Grey Gecko Press was created in April 2011 primarily as a way to publish my own books in a professional manner without having to go through the rigamarole of the outdated and antiquated methodology of the traditional publishing route.

6 – 9 months to get an agent, sending out hundreds or even thousands of query letters. If you’re lucky enough to get an agent, then it’s another 6 – 9 months for them to find a buyer for the book. Then 12 – 15 months for them to edit, set and print the book. A minimum of two years before your book ever hits the shelves, and that’s only if you’re one of the 0.01% of the authors to actually get a deal.

And you’re not making a dime from your work during that whole time.

I’ve never submitted a single query letter, never waited on pins and needles just to have yet another rejection slip arrive, telling me the manuscript was good but just not what they were looking for. I’ve never had the rug pulled out from under me at the last second when the publishing company decided that they didn’t want to take the chance, after all. But I’ve read the horror stories and seen people who give up on their dreams because of them.

Something needs to change.

That’s where I wanted Grey Gecko Press to come in.  I decided that I would bypass all the heartbreak and pain of the traditional publishing method, and do it all myself. Granted, I knew that this would be a herculean task, one of epic proportions that I would no doubt want to stop after just a few months, if that long. But if it paid off…

I took the gamble and created the company. I printed the book, and with the moral and financial support of family and friends, I pre-sold 47 copies before the book was even printed. I used that financing to print the books for Comicpalooza, and sold 70 copies there. I got on Twitter and Facebook and made it a point to use social media to its fullest extent.

And what do you know, I sold copies. LOTS of copies. In just 69 days of being on sale, my first novel The Dying of the Light: End has sold 566 copies across all editions.  I immediately thought… if I can do this for myself, how can I help other authors struggling with the same morass of traditional publishing?

So that’s what Grey Gecko Press is setting out to do. We’re not a major publisher; hell, we barely qualify as “small press.” But what we can do is give new authors a chance. We can be their stepping stone to getting their work published, to being a ‘real’ writer, and, evil of evils, make a little money while doing it. And if they choose to take that big step with a major publisher, we’ll cheerfully wave and smile as they sail off to greener pastures.

If you’ve ever written a story and been turned down, or if you’re frustrated by the way ‘the system’ works against new authors, or if you just want to try something different, give us a shout. I can’t promise that we’ll publish what you write, but I will promise to listen and to give you a chance. With no preconceived notions or ideas, no artificial barriers.

Welcome to the new world of publishing.

– Jason Kristopher