Disability is Other People: My Superhero Story

Like the last time I produced a substantial piece of writing, my dissertation in 2002, I knew I had got too close to it. I had lost the objectivity I needed. I could read the words, but they had somehow lost all meaning. I had learned the value of sharing your work with others on my creative writing courses with the Open University. I knew I needed somebody to look at it with ‘fresh eyes’, to tell me if the whole thing works as a story and if my attempts at humour were actually funny. I asked Helen to read the draft over the Easter holidays, she only had time to read the first part. She was also too close. As she says, she’s been living with me for nearly 30 years, why would she need to read about our adventures? She is very kindly assuming that what I have written is hundred percent truthful and accurate!

I had found some publishers inviting new authors to send a proposal to them. One, Austin McCauley replied straightaway with a very complimentary letter about my work – and a contract! At last I thought, this is how it should be! But something didn’t feel right. They were happy to publish my work just as it was. Wary of signing contracts, I looked up the company’s returns at Companies House and found frequent changes of owner, not a good sign. Their recent accounts didn’t impress me either. I dug a bit deeper and it emerged that they were a ‘vanity publisher’. The kind of people that will publish just about anything at the author’s expense. They publish for the individual, not the market. I contacted one of their authors and he told me: “They are fine, as long as you don’t mind doing all the promotional work yourself.” Fine, is not enough of a recommendation.

Knowing that my book is worthy of being read and enjoyed by other people, I kept looking. At least this encounter had shown me that I was not ready for my book to be published as it was. More than ever, I needed an editor. Someone to look at the structure, pacing, style, tenses and grammar used and suggest changes (improvements). I asked Jess Lawrence, a freelance editor, for her recommendations. She also advised me to keep well away from Austin McCauley. Although a fiction editor herself, she knew some non fiction/memoir editors who could help. Of those, Dr Emma Parfitt stood out for me straightaway. She mentioned having enjoyed reading Still Me by Christopher Reeve, the story of how he came to terms with his disability. I certainly felt that she would ‘get’ the whole concept of Disability Is Other People. The first person to do so, she read my manuscript over August.

My manuscript returned 4 weeks later with many comments. Some were prompts for further information, to give explanations or to make my arguments work better. These comments helped the piece flow better by filling in the many gaps that appear when you are writing about yourself, for yourself. Others focussed on my style of writing. Emma identified words I tend to overuse, ‘but’ and ‘very’ and took the sharper edge off lots of my comments and observations, making my voice sound much more open and friendlier. The kind of observations only another reader can make. Emma also gave practical advice on obtaining copyrights, using grammar and suggested some publishers to try. I am very grateful for her insight. During a very busy few months of trying to buy our local pub on behalf of our community, I redrafted the entire book in light of her comments.

By November, I finally had a draft that I was happy with. Still hoping an agent would do all the heavy lifting for me, I bought the Writers and Artists Yearbook 2023 to help me find an agent or publisher. It has listings of both and useful articles on how to write a proposal. Austin McCauley are not even mentioned in this book. I began sending my proposal to agents and publishers, targeted at those with an interest in authentic voices. It felt like applying for a job: if I got any, the replies were brief “thanks but no thanks”. It quickly became clear to me that big book deals are only for big celebrities. Unless you are Nadine Dorries or David Walliams, publishers seem to be averse to taking risks, especially not with unknown, first time authors like me. There is a lot of really good and worthy material out there, but good authors don’t seem to have any advantages in the cutthroat publishing industry.

A year had passed since I started writing my book. It was now finished and my enthusiasm was waning. I knew I had produced a good piece of work, but could not get it out there on my own – could I? As I reflected on two of the biggest messages in my book, My next steps became clear. As disabled people, we need to tell our own stories and that we need to take control and make good things happen. By self-publishing, I could keep full control of my writing and was setting a good example.

I was finding that many smaller publishers are ’hybrid publishers’ and seek to share some (or all) of the costs of publication with the author anyway. The main distinction between vanity and hybrid publishers is that the hybrid publisher usually has a commercial infrastructure. I needed to find a reputable self-publishing operation. Then I could access their in-house expertise and commercial infrastructure as I needed. One name emerged; Troubador. They have been publishing books since the late 80s and employ around 30 full-time staff. I sent a proposal, they liked it and requested the full manuscript. They arranged a virtual meeting to talk me through the process and answer my many questions. Then they sent me a contract. Although there was still no six figure advance payment for me, I was happy to be able to access the support and expertise I would need to get my book finished and into bookshops. I signed my contract at the end of 2023 and received a publication date of July 28, 2024. As soon as typesetting was completed, Disability is Other People: My Superhero Story was allocated an ISBN (International Book Number). I know it’s only a number, but it renewed my enthusiasm!

There is still so much to do. Design a cover, select photographs, approve proof read and final edits, get an endorsement, design a website, develop publicity materials and arrange a book launch. It’ll all be worth all the effort if my book helps just one person. I hope more people enjoy my book than the handful of students who have read my dissertation (about Medical Killing in Nazi Germany) over the last 20 years!

As promised: Here’s the exciting news! You can find out more about my book and pre-order it here

I’ll see you at the book launch in August!