by Jay Hartman
The month of February is a time for celebration around Untreed Reads, and this year we have even more reason to be happy. First, we’re looking back at our performance for 2021, and the performance of our titles is even better than we expected. Second, Untreed Reads has its anniversary as we move into our 13th year of publishing. Many other independent presses have closed their doors in recent years, the pandemic sped up that process for many, but we’ve been able to keep plugging away at what we love to do.
The third cause for celebration is a bit of a double-edged sword for me. February 10th will be my 50th birthday. Many of you out there are probably thinking “Oh geez, that’s all? Come cry to me when you turn 60 or 70.” Hey, I get it. Fifty may not be a big deal to many people, but it is for me. It’s one of those milestone birthdays that has you looking in the rearview mirror and considering the things you’ve accomplished and the things you still have on your list.
When you’re the owner of an independent press, the same reflection you do as an individual is what you often encounter as a publisher, and often you find yourself asking the same questions. Did I do enough? What else could I have done? What’s my next big milestone? What’s the big picture for the road ahead?
January 21, 2010, when Untreed Reads started out, the goal was to be a short-story publisher with several defined genre lines. We had “Fingerprints,” our mystery line, “Nibs” for literary, etc. Within the first year we already had a lot of success with that idea.
Unfortunately, KDP came along, and the era of authors pricing their full-length novels at $0.99 completely killed the short-story market. On my birthday in 2011 I needed to do some heavy thinking about the next direction of the company. We moved to more full-length books and created more agent relationships. A necessary pivot to stay alive.
Since then every year brought a period of reflection and new decisions that alter the course of our business. Some years that’s a gentle course correction. Other years have set us in completely new directions we never anticipated. No matter what the choice, the goal is to always keep moving forward.
As an author it’s important you also look at any course corrections your writing career might need. Last month in my column I discussed the need to look back at your pervious year’s performance and what your goals were. Keep in mind that your goals might need to change from year to year. Maybe the market changed for the type of writing you normally do and it’s time to try another genre. Maybe the nonfiction-article market for your niche dried up and it’s time to find another that appeals to you.
Remember to take the time to celebrate the wins you’ve experienced. The aging of your writing career shouldn’t be something that scares you or makes you worry about what’s next. Your own age shouldn’t frighten you when you think about what you want to accomplish from your writing. Each year you might add a couple more wrinkles to your face, but your writing and your skill ages like a fine wine.
I can’t tell you what I’ll wish for when I blow out my candles this year, but judging from the fact that Untreed Reads is still here 12 years later, I’m mighty fortunate to see some of my wishes and dreams coming true. And that’s the best gift anyone can receive.
Looking to get The Publisher Perspective? Send your questions to jhartman@untreedreads.com with TPP in your subject line. If your question is used, we’ll send you a free ebook from Untreed Reads.
Jay A. Hartman, editor-in-chief at Untreed Reads Publishing, founded Untreed Reads to promote ebooks with an emphasis on independent authors and publishers. He’s written about the ebook industry for fifteen years and previously served as content editor for KnowBetter.com, one of the internet’s oldest sites reporting on ebooks and epublishing.
