Oct 16th 2025 – 4th blog
As many of you may know, I have been working on a passion project called The Reel Deal: Real Talent, Tips, and Tales—A Journey through the New Zealand film community—for over ten years now, on and off. Part memoir, practical guide, and celebration, this book weaves together behind-the-scenes stories, career journeys, tips, and tools from more than 50 industry creatives.
I have finished writing and designing the page layouts for the book, except for some fine-tuning, documenting permissions, and giving credits where due. After not hearing back from my dream publisher (Phaidon Books) for over 3 months (which I am told is the standard wait time), I decided to get all my ducks in a row and boxes ticked before submitting the book project further. Gosh, the more I look into it, the more overwhelmed I get. I have learned that under 5% of people submitting books to big publishers get picked up! That’s wild! There's a whole list of things that need to be done properly to convince the Publisher you are worth their investment before they even read past your pitch, which Many apparently don’t. Many won’t let you submit without an Agent, or won’t take it as seriously without an agent. And getting an agent is a whole other basket of fun. So, it’s gotta be a really great pitch that is also concise (250-400 words). And a big question they want answered is “Do you have an established media presence or audience?” Well, I certainly did not; I am working on that thanks to you all indulging me. And I actually love the idea of taking what was started in the book and bringing it to the website, which shares crew stories, photos, and tips. https://www.thereeldealcrew.com/
I initially loved the idea of a big publisher picking up this project and distributing it worldwide. That was the dream, sharing the crew's stories, tips, and tales with the world. However, many people have suggested the possibility of self-publishing because there are now many viable options to release the book faster while maintaining my insider’s vision of how it should look and feel. So, the process of weighing the advantages/pros and disadvantages/cons of self-publishing versus being picked up by an established publisher begins.
Based on my research so far, there’s a growing number of online POD (print on demand) publishing options, with the most recognised being Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). After looking into them, I found that their printing standards might not be so high, and their market is quite flooded. Many smaller competitors like Ingram Spark and Book Vault seem promising and will cost little upfront to get started. However, the affordable print size options and colour page choices are limited. I don’t like the affordable letter-sized book option. If I choose custom size and full-colour pages, as I designed the book, it would cost a fortune to print, making it too expensive or reducing my profits to cents… I can cut back on the colour pages; it's less exciting, but a workable solution. I then need to consider copyrights, obtain ISBNS for both print and digital copies, and manage marketing platforms, which I am responsible for finding and overseeing. This approach also seems to complicate placing the book in bookstores, based on my understanding. If I had the capital, I could print a small run at an NZ print house and aim to distribute through book fairs and similar events. Ultimately, success depends on creating and reaching an audience, despite all the effort and input already invested into this project. Just thinking about it is exhausting.
Ok, so back to the idea of getting picked up by a Publisher like Penguin or Harper’s Collins. I love the fantasy that this is the easier route. They pick you up, print your beautiful book in any size and colour that works for you, promote it, and sell it in stores, online, and digitally as well. But I'm starting to realise that the “ease” part of that fantasy is just that, a pipe dream. Even if they're interested, there will be numerous edits needed on all fronts. I'll need to tick many boxes, creating an audience of my own along the way, which I guess I need to do, no matter how I go. I just thought it was what they do and what I would be paying for. That's the other thing: I probably won't make much in royalties after the initial content sale. I'd also lose some control along the way. If I do a big pitch, I have to wait three months again to hear back from publishers, then it could take another year to get things out of the box if picked up. But they would also handle copyrights and ensure the book is fully print-ready, which is a big deal… hmmm, pros and cons to both publishing pathways.
What are your thoughts? Would you be interested in purchasing “The Reel Deal”? How much would you be willing to pay for it? Would the $55 NZD range be feasible for you? Is colour an important factor and worth paying a bit extra for? Do you have any advice, experience, or contacts in this area that you can share?
On a final note/update for those following, regarding weighing the pros and cons of things, my blood cancer clinical trial hasn't gone as smoothly as I hoped. I've been off and on the trial medication several times now, and I am recently back on it as the pros and cons of side effects are being considered. The pros are that the drugs are definitely kicking cancer's butt, yippie!! The cons are that many other side effects/complications have arisen. Now the team is trying to figure out if all is manageable. Sometimes we just have to live with the cons and find a way to minimise them in our everyday life. In comparison, I am lucky to be overwhelmed with choices/pathways to investigate with my book. And I appreciate your support and input along the way.
May we all find inspiration to keep on keeping on with joy in our hearts- T
