Brave Men Run picked up for distribution

Matthew Wayne Selznick’s outstanding story1 Brave Men Run has been available in print as well as ebook and serialized free audiobook for some time now. So why is it a big deal that a publisher has picked up the book for distribution? I’ll let Matt tell you:

I’ve always said that I would consider a publishing deal… if it was the right deal. I’ve never sought one out, but twice now, offers have come.

The first time was last June, from St. Martin’s Press… “Brave Men Run” was championed by the excellent David Moldawer for a line they were considering, and the book got to the editorial board before they passed. David understood what I was trying to do with “Brave Men Run,” and he gets new media. I’m grateful to him for taking it as far as he could!

Then, twelve days ago, I got an exploratory e-mail from Jacob at Permuted. We exchanged a flurry of correspondence as I tested the water. I consulted with some friends and colleagues to get impressions, advice, and opinions — I owe them, and I’m lucky to have such people in my life! I had an hour-and-a-half telephone conversation with Jacob on Monday. We talked about new media, the power of the podcasting community and audience, and the growing force that is the cadre of podcast novelists.

Jacob gets it, too. His zombie-lit Permuted Press is a labor of love that has grown into a well-respected house in that genre. Some of his authors started their books as blogs and some give away entire books online, so he understands and embraces the power of new media and the direct connection / fuzzy line between content creator and content consumer. I get the impression he’s genuinely excited by the passion and commitment alive in the podcasting sphere.

You can read his full comments on Matt’s site. Trust me when I tell you this is huge news. Congrats to you Matt! I look forward to owning another print version when it comes out in a few months!

1 - I’m on record as saying this was the best book I had listened to in 2005. No, I’m not kidding or shilling.





This entry was posted by Evo on Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008 at 8:50 am and is filed under Author News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “Brave Men Run picked up for distribution”

  1. BC> Says:
    April 22nd, 2008 at 8:54 pm

    OK I get that all distribution is a good thing but what happened to LULU.com? What with their publishing and sales options?

    Or ok maybe I missed the point as in if he has sold some books and I know he has then getting those books out en mass is still to be accomplished?

    Please clarify.
    BC>

  2. Evo Says:
    April 23rd, 2008 at 7:37 am

    BC,

    I think the key difference is focus. I consider Lulu (and I really like Lulu) more of a service provider than a publishing house. You control the process every step of the way. And it doesn’t matter if you want to print a recipe book, romantic comedy or epic fantasy book: they’ll do it for you.

    But many small presses, like Permute, are much more focused. Because they release books of a certain type or style, the press itself has a following of sorts. They may have specific distribution and publicity deals as well to get your book into and seen by the niche market that might be interested about it.

    Of course, this is speculation on my part. For a complete dialog with Matt (he made the call) follow the link above to his blog post and post your question over there. It’s possible he’ll come by here and see it, but assured that he’ll get to it over there.

  3. Abbie Says:
    April 23rd, 2008 at 2:01 pm

    BC - the difference is huge. Permuted is a professional publisher saying, “We think this book is good quality and will sell.” They’re putting their dollars and resources behind the book, betting on that pony. Lulu is a self-publish site and will print whatever you send them whether it’s good or not. The author is the only person vouching for the Lulu book. A book released from a professional publisher has been vouched for by a group of people who reviews volumes of manuscripts every year and selects just a few. They are (in theory) quality control. I know lots of people who won’t read self-published books. Many bookstores won’t stock them. They are nearly always more expensive than professionally published books and cost-prohibitive for some readers. If a publisher picks the book up, the author has a shot at an audience that was not previous accessible. Self publishing contains some awesome literary Mavericks and hidden gems, but making the leap to a professional publisher is still a laudable achievement. I’m excited for Mr. Selznick!

  4. Gail Says:
    April 23rd, 2008 at 8:35 pm

    Way to go, Matt! Congrats! Woo Hoo! Yippee!

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