Why did I opt to self-publish? A combination of head and heart.

I was sixty before I finally honoured my desire to write. That was in 2011 and coincided with a decision to reduce and re-orientate my work. For the first time, I felt I had space to choose what I wanted to do and prompted by seeing The Habit of Art by Alan Bennett at the National Theatre in 2009, I signed up for a 3 year part-time Certificate in Creative Writing at Sheffield University.

In my reflective commentary at the end of my first module, I wrote:

I want to develop the habit of writing…The realisation that one needs a habit seems so blindingly obvious and yet feels like a revelation. So I speculate that it reflects a deeper shift in my attitude towards myself as a writer – some level of belief that means I am now willing to make a consistent effort.

Some of us take a long time to develop that level of confidence.

I am now in my seventies. Belfast Song took five years to complete. At the most, I have one other book in me – a memoir. It isn’t rocket science to work out that my chances of being picked up by a traditional publisher are miniscule. And I know of published writers where the publisher did very little to promote the book. So the writer had to take on the promotion themselves. If I have to do that, then I’d rather do that on my own terms. So that’s my head talking.

And from the beginning, I’ve been motivated more with delighting the heart* and following where that leads. So, when I decided I wanted to share what I had been crafting over years, I thought of friends who are artists and craftspeople who exhibit their work in a range of ways. This includes formal galleries, exhibiting as part of initiatives such as Open Up Sheffield. They are also able to display their work at home where it can be appreciated by friends and family. They can make presents for friends – I’ve been given cushions in cross-stitch by one friend, for instance. Their approach is catholic rather than exclusive and there is an emphasis on bringing creator and lover of arts and crafts into a more intimate relationship. I want to be able to do the same. Poets may be able to send a poem in a card to friends – but as a novelist, in order to share your work, you have to have it published.

That’s the spirit in which I want to publish my novel.

* Delighting the Heart by Susan Sellers: an anthology of women writers talk with candour about how they write