Jeremy Harmer ELT

That may seem like a very strange question to ask, and before we go on this little piece is nothing to do with modern ‘influencers’ who peddle beauty products. At least I don’t think it is!

Recently I was at a big conference and in one of those convivial publisher evening events I asked a friend of mine (a phenomenally successful writer in the field of English as a Foreign Language – probably among the top 5 in the world in this field) whether he had ever considered self-publishing. As I expected, he looked almost offended and said that of course he had not, and I suppose one of the reasons for this is that he doesn’t actually have to. There are one or two publishers who will always work with him because he has the success gene, fed by vibrant creativity and a work ethic that puts most people to shame.

The reason that I asked him, of course, is that I am considering self-publishing, something I have always resisted because it has always carried the vaguely rancid odour of’ ‘vanity’ publishing – something which doesn’t seem to worry me at all when putting out music CDs (remember them?) but which seems a bit pathetic and egotistical in a writer. Yet with the changes in publishing over the last few years (moving away from author-lead projects, royalty-based contracts and anything that would not have high-sale potential) writers like me who deal with more niche fields (in my case books about how to teach etc) have been frozen out of the world of books. In my case the most recent edition for my most successful book is over 10 years old, and in today’s world, therefore, little more than a historical artefact.

Writers like me are then left with unenviable options: let your books fade away and die (which by virtue of their age might be the right and proper course of events) or try and publish ourselves with all the risks and pitfalls that represents (sample questions: how do you get it edited? How much would you have to invest – and potentially lose – to make it worthwhile? What kind of format should you write in? and how on earth can an individual market their own book – something which we cheerfully relied on our publisher to do in earlier times?). Perhaps the biggest unknown, however, is whether people still want to read a book – or an ebook or whatever – when Google and AI can pretty much tell you everything you want to know.

All these questions have led me to becoming a student again for the first time in more than forty years! It’s a strange experience but remarkably exciting and invigorating. Run by the International Teacher development Institute and taught by the estimable – and extremely knowledgeable – Dorothy Zemach, the course on Self-publishing will have been worth doing even if I never actually self-publish because it’s good fun and very stimulating. It seems, too, like the perfect blend of creativity and entrepreneurship and it beats staring out of the window and feeling nostalgic for days gone past. Guess what? Being a student in a stimulating environment appears to be good for you!

I had an uncle once to who vanity-published an autobiography (and it was very vain!), something which became a bit of a family embarrassment. Hardly anyone read it, and those that did winced and rather wished they hadn’t! Yet maybe in our current climate – and depending on what you are writing about – it is the only option available to those of us who feel we have things we need to want to say? Is it worth the risk, though? Is it worth the potential financial pain?  

And – to return to the question in this little posting – is there anything REALLY wrong with vanity? Maybe you would never get great composers, writers, painters, architects (choose your speciality) without it?

I would go on, but I have an assignment to complete and it’s overdue! What about you, though, what do you think?