, through sympathetic identification with the tragic protagonist,

Indie publishing (or self-publishing) is a great medium for authors to experience catharsis. We call that ‘publishing as therapy’. The finished work, if put together well, can also be therapeutic for readers.

I’m now working on a new, more positive name for the Misery Memoir. Maybe the Cathartic Memoir. Does anyone have any ideas?

David Walters | Founder | Green Hill

SUBMIT YOUR BOOK DETAILS
CALL US 1300 810 131

Featured Blog Posts:

Featured Blog Posts

Interested in publishing your book but unsure where to start or what is even involved? Tell us about your project and we will post you a copy of our:

 

The Little Book of
Big Publishing Tips.

 

In just a quick 8,000 words, this little book will equip you with the knowledge you need to successfully publish your book.

The Little Book of Big Publishing tips goes into the essentials of self-publishing a book, outlining the business and financial side of publishing, legal issues, design, editing, sales and marketing. There's even a section on how to identify a vanity-publishing scam.

submit your project details

If I was running a 45 minute training session for indie authors what would be on the curriculum?

If I was running a 45 minute training session for indie authors what would be on the curriculum?

I was recently asked to construct a 45 minute presentation to a group of 30 indie authors – representing a broad spectrum of ability, experience and aspirations. For some of these authors it might have come at the end of many, many hours researching self-publishing on the internet. Some had already failed. Others had enrolled in an infamous write-your-book-in-one-week-aboard-a-cruise-ship scam or similar 5-star-resort scam. For others it might have been the start of their journey to publish their writing.

Many authors feel the need to gather as much information as possible to educate themselves on their coming project. And here I was being asked to help educate aspiring authors.

Because there are so many ‘moving parts’ in a publishing project I said to myself, ‘what could I expect to achieve, and what real value would it be to authors?’ ‘If I just had 45 minutes to advise authors what would I say?’

A colourful memory was a visit from a writer who had been trying to self-educate on self-publishing. Her methodology was to search online and extract lists of each company’s offerings. Green Hill a has a list of offerings – and so do many suppliers. She had a spreadsheet with each benefit in a column and company names across the top and a score against each item. I really do understand why she approached us in this manner – its because there are so many scams, rip-offs and a bewildering array of offerings. She couldn’t afford to choose a bad supplier and this was her strategy!

‘How many free books do you include?’ she probed. I felt I was in the dock in court. ‘Ummm. None, there is no such thing as free books’ I said defensively trying to squeeze a plausible explanation in before the next question. ‘OK’, she said sounding like an expert, more like ‘Ooookaaaay’ capped by a ‘tutt’ and a slight shake of the head and a cross on her clipboard. ‘XYZ Publishing do free editing’ she announced. ‘Do you do that?’ not realising that the ‘editing’ on offer wasn’t editing at all but a crude spelling and grammar check. For these ‘fully-researched’ aspiring authors there’s almost no reason for us to even try to provide our service – it’s just too hard trying to work for a fully-researched know-it-all.

And every time we get contacted by authors who have been scammed or at best paid for a sub-standard project out come, they assure us they had spent many hours researching their choice of supplier.

So my conclusion and approach here,  is that authors are seeking answers to the wrong questions.

So here goes. Here’s my top 4 topics.

Contents

Topic 1. The manuscript, the manuscript, the manuscript.
Topic 2. Metadata
Topic 3. Design the book
Topic 4. Build an author platform

clock - estimated reading time  Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Topic 1. The manuscript, the manuscript, the manuscript.

It’s so integral to the book’s success. Often we have authors come to Green Hill seeking a range of service to see their book successfully published. But nothing can beat a great manuscript. That includes a book concept that will fly (and not sink like a stone).

No matter of great book design, fancy print treatments or powerful metadata will project a book onto the best sellers list.

Successful authors have identified a need in the market and have crafted a powerful book concept. It’s powerful because it gets traction or has an impact. An impact can result from:

  • a compelling idea that hooks readers – it might resonate with them on a deep level
  • originality – it might be a unique book, something that’s never been published before, at least a new take or a twist on an old topic
  • relevance –  solves a current or emerging problem, or raises and expounds upon a current issue. What are people talking about?
  • And of course a well written and engaging narrative.

No matter how nicely designed or how well printed and how extensively marketed, these elements won’t fix the problems created buy a poor manuscript.

Topic 2. Metadata

Book sales are downstream from findability. If retailers and/or readers can’t find your book they can’t buy your book.

