A Sad Chapter Ending… but the Story Isn’t Over #authorlife #indieauthor – Shelley Wilson Author
After navigating years of change and challenge in the publishing world, BHC Press, my publisher of the last nine years, has made the difficult decision to close its doors.
I’m heartbroken. BHC has been more than a publisher. They’ve been a supportive, passionate team who believed in my books and helped bring them to life. I’ll always be grateful for their faith in me and the wonderful journey we’ve shared.
What does this mean going forward?
Thirteen of my titles published by BHC Press will be removed from sale across all platforms from 30 June 2025 (this doesn’t affect my self-published titles).
That’s a gazillion hours of writing time, editing processes, and marketing strategies wiped out! Gone! Approximately 680,000 words! Not only that, but I will also lose all my book reviews.
It’s overwhelming, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned as a writer, it’s that stories and storytellers adapt.
So, what’s the plan?
Change can be a bit terrifying, but over the past few weeks, I’ve realised that it can also motivate you to take positive action.
I was on holiday, sitting on a bench at Boston Harbour, when I found out the news about my publisher. If I’m being honest, it totally threw me. I went through every emotion possible, including having a good old cry!
I’ve worked with my publisher for nine years and never expected this to happen. The industry is hard, so I understand why they’ve made this decision, but it definitely put me and their other authors into a bit of a tailspin.
In truth, I was ready to throw in the towel as I sat staring out at the water in Boston.
There was a lot of ‘why bother’ and ‘what’s the point’ going on in my head, and I had a crazy hour of searching for jobs online as I bunched my author life in with my writing mentor business and came to the conclusion it was all ending in one big bang!
Me, dramatic! Not at all 😂
But then I took time to process – and yes, there’s A LOT to process.
I had to consider how I would republish my books or whether I would find another publisher willing to take on my backlist. My head was exploding with ALL the thoughts.
I’ve chosen to return to self-publishing. I love controlling what I publish, how I share and sell my books, and the creative aspect.
I then needed to ask myself IF I wanted to republish all my books. That might sound strange, but stick with me!
I’m a multi-genre author, meaning I write many different types of books.
I’ve written non-fiction self-help, children’s meditation, young adult fantasy fiction, planners, historical fiction, and romance.
Here’s the thing…
My self-help books were written for my holistic health audience, and I no longer work in that field. So, do I need to republish these books? No!
My debut romance was a finalist in the RNA awards and has inspired me to write more romcoms. So, do I need to republish all my young adult fantasy novels? No!
Out of thirteen titles produced by my publisher, I’m looking at republishing four and rewriting two. That’s it. The rest will never see the light of day again! The stock I have on my shelves at home is all that’s left – or as my daughter said, ‘they’re limited editions’, which made me smile.
I’ve had to remove emotion from all my decisions; otherwise, I’d be a sobbing mess on the floor. When you pour your heart and soul into writing a book, you hope it will bring joy to readers for eternity, but that’s not always the case. You know what? I’m okay with that. I’ve made peace with the fact that seven of my books will become a distant memory.
So, what do you do when this news lands? Apart from having a mini meltdown, you pull up your big girl pants and use the experience to help others. I’ve already shared this with my writing membership and am in the process of filming the Campervan Writer Podcast, where I’ll be sharing the entire process of getting my reversion of rights back and the next steps to republishing. If I can turn what’s happening to me into something useful for new writers, then I’ll be happy (more on this soon).
In the meantime, I’m working on my next romance series and keeping extremely busy with my writer mentoring and speaking events.
Thank you for your ongoing support. It means the world to me. I’ll be sure to keep you posted, and if you have any advice or tips for me, feel free to drop them in the comments.
A sad chapter ending…but the story isn’t over!
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I’m a proud single mum of three and live in the West Midlands, UK. I love travelling in my VW camper, reading about Tudor and Viking history, and obsessing over to-do lists!
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