We’ve come
to the end of a year again almost without realising it, right?
I must say
that this 2021 has been very peculiar for me in various respects. My publishing
activity is certainly one of them. At the end of 2020, in fact, I had decided
to not write anything new for at least a year, since I had no more
pending projects and, above all, I didn’t want to. And it certainly was very
easy to follow this up!
I must say
that from time to time over the months, even recently, the thought of telling
some new story entered my mind, but the idea of going through the writing
process and the prolonged commitment that it requires made me run away from
such a thought. There were other things I wanted to do, although no less
demanding in terms of time spent, but certainly lighter and more pleasant on a
mental level (at least for me).
Creating an
invented reality is exhilarating, but the unknown factor that must be faced
every day in pulling something out of nowhere that is interesting and that
works, and that maybe entertains those who read it, can be exhausting and
anxiety-inducing. Instead, when it comes to return to what has already been
created and defined (so there is no longer that unknown factor) and propose
it again in another form that allows it to reach a wider audience, at least in
theory, everything becomes more measurable and controllable, and therefore
relaxing, despite the hours of work dedicated to it every day.
I’m
talking about translations.
If you look
at my
resolutions
for 2021, you will see that they included the
translation in English
of the two remaining books in the Detective Eric Shaw Trilogy.
Well, I did
it! And I managed to do it within the schedule I set over the course of the
year.
I
completed the translation of “Sindrome” (Syndrome) by May and that of “Oltre il
limite” (Beyond the Limit) by November. At the moment, the second book of the trilogy,
after being edited, is in the hands of my proofreader, while I have just sent
the third to my editor.
It was a
long job, and I was struggling to see the end of it. And it was made even more
difficult by the knowledge that the text I was working on would become a
published book in a fairly distant future (more on that later) and, as always,
with uncertain results. All long-term commitments require perseverance and
discipline, and carrying this out for 12 months (starting December 2020),
without having a minimum of short-term gratification, wasn’t easy.
On the
other hand, however, the process of transforming my novels from their
original form in Italian to that translated into the language spoken in the
place where they are set (London), and “hearing” the characters speaking in that
same language, was exciting at times.
To do it in
the best way, during these 12 months, I only read novels in British English (I
have started reading in Italian again a couple of weeks ago), I watched almost
exclusively TV series and films in this language; in a nutshell, I tried to create
a sort of full immersion for what concerned fiction in general. And
I liked it, of course I liked it. If it were up to me, I would spend all my
time studying and practicing foreign languages (not just English), because I
enjoy it so much. Maybe I prefer to do it without deadlines, but I fear that
the latter are essential if you want to translate books!
In short, I
achieved two resolutions from those listed a year ago.
Unfortunately,
I can’t say I did for the others.
I
partially managed not to get stressed out, at least in certain periods, but then I
realised that, if I hadn’t at least set deadlines, I wouldn’t have been able to
translate the two aforementioned books. And with deadlines, inevitably a bit of
stress arrived. However, in the last few months I managed to slow down and this
December, despite some unexpected events (including my main PC that made a
short stay in assistance), I managed my work in a way closer to the goals that
I’d set regarding my personal well-being.
As I said a
year ago, it makes no sense for me to concentrate completely, even on an
emotional level, on my publishing activity, if in the end it doesn’t make me
feel good. And I have every intention of staying true to this principle in
2022 as well. However, I realise that it is a gradual process that requires a
certain organisation and the ability to distinguish, among the possible goals I
intend to achieve, those that really matter and that have a minimal chance of
being achieved, even if a remote one (where there’s a will there’s a way!).
Unfortunately,
you cannot do everything. If I had to listen to all the ideas that come up in
my head and all the projects that tickle my creativity, I would end up
paralysed in the face of the impossibility of pursuing them all. It would take
maybe ten lifetimes, if not more, to do it.