Metadata is data about data — information that describes, explains, or gives context to another piece of data. Metadata tells you what something is, where it came from, how it’s used, or how it should be handled. Book metadata includes (among other things) book title, author, ISBN, page count, dimensions, publication date and the publisher.

A lot of metadata remains unseen by potential buyers, but by no means are they unimportant. ISBNs and metadata directly influence a book’s availability and searchability – broadly termed findability. These elements make a book findable by both retailers seeking to stock a book and readers looking for how they can purchase a copy. Every book that finds its way to market must have an International Standard Book Number (ISBN). This is the thirteen number code located on the back of the book above and below the barcode and also on the inside on the legal/copyright page. An ISBN is crucial to selling and marketing as it is a unique number that allows the book and its metadata to be easily located. 

Metadata isn’t just about the data attached to ISBNs but it can be data on other book industry databases.

Topic 3. Design the book

Three seconds. That’s all the time you have to convince a reader to pick up your book in store or click on your book online. You couldn’t possibly convey the whole plot in that short time limit, and simply stating the genre isn’t enough. So, what can you do? This is where book designers come in.

  • A book’s interior design effects how readers interact with and consume a book.
  • Book architecture focuses on the internal structure of a book:
    • Front matter: half title page, frontispiece, title page, accolades, copyright page, dedication, table of contents, epigraph, foreword, preface
    • Main body: introduction, prologue, part opening page, chapter opening page, chapters, epilogue, conclusion, afterword, postscript
    • Back matter: acknowledgements, about the author, copyright permissions, discussion questions, appendix/addendum, chronology/timeline, endnotes, glossary, index, bibliography/reference list, ad for services
  •  Think of a book cover as a single piece of 3D artwork that spans three faces: the front cover, the spine, and the back cover. These three faces are the first spokesperson for your book, and all interact with readers in different yet important ways.
    • The front cover is the first face of your book, and the thing that stays in people’s minds.
    • The spine is considered the second face but is usually the first thing readers see when browsing bookshelves.
    • The back cover is the third face of a book and hosts the remaining important information like blurb, ISBN (International Standard Book Number), barcode, and any other elements such as publishing logo, RRP (Recommended Retail Price), contact details, and reviews.

These three faces come together to convey one simple thing: the message of your book.

  • The biggest mistake an author can make in the design process is to think that the designer has their own agenda and is working against their success as a published author.
  • Being able to articulate your ideas and constructive criticism effectively will be helpful not only for your designer but for you as well.
  • One of the most important conversations you’ll have with your designer is the design brief. The brief that you give can be a written list of ideas, an out-loud conversation with them, or perhaps a visual representation (mock-up) which roughly outlines your ideas.

Part of design is considering how your book will look printed, including the cover, the interior, right down to the paper. The very best book designers understand that a book is a physical, 3D product, not just artwork on a screen.

Topic 4. Build an author platform

‘Author platform’ is a term commonly used by publishers to describe an author’s presence both online and within their own community. Before taking on an author, traditional publishing companies will ask, ‘what platform do you have and what are your follower numbers?’ This is because you and your book will need an existing platform to make your book known and to achieve sales.

Books sell because the author has a ‘platform’.

Having an established author platform can look like many things, including:

  • Being a public figure
  • Having been featured in the media (in either a positive or negative light)
  • Currently or previously being a sporting icon
  • Maintaining a large number of social media followers (upwards of 1,000)
  • Winning a prestigious and well-known award

If you don’t identify with any of these, you’ll need to get started on building your author platform. Social media is a great place to start.

To illustrate just how important an author platform is consider these books. One book was described as ‘a frustrating slog’ but sold over 500,000 copies. Notice how Harris’, Klim’s and Slim’s books are all about the author name prominent in the design. And of course photos of recognised faces are important. Harry’s book sold over 3.2 million copies yet he didn’t seem to have much to say of interest – the readers bought Harry.

Harris

Klim

Micjael Klim book Klim

Spears

Brittany Spears book The Woman In Me

Harry

Prince Harry book Spare

Slim Dusty

Book cover of Slim Dusty

SUBMIT YOUR BOOK DETAILS
CALL US 1300 810 131

Featured Blog Posts:

Featured Blog Posts

Interested in publishing your book but unsure where to start or what is even involved? Tell us about your project and we will post you a copy of our:

 

The Little Book of
Big Publishing Tips.

 

In just a quick 8,000 words, this little book will equip you with the knowledge you need to successfully publish your book.

