How to Publish a Book (Meaford Public Library event recap)

If you visit the lovely Ontario village of Meaford in early fall, you can’t help but notice the colourfully decorated scarecrows. They gather on the hillside at the entrance into town, hang from lampposts, and terrify avian intruders by holding tea parties next to Meaford Hall. They call it an “invasion,” but visitors with a vivid imagination can be reassured that it’s really more of a festival — the straw people don’t come to life (that we know of) — and it’s been happening for 25 years. 

Newer to the community, but well worth everyone’s attention, is the town’s spectacular public library, built on the site of an old grocery store.  

That’s where I was on Sept. 24 to enjoy a reading by local author JoAnn Catania from her novel A Scarcity of Virgins, an Iguana Books publication, and also to discuss the world of publishing with the roughly 20 area residents who turned out. 

JoAnn’s prose set the stage for a lively conversation about her work, her long journey from rough manuscript to cover design, and how she came to choose hybrid publishing. She did not take the process lightly. JoAnn told us that she worked hard on her craft, wrote multiple drafts, and sought the input of peers, writing instructors, and editors along the way. 

From there, I helped spell out the differences between traditional, hybrid, and self-publishing; the pros and cons of each; and the realities of an industry that has changed dramatically over the years. 

JoAnn saw that as well, and she did her research. She looked around and asked around and, we’re gratified to say, she heard “a lot of good things” about Iguana Books. She also knew that even if she pushed hard to entice a traditional publisher, she would have to spend money on editing services just to attract an agent to get her in the door of the big houses.

Is that the route to go?

For some writers, maybe it is. For others it might be the start of a five-to-ten-year quest that may never end up with ink on paper and a book in Chapters.  

All this made for a lengthy question-and-answer session, as the many would-be authors in the room sought tips on what their future steps should be. We discussed many topics, including access to illustrators, profit percentages, final approval on editing changes, and the danger of quoting poetry or popular lyrics in your work.  (Hot tip on the latter: Don’t!)

Their enthusiasm indicates there is no shortage of literary potential in Meaford.

I’ll leave you with one of the most inspiring observations of the event. JoAnn said she felt that having A Scarcity of Virgins published gave her the right to call herself an author and empowered her to set aside time to write, making it that much more likely we’ll soon be back among the scarecrows, in the room where the old grocery store meat department once stood, to hear a reading from her next novel. 

With sincere thanks to Amy Solecki and Ashley Trusler of the Meaford Public Library for coordinating this event.

—Lee Parpart (fiction and poetry editor with Iguana Books)