On the
other hand, putting off indefinitely those few that I really care about,
waiting to find the time and the means to dedicate myself to them in the best
possible way, means never getting to do that. So, I might as well decide once
and for all to program them and start working on them. If at the end of each of
them I don’t achieve the desired results, it doesn’t matter. It means that I
have tried and then I’ll be ready to devote myself to the next project, with no
regrets.
Another
purpose that I have only half completed is to continue to write on my blog
dedicated to self-publishing on Medium, i.e. Self-Publishing Lab (it’s in
Italian). I did it until June, then I started a holiday period that isn’t over
yet.
The reason
is simple: I didn’t know what to invent
anymore.
Obviously I
could have written about one of the thousand existing topics on self-publishing
that everyone is talking about, but this was not the purpose of the blog. My
intention was to create a virtual place in which I could offer a different,
original point of view, and useful and applicable suggestions for one’s
publishing activity that no one talks about, at least on the Italian
market, precisely because they are roads less travelled. But, in order to do
this, it’s necessary to experience firsthand what you want to talk about.
The
translation of the books in the trilogy, especially of the third (about 120k
words), didn’t leave me enough time to further deepen my preparation on
publishing marketing, much less to put this in-depth study into practice. I
decided to give priority to the completion of the translation, completely
putting aside any other promotional activity both on the Italian and foreign
markets, except, at least until November, Facebook Ads (which are now
paused, too).
Managing
multiple things together and taking care of myself at the sale time just wasn’t
sustainable.
And for
what concerns avoiding stress, I realised that an effective way to do it is stop
trying to carry out multiple projects at the same time, risking to do it in
an approximate way and dragging them for long periods, and instead try to
dedicate myself to one of them at a time, but finishing each one more quickly.
However,
the blog won’t be abandoned forever. As soon as I have something else to say, I
will add new articles. But I must, first of all, update for the umpteenth
time the book “Self-publishing lab. Il mestiere dell’autoeditore”
(again, in Italian), of which the blog can be considered a companion, with the
news relating to the self-publishing market that have accumulated since last
July.
Also, I
would like to leverage the blog content in a creative way (i.e. recycle
it), so that it can reach more people. I have some ideas on how to do this
(including something for the
English-speaking market), but I will only talk about them if and when I
decide to put them into practice.
In general,
however, I believe that I must somehow carry on the didactic aspect related to
self-publishing, because it’s evident that there’s a need to learn by
those who approach this publishing model. Proof of this is the fact that,
despite having paused all the advertisements and, in fact, the same blog on the
subject, “Self-publishing lab. Il mestiere dell’autoeditore” continues to be
purchased spontaneously and, apparently (from the messages I receive),
appreciated by those who buy it.
Moreover, I
continue to do so with the university workshop that I teach every autumn at the
University of Insubria (Laboratory of self-publishing in multimedia
systems). Unfortunately, this year too it was taught remotely, but reached
a new frequency record, although I have put a tighter limit on
registrations than in 2020.
As usual,
the students proposed some truly original publishing projects (see picture above). Some of them are
really thinking of turning what was just a simulation into a real publishing
product, while just recently I learned that a student of mine from last year
self-produced his first book and is carrying out very interesting offline
promotional activities with excellent local feedback.
I obviously
hope that in 2022 I’ll be able to physically return to Varese and teach the
workshop to the students in person again. We’ll see.
Then there
are two more resolutions not completely fulfilled.
One is
about exploring new possibilities to exploit the rights of my books. And
to tell the truth I did some research on it, especially with regard to audiobooks.
It’s an aspect that I would like to investigate, but I realise that it requires
investments, and having to invest money in it implies making a commitment to
have an adequate economic return. All this is possible only if there is a very
specific publishing and above all promotional project behind it, which I don’t
have the time or energy to deal with at the moment.
On the
other hand, as regards other types of exploitation of my rights, I postponed
any investigation entirely to 2022.
The last
resolution was to improve my image on the web.