The Little Book of Big Publishing tips goes into the essentials of self-publishing a book, outlining the business and financial side of publishing, legal issues, design, editing, sales and marketing. There's even a section on how to identify a vanity-publishing scam.

submit your project details

Self-publish your book by raising funds through crowdfunding

Self-publish your book by raising funds through crowdfunding

clock - estimated reading time  Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

You can self-publish your book by raising funds through crowdfunding. You can fully finance you project (and more) if you apply the necessary effort.

The truth of the matter is a lot of crowdfunding endeavors fail – while there are several factors involved, that’s primarily because of lack of effort on the author’s part. Some authors think crowdfunding is an instant panacea.

If you are prepared to do the ‘hard yards’, crowdfunding is a great way to finance your book (and gain early sales and readership).

The record book crowdfunding project is Brandon Sanderson’s post Covid-19
Surprise! Four Secret Novels crowdfunding campaign.

That campaign raised approximately $61 million Australian dollars in just one month. That’s right $61,000,000.00. You probably won’t raise that amount – but you can raise several thousands of dollars if you apply effort and are savvy. Sanderson’s campaign is a great case study demonstrating that the principle of crowdfunding for books works. You use the same principle but just need to scale your expectations down!

Sanderson’s campaign is a shot-over-the-bow for the traditional publishing industry that often hold authors captive with the “you can’t publish alone because you need capital” mantra.

Do you already know (or can find) and can contact 100-200 people who might support your new book? If so read on…

Contents

1. What is crowdfunding?
2. Steps to crowdfund for the publishing of your self-published book in Australia
3. How much money can crowdfunding raise for my self-published book project?
4. Can crowdfunding be a way to pre-sell a self-published book in Australia?
5.What are the best crowdfunding platforms to raise funds for self-publishing a book in Australia?
6. What are the negatives of using crowdfunding to help self-publish your book?

1. What is crowdfunding for self-publishing in Australia?

Crowdfunding in Australia refers to the practice of raising funds for a project or venture by soliciting contributions from a large number of people—typically via the internet. Individuals or organisations are able to secure funding from a large number of backers.  Crowdfunding is often used for creative projects, start-ups, and small businesses.

Crowdfunding is a great way to build a effective book publishing project. In our experience your publishing project needs only around 100 supporters to say your crowdfunding endeavor is a success (albeit a measured success).

There are various forms of crowdfunding available in Australia, including reward-based, equity-based, and debt-based. Australian crowdfunding is regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Corporations Act 2001.

2. Steps to crowdfunding for your self-published book in Australia

Here are the steps you can follow to crowdfund for book publishing in Australia:

  1. Define your project: Clearly articulate the purpose of your book, what it’s about, and what you hope to achieve with it.
  2. Choose a crowdfunding platform: There are several crowdfunding platforms available in Australia, such as Pozible, Kickstarter, and Indiegogo. Choose a platform that is right for your project and meets your needs.
  3. Create a campaign: Set up your campaign by creating a profile, adding your project description, setting a funding goal, and defining the rewards you will offer to backers.
  4. Promote your campaign: Use social media, email marketing, and other channels to promote your campaign and reach as many potential backers as possible.
  5. Keep your backers informed: Keep your backers updated on your progress and share regular updates on the development of your book.
  6. Reach your funding goal: If you reach your funding goal, you can use the funds to publish your book. If you do not reach your goal, you may not receive any funding, depending on the platform’s policy.
  7. Deliver rewards: Once your book is published, deliver the rewards you promised to your backers.

Note: Before starting your crowdfunding campaign, be sure to familiarise yourself with the regulations and laws in Australia regarding crowdfunding and ensure that you comply with them. The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) is responsible for regulating crowdfunding in Australia.

 3. How much money can crowdfunding raise for my self-published book project?

The typical amount raised in a crowdfunding campaign for a self-published book in Australia can vary greatly depending on several factors, such as the popularity of the author, the genre of the book, the target audience, the marketing efforts, and the quality of the campaign.

On average, successful crowdfunding campaigns for self-published books in Australia can raise anywhere from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars. The amount raised needs to cover the costs of publishing and marketing the book, as well as fulfilling any rewards promised to backers.

Here is some simple math:

  • Number of supporters: 150
  • Cost to print your book: $10
  • Crowdfunding contribution: 110 contributors at $25 (bronze reward: 1 book), 25 contributors at $45 (silver reward: 2 books) and 15 contributors at $60 (gold reward: 3 books). This equates to (110 x $25) + (25x$45) + (15x$60) = $2,750 + $1,125 + $900 = $4,725
  • Net financial support gained:  Funds contributed – Cost of books  = (110x1book)+(45x2books) + (15x3books) – 245 books x 10 = $2,450  Net funds = $4,725-$2,450=$2,275

It’s important to note that the success of a crowdfunding campaign is not only determined by the amount raised, but also by the level of engagement with backers and the quality of the final product.

