Peter Rabbit and Other Happy Tales by Ann Evans
With
my article writing hat on, this month I've written a piece on Beatrix
Potter, seeing as 2016 marks the 150th anniversary of her
birth. Doing the research it surprised me to discover that she was
an indie author herself at the start of her writing career –
apologies if everyone except me knew this already!!
But
for those of you who don't know her story, Beatrix loved wildlife and
exploring the countryside and made pets out of all kinds of wild
creatures such as rabbits, frogs, mice and the like. These little
animals and birds were the inspiration for her stories in later life
along with farm animals when Beatrix took up sheep farming in the
Lake District.
In
1893, Beatrix was on holiday in Eastwood, Dunkeld when she decided to
write a letter to Noel Moore who was the five year old son of a
former nanny, who was poorly. She wrote:
“My
dear Noel, I don’t know what to write to you, so I shall tell you a
story about four little rabbits…
That
letter become The Tale of Peter Rabbit. The following day she
wrote a letter to Noel’s brother, Eric, about a frog called Jeremy
Fisher. No prizes for guessing what that became. The letters
themselves are stored in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
It
was some years later, in 1901 that Beatrix decided to try and get The
Tale of Peter Rabbit published. She wrote the story out in an
exercise book and sent it to six publishers. They all turned her down
and so she decided to have it printed herself. She had 250 copies
made with 41 black and white illustrations which she sold to family
and friends for a halfpenny. They loved it and she soon needed more
copies, so she ordered another 200.
It
was then that publishers Frederick Warne & Co., gave her a
publishing deal and produced 8,000 copies in October 1902, selling at
a shilling each. And the rest, as they say, is history. Not so long
ago a rare copy of one of her original books fetched around £30,000
at auction.
Beatrix
Potter certainly wasn't the only famous author to self publish. A
young Stephen King teamed up with his friend Chris Chesley in 1962 to
create an amateur press called Triad and Gaslight Books. As 15 year
old teenagers they published a joint collection of their stories
called, People, Places and Things – volume I, then
a two-part book, The Star Invaders.
Edgar Allan Poe is another name amongst the many who self published.
Back in 1827
Poe paid a printer, Calvin F. S. Thomas, to publish 50 copies of
Tamerlane
and Other Poems,
which was a 40-page pamphlet-sized collection of his poetry. He
wasn't actually credited as the author, the book simply said: “By a
Bostonian.” Tamerlane
is said to be
the rarest book in American literature. In
2009, a copy was auctioned for $662,500.
It's
interesting to see just how well indie books can do. A bit more
research turned up these facts and figures which I thought you might
find interesting.
Feed
Me, I’m Yours by Vicky Lansky was rejected by 49 publishers so
she self-published and sold 300,000 copies. She sold out to Bantam
and they sold 8 million more.
Twelve
Golden Threads by Aliske Webb was rejected by 150 publishers.
After self-publishing and selling 25,000 copies, she signed a
four-book contract with Harper Collins.
Mutant
Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan sold 370,000 copies before it
was sold to Harper Collins for $1.7 million.
Pop along to my website: www.annevansbooks.co.uk
Out now Celeste - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Celeste-Ann-Evans-ebook/dp/B00KQ8XIGE
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