Last
January I changed a bit my Italian blog. Although it isn’t mobile
friendly, I have improved its usability on smaller screens by increasing the
size of the texts and icons.
Then I
found suitable templates for my main (static) site. I really like one in
particular. But then I didn’t go on and, as I turned around, the year was
already ending!
I’m aware
that updating my sites is the first fundamental step to take. If I intend to improve
my activity on the web in such a way as to increase the organic traffic on my
sites, I have to create a welcoming and functional virtual place, but at the
same time I don’t want it to appear the same as a thousand others, at
least for those who have the ability to view it on larger screens.
So, summing
up, this 2021 didn’t go too badly. And this is even more true if I add that
there is another activity to which I have dedicated myself during the year: I
have translated into Italian the new book by Richard J. Galloway, “Saranythia
Part 3. The secrets of the Margspakr” (which is already available in
English).
I completed
the first draft in early December and am now editing the text. Some beta
readers from my publishing team will work on it in January. And I believe the
book will be published in February!
What
else have I done this year?
I attended two
MOOCs (massive open online courses) on FutureLearn. Few, to tell the
truth. But it wasn’t for lack of time or desire. Rather, I think I’ve already
attended almost every course that interested me in this platform, so I’m having
a hard time finding more. However, there are some still in my wishlist and I’m
waiting for them to be re-started. Indeed, one will start in late January.
I had a
nice holiday in the La Maddalena Archipelago last July (see picture above), but above all, after 24 months, in
November I finally left Sardinia again to go to Turin to see the ATP Finals!
(And I was even lucky enough to see a match with Djokovic. The photo below was taken by me.)
I must say
that, even if I have always liked tennis, this year, thanks to the presence at
high levels of several Italian players (in particular Berrettini and Sinner),
I’m really passionate about it. Someone (?) calls me a tennis addict! I
think it’s not bad at all as an addiction and I’m glad I have it. What do you
think about it?
Moreover,
since I was in Turin, I was a bit of a tourist and went to visit some places I
hadn’t yet been to in my previous stays, such as the Basilica of Superga, the
Royal Museums and the Palace of Venaria, and in particular the Mufant (it’s a science fiction and
fantasy museum). Yes, I know, for an Italian science fiction enthusiast it
was a serious lack, which I finally remedied (see picture below).
Well, after
chatting for a long time about the things I’ve done and the things I haven’t
done, it’s time to talk about resolutions for the year that is about to
begin.
To tell the
truth there is only one, which can undoubtedly be called my primary goal of
2022: complete the preparation of the English version of the Detective Eric Shaw Trilogy. And by this I mean:
1) prepare
all editions, i.e. ebook, paperback and perhaps also hardback (to be
evaluated). I’d also like to produce an audiobook edition, but it’s an
investment that requires further thought;
2) study
a marketing plan for the launch and promotion over time of the trilogy on
the English-speaking market;
3) schedule
publication. In 2022 (perhaps in November) I’ll publish at most one, i.e.
the new translation of “Il mentore” (The Mentor). The other two will follow
approximately three months apart in 2023. The actual timing of publication
depends on the previous point (without a marketing plan it makes no sense to
publish). Also, I would like to write, and translate, a short prequel (a
novella, of which I have already a title and an outline for years) to be used
for promotional purposes, but I still don’t know if I have any desire (!) and
time to write it, and then translate it. We’ll see.
Everything
else, including the things I told you about in this article (and more that I
keep to myself for now), will come later.
Hopefully,
at
the end of 2022 I will draw conclusions again here on the blog.
For now,
however, I’ll stop, also because this post has become very long. In fact, I
just don’t know how you got to read this far!
As always,
I want to thank all of you, my family and all relatives, friends, readers,
colleagues, collaborators… am I forgetting someone?
Thank
you very much for your appreciation and support.
If you
want, let me know what your 2022 resolutions are.
Meanwhile,
I wish you all a good ending and, above all, an even better start of the year!