4. Can crowdfunding be a way to pre-sell a self-published book in Australia?

Yes, crowdfunding can be a way to pre-sell a book in Australia. Reward-based crowdfunding is a popular method of pre-selling books, as backers can receive rewards in exchange for their contributions. For example, an author can offer signed copies, early access, or other exclusive perks to backers who support their campaign.

By pre-selling their book through crowdfunding, authors can also gauge interest in their book, secure funding to cover the costs of publishing and marketing, and build a community of supporters who can help promote the book once it’s released.

It’s important to keep in mind that pre-selling a book through crowdfunding is not a guarantee of success, and authors need to put in the effort to promote their campaign and reach a wide audience. They also need to fulfil any rewards promised to backers, which can add to the costs and complexity of the publishing process.

5. What are the best crowdfunding platforms to raise funds for self-publishing a book in Australia?

Here are some of the best crowdfunding platforms in Australia to raise funds for a self-published book:

  1. Pozible: A popular Australian-based crowdfunding platform that supports a wide range of creative projects, including book publishing. It offers a variety of funding models, including all-or-nothing and keep-what-you-raise.
  2. Kickstarter: A well-established, international crowdfunding platform that has a strong presence in Australia. It’s a popular choice for creative projects, including books, and operates on an all-or-nothing funding model.
  3. Indiegogo: An international crowdfunding platform that supports a wide range of projects, including books. It offers both all-or-nothing and keep-what-you-raise funding models.

These are just a few examples of the many crowdfunding platforms available in Australia. When choosing a platform, it’s important to consider factors such as fees, funding models, and audience reach, and to read the terms and conditions carefully to ensure you fully understand the platform’s policies and requirements.

6. What are the negatives of using crowdfunding to help self-publish your book?

It’s not all “sweetness and light”! Here are some of the negatives of using crowdfunding to raise funds to self-publish your book in Australia:

  1. No guarantee of success: There is no guarantee that your crowdfunding campaign will be successful, even if you put in a lot of effort to promote it. Crowdfunding is not a guaranteed source of funding and success is highly dependent on the quality of your campaign, the popularity of your project, and the level of engagement with backers.
  2. Limited reach: Crowdfunding platforms typically have a limited audience, and reaching a large number of potential backers can be challenging. You will need to invest significant time and effort into promoting your campaign to reach a wider audience.
  3. Competition: There is a lot of competition on crowdfunding platforms, and it can be difficult to stand out among the many other projects seeking funding.
  4. Campaign costs: Running a successful crowdfunding campaign can be expensive, with costs including platform fees, marketing and advertising expenses, and rewards for backers.
  5. Legal and regulatory compliance: Crowdfunding is regulated in many countries, including Australia, so it’s important to familiarise yourself with the laws and regulations that apply to your campaign. Failing to comply with the regulations can result in fines and legal repercussions.
  6. Fulfillment of rewards: Once your campaign is successful, you will be responsible for fulfilling the rewards promised to backers, which can be a time-consuming and costly process. Green Hill will help you get book production underway well before your campaign ends (usually authors conduct 2-month crowdfunding campaigns).
  7. Unmet expectations: Crowdfunding campaigns can sometimes lead to unmet expectations, as backers may expect a certain level of quality or completion that is not met. This can result in negative reviews and damage to your reputation. How do you get a quality book published? Certainly keep production in Australian hands. Have you heard of Green Hill Publishing, Australia’s trusted self-publishing company?

These are just some of the negatives of using crowdfunding. It’s important to carefully consider these and other potential drawbacks before launching a campaign, and to be transparent and realistic about what you can deliver to your backers.

You can self-publish your book by raising funds through crowdfunding, but you need to be aware of the pitfalls.

SUBMIT YOUR BOOK DETAILS
CALL US 1300 810 131

Featured Blog Posts:

Featured Blog Posts

Interested in publishing your book but unsure where to start or what is even involved? Tell us about your project and we will post you a copy of our:

 

The Little Book of
Big Publishing Tips.

 

In just a quick 8,000 words, this little book will equip you with the knowledge you need to successfully publish your book.

The Little Book of Big Publishing tips goes into the essentials of self-publishing a book, outlining the business and financial side of publishing, legal issues, design, editing, sales and marketing. There's even a section on how to identify a vanity-publishing scam.

submit your project details