|
TEENpreneursYoung Guyanese publishes and sells her own novel inspite of prejudice
Angelina Archer offers a gift of respect for her Guyanese origins and a no-nonsense determination to make it in the tough book world of self-publishing. The teenager, voted the Chronicleworld.org Young achiever of the Year 2002, tells of her frustration with racial and age bias in the white corporate book marketing industry and the benefits of self-publishing her first novel on her own. In an exclusive unedited interview, Angelina, now 20 and writing her second novel, honours the rich literary traditions of Guyana where "'My dreams had roots".
One of my literary influences is the Guyanese poet Grace Nichols, because her poems are amongst the first I've been able to identify with. Simplicity seems to speak volumes about the longings and praise she has for her home country while living in Britain, her childhood experiences, and so on. Her writing has a lot of atmosphere, and brings a smile to your face, no matter what she's writing about. My favourite poems from her are Sugar Cane and Like A Beacon. My other influences are novelist and poet Emily Bronte, and William Blake, once again because of their ability to express complex things in a simple way, though a lot of 'eggheads' tend to complicate their work in their studies of the two writers. Choosing to publish the book under my own imprint Hybiscus Books is a personal emblem to my ethnic background. I chose the 'blue hybiscus' (spelled 'hibiscus' generally), because the hibiscus flower is one of the most common flowers in the Caribbean, and the word 'hibiscus' is Latin-Greek for 'marshmallow' (hibiskos); I consider myself to be a softie - like a marshmallow! Blue represents my favourite colour; it's calm, placid and intellectual, and I've always been inexplicably drawn to that colour. Blue hibiscuses don't exist, which represents how I strive to be different from everyone else, but not so different to the point of alienating myself from everyone. About my book
'Out of Reach' Out of Reach was influenced by Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, my GCSE Psychology work, and a problem page letter in a teen magazine by a girl so obsessed with a pop star, it was affecting her schoolwork. Alcoholism inspired Alana's problem, because that is one of the most widespread addictions in our society today, even more so than drugs. It's a representation of how easily people turn to drink when they have emotional problems like Alana, no matter how old or young you are, because it's cheap, accessible and very widespread in most societies around the world, especially the West and Third World countries. Most of the characters were influenced by different aspects of my personality and my parents' personalities, except for Freda, who was influenced by the witch in Snow White, and Christine, who was influenced by the all-American blondes cluttering up the pop charts at the time, for example Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, etc. I wanted to do a parody of all of them in her, because they really annoyed me, and they still do today! Very little of my ethnic background is portrayed through the characters, but unlike a lot of novels written by black authors, the sole focus is on the situations the characters are in and how they resolve them, for example, alcoholism, friendship, love, falling in and out of love, jealousy, etc. Those themes are familiar in most ethnic cultures, and so I would say my first novel is an attempt to reach to a wide audience of colours and age groups, rather than just a specific market. Hopefully someone will be able to identify with at least one subject matter covered in the book. About being educated
at home I don't feel I've missed out on anything, because I still interact well with people - I'm very spiritual, I like talking to and meeting people, and I'm not a rebellious or inconsiderate person. Plus I don't feel like an outsider at all - Winston Churchill, Agatha Christie, William Blake and Albert Einstein were all home educated, amongst others, and nobody could say they're any less privileged! I have a good head on my shoulders, I contemplate things more than most people, and that my home education has contributed to discovering my talent for writing, and my imagination. I like music, films and going out, like most people my age. If I'd been at school, I'd would've probably been too busy looking for the trendiest pair of trainers, or the latest model of mobile phone, and talking endlessly about some manufactured pop group or pop star! About self-publishing The reasons why I chose self-publishing was primarily because all my life I was trained to be self-sufficient. I am an only child, and I was educated at home by my parents, so I wanted to be in creative control of my novel. The second reason was because I learned that publishers give authors 10% or less in royalties, and that's not what I wanted. My worst fear was my book being placed at the bottom of the pile in a publisher's warehouse, while the bestsellers shift millions and get first-class promotion. Okay, my promotion and distribution of the novel may not be funded by millions of pounds, but what all that multi-million pound stuff boils down to is getting word around about the book, and that's what I've managed to do on a tight budget. Thirdly, I felt that self-publishing needs a more reputable name. People in this country tend to think that a book is mediocre if you published it yourself, or that this is a cop out because no publisher wants the book. But that isn't true. It's a choice every author should be able to make without being accused of giving up too easily on big-name publishers. In America, self-publishing is a respectable and accepted form of publishing, and both conventional publishing and self-publishing co-exist with one another. Why can't it be the same in this country? Because vast commercialism and the trans-national corporations have taken over this country, leaving hardly any space for small businesses to develop, and that applies in literature as well. Big publishers are looking for material that sells, not material that's of any good. All that matters in this country's publishing industry is how many millions of pounds a book makes, not how good the material is. So self-published books deserve a look-in, and I want to represent independent publishers in Britain who get swept under the carpet for not conforming to publishing norms. Doing my own
thing My goals for
the future And finally * Out of Reach (£7.99, ISBN 0-9541027-0-3) is available at most major bookstores, and online at Amazon.co.uk. The book can also be ordered directly from the Hybiscus Books website at http://www.hybiscusbooks.cjb.net.
|
||
 |
