Silverfish Publishing

It looks a tad disorganized, but non-the-less, I was intrigued. It is to my understanding that silverfishbooks.com is the only exclusively publishing company of its kind in Malaysia. Perhaps, that is why they seem to be slacking, at least on the commerce side of their affairs. I have no doubt in my mind that the company and website were started by a myriad of old timers and very experienced writers. However, as I said before, these modern day thinkers seem to have left out the notion that book publishing is very much also a business.

We are bombarded with information, all uncategorized and seemingly put together on a whim; silverfishbooks.com comes off like an amateurish book publisher. I managed to explore the site and was left only more confused then before I had started. Why is it worth mentioning, then? Don't get me wrong, I don't fall in the expansive demographic of silverfish bashers. However, perhaps my motivation for writing this review is the same as the critics coming from the general populous. I am a writer, and I want to have legitimate works published by a respectable publisher someday. With silverfish being the only avenue for someone in my shoes to explore, the dawn on my first novel seems increasingly dim.

They boast of having published 30 odd "all Malaysian" books in their ten-year history, but what I am most concerned about is not the brand image but why do they not require query letters? The instruction I received, upon speaking to one of their editors, was to finish my book and then send it to them. The promise was that they would get back to me within two weeks. Though this may sound exciting for any aspiring author, the real matter at hand is that this process only implies of their lack of knowledge and unprofessional practices.

Conceivably, the lack of professionalism may be rooted from the need to have Malaysian works published i.e. Silverfish books are desperate to find the next generation of Malaysian authors. Heaven knows we have the talent, but in all walks of artistic life within Malaysia, these artists are lacking the platforms for which to invest their writings, their craft, their time and their soul. As a result, our writers are never going to be nurtured toward the level of proficiency, which is required of one in this trade. And, please don't tell me that we do it because we love doing it - phrases like that are only uttered by amateurs. Plus let's not forget that we are in the business of making money.

I can imagine hoards of writers, arriving home from their respective universities - all with degrees in journalism, expertise in narrative and, in some cases, a world-class story telling prowess, disappointed at what Malaysia has to offer. We may be geniuses in our hearts and in our minds, but the lack of commitment to a self-defeating industry only lends itself to our lack of commitment, to future generations. It seems to me every one is still shooting for their own personal glorification. I shudder to think what forms of media are slipping through their nets.