Author Andrew K. Stone
Rides the Publishing Fence
By Susie Davidson
CORRESPONDENT
Andrew K. Stone is happily in the
middle. A modern writer, he’s part of the go-it-alone struggle, yet the
Cambridge-based author has gotten his two novels on chain store shelves, toured
the country and received mass distribution and sales. He runs sponsorship spots
on NPR in Boston and Rhode Island, and is taking off this week for four dates
in Rhode Island, Western Mass. and New York. “Basically,” he
explained, “I’m an artist with some business sense.”
"I worked at Bantam Double
Dell in New York,” he recalled, “which gave me an inside glimpse of
the publishing world. It also afforded me the opportunity to get the ears of
many editors and agents.” After receiving personal responses from them
which praised his skills, yet lamented that literary fiction was too difficult
to sell, he decided to go it alone.
Stone formed his independent
publishing company, So There Books, and handled marketing promotions, tours and
media appearances. Despite not being traditionally published, his resultant
sales are strong, his media exposure high and his readership large and growing.
“I’m different from
other self-publishers in that my books have major distribution and are readily
available on bookshelves across the country,” he said. Stone continually
tours and has appeared on national and regional TV and radio talk shows
including WBUR’s Here and Now, National NPR’s Eye On Books, New
England Cable News, Sunday Rounds, and National NPR’s Jersey's Talking.
Stone offers the first chapters of
his books, All Flowers Die and Disappearing Into View, on his Web site,
http://www.sotherebooks.com/
All Flowers Die, a
coming-of-age-story authentically set in Boston's mid-80s rock music scene, has
been favorably reviewed by national newspapers including the Anchorage Daily
News and the Mobile Register. Disappearing Into View’s main character
makes a conscious decision to live homeless on the streets of Boston following
his father’s conviction for murder. Ultimately, “Birdy,” who
resides among the pigeons, realizes that one never can completely remove
oneself from multilevel society. The book also received positive major media
mention, and the two novels have sold in the thousands.
"The inherent problem,”
he said, “is that large publishers constantly look at the bottom line.
It's a business, and I understand that. However, if publishers only promote
their heavy-hitters, the newer authors don't get a fair chance.” He deems
it a disservice to both writers and readers. “Many people want more
choices, and aren't fully aware of what else is out there."
Stone has witnessed the travails
of many traditionally-published friends who have had their books midlisted and
then taken out of print because of lackluster sales.
"Self-publishing is almost a
dirty word,” he noted. “The reality is that a lot of horrible stuff
comes out of major presses while a lot of great stuff is independently
published. And the reverse is true, of course. But many media outlets don't
even want to touch a self-published novel, which is strange when one considers
how favorably other independent mediums, such as music and film, are looked
upon.”
OK, but what if a major league
deal came along? "I would absolutely consider it,” he said,
“but very carefully.” Having seen the business from all angles, he
hesitates about approaching the corporate publishing world. Why?
“Frankly, I never thought I would do this well on my own.
“After working so hard for
so many years, I want to have some control over my career. After all, I'm not
going to put myself out of print."