TRENTON – Local author Nicholas Vreugdenhil is hoping to have the fourth installment in a five-part series, Shadow Glyph, self-published by Christmas. The most recent addition is called Tiberon.
Having waited over a decade to make his dreams a reality, Vreugdenhil reminisced about the time he published the first novel – titled after the series – and the feeling of accomplishment he felt.
“The first book, the biggest moment for me was getting a box full of them in the mail. I’ve been writing since I was eight or something and then I was 20 and bam! I’ve go this book in the mail and like a box of 50 books.”
The 24-year-old author says that although it’s hard work, the process of self-publishing is a learning experience.
“The old way of self-publishing was to pay someone to publish your books for you – which is very very pricey. But with everything changing, with technology changing, and everything like that, there’s all these new options.”
Vreugdenhil also says he has a lot more creative freedom, from the content of his books to the cover art – which he designed himself.
However, self-publishing also meant finding someone to edit his work.
“I had made enough on the first book to pay for editing [on the second book]. Like a professional editor,” he said. “So I did that and I was actually a little dissatisfied with the result. I think it was poor editing compared to even what my mom and friends had done on the first book.”
Vreugdenhil credits his success to his friends and family who not only helped with editing but also with distributing his books. He said that if it weren’t for writers like Brian Jacques of the Redwall fame, he would not be a writer today.
“It was torture for me to sit down and do any of the reading stuff my mom had. My mom didn’t know what to do,” he said. “But the first time that I ever read a book and thought ‘I like this’ and wanted to read more was Redwall.”
According to the Trenton native, the industry is changing.
“I think there’s a lot more opportunity for people who might not be able to get published to get published now. So, I like that because I think there’s a lot of creative people out there that don’t have a way to pursue that.”
Vreugdenhil says there’s also a downside to self-publishing. He says that although his book is available on amazon.ca, he can only physically distribute his book to stores he can get to. He’s also had to learn the business aspects of publishing on his own, everything from how to sell his books to learning how to speak to readers.
In the end, he says when people read his books, they should feel a sense of adventure and just hopes “people enjoy them, are entertained by them, and maybe a little challenged by them.”
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