Posted by Monica Cardenas on 13 May 2022, in Byte Experts, News
By Laurence Kershook
Thursday 24 March 2022: the date when my debut novel, The Broygus, at long last went on sale from Amazon, with a choice of paperback or e-book. The moment had finally come, after four years’ work, seven re-drafts, three editorial assessments, a global pandemic and some forty agents’ rejections. Or to be more accurate, nine or ten rejections –– some polite, some curt and one or two even encouraging –– and a resounding silence from the remaining thirty. One agent even heaped praise on my novel and promised to send me an offer of representation, if only I’d be patient and wait a few weeks while she cleared her current workload. But sadly, the promised offer never materialised.
Still, the message repeatedly hammered home by the tutors on the novel-writing course that I’d attended in 2018-19 was that if you want to be a published writer, first you need to develop a thick skin. Invaluable advice as I quickly discovered.
In contrast to making music, which is my other great pleasure, writing is a solitary activity. Hence my tutors’ second piece of precious advice: you need to be part of a writing community. Which is why I joined Byte The Book in January 2020.
From that time onwards I attended a string of excellent webinars, meeting and hearing from other writers, both published and as yet unpublished, and gaining insights from experienced industry professionals. I took part in two Agents’ Table events, neither of which landed me an agent, but both of which provided me with advice that helped me to re-draft and further hone my manuscript.
After another spate of submissions to agents I finally had to face the fact that, for whatever reason, the publishing industry just didn’t want my novel; to go on submitting and hoping would simply be a waste of time. But thanks to some very helpful Byte The Book events I’d come to realise that modern technology has made self-publishing a more realistic option than it’s ever been in the past –– and what’s more it accounts for a fast-growing segment of the industry.
Since reading my manuscript in October 2020 and giving it her superb Author Anchoring treatment, Justine Solomons had been providing me with unflagging encouragement and support. Now she got me started on the self-publishing route by introducing me to Caroline Goldsmith, a literary consultant and member of the Byte The Book team.
From the outset Caroline made publishing The Broygus feel like a joint project, contributing her impressive expertise and making suggestions that were always perceptive and constructive. Within less than a month she’d designed a very attractive cover, formatted and typeset my novel, and created versions for paperback and ebook publication. Finally she provided me with detailed guidance notes for uploading the two formats onto the Amazon Publishing platform, and was on hand to help me overcome any problems that arose.
The self-publication route has proved more successful than I could have hoped. Sales as yet are not huge, but they’re steady, and I’m getting great feedback. I’ve even had some copies bought in the USA and one in South Africa!
So, in summary: thanks to Byte the Book, and to Justine Solomons and Caroline Goldsmith in particular, I’ve achieved a lifetime ambition. The Broygus has found its way into the light of day; we got there in the end.
Laurence Kershook is a novelist and author of The Broygus, a history of a Jewish East End family torn apart by events spanning three-quarters of the twentieth century and one family member’s determination to see the hurts healed and the conflicts laid to rest.
