Author takes matters into his own hands

For Australind author Phillip Mihaljevich self-publishing was the obvious choice to get his first novel published after three years of hard work.

Picture by Ben Jones: Self-published author Phillip Mihaljevich

‘‘With self-publishing you have to pay yourself, but at least you know your book is going to be made,’’ he said.

‘‘If you go through a publisher your manuscript can sit in a room gathering dust for years instead of being read.’’

Mr Mihaljevich launched the novel, titled Never Walk Alone, on Monday at Eaton Community College.

He said he was extremely happy with the response the book had received at the launch with a big number of books sold.

The book follows a young man doing it tough on the streets of New York City in the Great Depression era.

Mr Mihaljevich drew some inspiration for the story from extensive travels throughout the United States and the rest of the world however the bulk of the story was entirely imagined.

The internet has proved a boon for Mr Mihaljevich with the book already listed on both Barnes and Noble and Amazon’s online stores.

‘‘I’ve already had a few sales over the internet — it’s a very competitive environment, but it’s out there,’’ he said.

Already working on his second novel, Mr Mihaljevich is working a little closer to home with his next novel based in and around Perth.

‘‘I realised for a traditional publisher they would be a little bit more inclined to publish something set closer to home,’’ he said.

‘‘I’m not expecting it to take as long, I’m more experienced now.

‘‘I’ll try and put a bit more time into it and get it done quicker.’’