I was very pleased to see a feature article on novelist and independent publisher Ernest Hekkanen. He's a most worthy subject for coverage. B.C. Bookworld has, over the years, shown commendable interest in self-publishing. Nonetheless there are several facts about self-publishing that continue to escape the general reading public.
A common misconception is that self-publishing is for authors who do not manage to have their manuscripts accepted by commercial (trade) publishing houses and that this failure is based principally on lack of quality in writing, a biased point of view or a skewed perspective. This public perception may be accurate when it comes to occasional, and amateur self-publishers, principally those who pen their memoirs in retirement. However, the work of professional self-publishers such as myself (with 23 titles, most self-published by Thinkware) and Ernest Hekkanen does compare favourably with professionally published books. High quality, professional self-publishing is a recent phenomenon made possible largely by the rapid advances in computer technology and desktop publishing software. That said, the discrimination practised by the Canada Council and other federal and provincial departments vis-à-vis self-published books is an established and regrettable bias. I, for one, resent this cavalier treatment. I know I'm not alone.

To wit:
1. The Canada Council does not disburse publishing block grants to self-publishers. The majority of commercial Canadian publishers apply for, and receive, block grants that subsidize their publishing programs. Thinkware Publishers, my company, has managed to publish many titles, sometimes as many as four a year, operating on a shoestring, WITHOUT being eligible for block grants. Yet we exist, doing fairly well, even turning a modest profit. I have written a book detailing the process: The Word: an adventure of the mind (Thinkware, $15).
2. The guidelines to the federal Governor-General's literary awards stipulate that self-published authors are not eligible. No reason is given. That exclusion presumes that self-published books are unworthy, an assumption that constitutes a flagrant violation of the principle of equality prevalent in our society. The award has set itself up as infallible; my question is: quis custodiet ipsos custodes? (Who watches the watchers?) This exclusionary clause must be changed to one of inclusion of self-published book authors.
I suspect that most, if not all, other literary awards in Canada, the United States and Great Britain, have similar exclusionary clauses when it comes to self-publishers, although I understand there are some noteworthy exceptions. What kind of risk would these award-giving agencies run were they to include a new category of self-published books or accept self-published books in literary competitions? I submit that the risk is non-existent. If a self-published book does not fare well in the competition, toss it out! Perhaps it is time for someone such as B.C. Bookworld-or another interested group or individual-to try to establish an independently-published book prize or book prizes. It would take energy and dedication, as well as a deft hand in raising funds. Meanwhile there are literally dozens of high quality, independent titles published each year in B.C. that are worthy of scrutiny and recognition beyond the pages of your publication.
Jurgen Hesse
Vancouver

[Hesse has written to the Canada Council asking it to change its policy of refusal to give block grants to self-publishers and asking the Governor-General's Awards to include self-published books.
-Ed.]

[BCBW WINTER 1998]