“Publishing is a tough business.”

A freelance editor and author made this statement at the first – and probably the most honest – writers’ conference I ever attended. Under such a value system, I believe fiction has really suffered. That is not to say that there haven’t been some excellent, memorable stories to come out within this framework. But there are many talented writers and storytellers who are not receiving opportunities under an industry that is focused on generating profits, rather than fostering creative vision.

I set up Free Flying Press this year (2014) as my answer to that. I realize that presenting my work on my terms and building a readership is a mighty challenge. Although I have some resources, I do not have the marketing reach of the major publishing houses or the fine reputations of small presses – most of them having been taken over by the major publishing houses.

But I love a mighty challenge. And the way I see it, if I must expend valuable energy crafting a flawless query letter, perfecting my first 50-100 pages (typical excerpt that goes to agents and editors) at the expense of the novel as a whole, and building my “author’s platform” with blogs, tweets, Facebook, Instagram, and any other form of self-promotion to get the attention of a publishing industry that would rather ignore me – I might as well go ahead and do it myself, and perhaps save me some precious time.

Eventually, this may become a collective of writers who are also frustrated and demoralized by the current publishing industry. But more likely than not, they will be friends of mine who are not only willing to do it themselves, but are also willing to hire the editors, graphic designers, book formatters, and possibly artists necessary to create a product that is on par with what I’m offering. In other words, this is neither a small press nor a self-publishing house looking to sell a package.

We are not currently accepting submissions.

Given that I’m all about the story, only fiction and memoir are offered here at Free Flying Press.