A dead end … not The End

I’ve just learnt my publisher is closing down. What does this mean for my books? What steps should I take now?

When I started blogging about my writing journey, I chose the name The Winding Narrative because my path to publication was anything but a straight line. I finally landed a publisher, Wings ePress, in 2023, and you can hear my excitement in the post The Enormous Difference Between BUT and AND. My dream was fully realised in January 2024, when my debut novel, The Godfather of Dance, the first Jade Riley Mystery, hit the shelves.

A Killer Among Friends followed in December 2024, the second in a planned series of six. I was flying high!

In the meantime, I joined the Mansfield Readers and Writers Festival committee as Vice President. Mansfield is a regional Victorian town where we have a small farm, and the next Mansfield Readers & Writers Festival is scheduled for 11-12 October, 2025. Make a diary note, as I’d love to see you there.

Book three of my series, working title, The Man in the Dam, is set in Mansfield, so I worked non-stop to have it ready for publication in September 2025 before the festival. But as they say, Man plans, and God laughs. Two days before I was due to send the manuscript to Wings, they announced they are closing down. They’ve been running this business for twenty-five years, and it’s time for them to retire.

I went into a tailspin. Not only would my next book not be ready for the festival, but at the end of 2025, my two existing books would no longer be available, the rights reverting to me.

It took me so long to reach this point of being a published author, and I’d just landed on a snake in Snakes and Ladders and been sent right back to the start. I wanted to rant and rail and scream, It’s not fair. But as I (very unsympathetically I now see) used to tell my kids, Life isn’t fair. So I cried silently before picking myself up and asking, What now?

Here are a few of the questions people have asked me.

Why don’t you self-publish?

This is a viable option. Wings are being wonderfully supportive and are preparing step-by-step instructions for their authors who choose to self-publish. I know many authors who have taken this path, and they are all very encouraging. This was never my dream, but it might be my destiny.

The pros and cons of self-publishing

Pros: full creative control, quick time to market and receiving all royalties instead of splitting them with a publisher.

Cons: limited distribution. Many bookshops won’t take self-published titles. This has already been an issue for me with a US publisher, as only a few bookshops have agreed to stock my books. I’d love to have broader exposure and give Jade Riley Mysteries a chance to shine.

Why don’t you approach other publishers?

Most publishers won’t take books that have already been published, so I can’t submit my first two books. The good news is book three hasn’t been published, so I’m submitting it to publishers now.

If I’ve learnt one thing from my years in the writing world, it’s how hard it is to get picked up by a traditional publisher. It takes time. Most publishers don’t respond but say if you haven’t heard within three months, you can assume it’s a no. And when you do get rejections, it’s hard to remain resilient. I’m hoping for the best but not holding my breath.

Will a publisher pick up the series?

I’m pitching The Man in the Dam as a standalone, while explaining that the rights to the other two books will revert to me. The websites of a couple of publishers I’ve approached specifically mention an interest in authors with a backlist, so they might be interested in the whole series.

If I receive an offer for book three, I can discuss with the publisher whether they want the others in the series. If they do, I’ll be ecstatic. If not, I’d work in consultation with them to decide how to rebadge this one.

You already have a proven track record. Won’t that act in your favour?

I’m not sure how my first books will impact a publisher’s perception of my potential. Both books were awarded a Literary Titan gold award and have consistently hit the Wings top ten each month, so I’ve done well by these standards, but bigger publishers have higher sales expectations.

I’ve been proactive in promoting my books with the help of Nicole Webb Book Publicity. A look at my socials or the media page on my website will show all the podcasts, radio show and interviews I’ve appeared in. I’ve also secured an article in Artshub and a guest post on Lee Hofman’s blog The Writer Laid Bare. Hopefully, this focus on marketing will help.

What are the pros and cons of traditional publishing?

The pros: industry recognition, broader distribution and guidance from industry experts on everything from editing to book cover design.

The cons: less creative control, slower time to market and sharing royalties.

The hard part

Now comes the hard part … the waiting. While I continue to approach publishers and wait for their replies, I have plenty to keep me busy: interviews to conduct for my blog, work on the Mansfield Readers and Writers festival and edits for my Brightside Story Studio clients. I don’t plan to start work on the sixth Jade Riley Mystery (books one through five are already written) until I know what’s happening with the series, but once I catch up on everything else, I have other writing projects to pursue.

In the meantime, it’s business as usual for book sales until the end of the year. If you enjoyed the Jade Riley Mysteries, please write a review, share the books with your friends and show your interest so publishers can see this is a series worth fighting for.

Thank you for sharing my journey. Please bear with me on the delay to book three, and I’ll keep you posted on progress.

Update: The path is now clear! I have signed a deal with Next Chapter Publishing for the entire series. To hear more about this and my steps forward, read on.

Next time: an interview conducted by Sophia Voukelatos with Rosie Schonell on her debut novel Breaking School Rules is Easy.
Next post about my writing life: Read about the publishing rollarcoaster … Jade Riley is Back