Indie-Publishing Spotlight: Out of Nowhere by Ian Nettleton
Welcome back to our blog series, Self-Publishing Spotlight (or now known as our Indie-Publishing Spotlight)! The last in our launch run, but certainly not least, Ian Nettleton talks to us about his book, OUT OF NOWHERE. Ian Nettleton has had short and long fiction published in a number of anthologies. In 2014 he was runner-up in the Bath Novel Award and the Bridport Peggy Chapman-Andrews First Novel Award, with The Last Migration. His thriller, Out of Nowhere, won the Bath Novel Award in 2023 and Ian subsequently worked with Monica Chakraverty at Cornerstones before indie-publishing Out Of Nowhere with Salt Publishing in February 2027.
What is your story about and where did you get the inspiration to write it from?
Out of Nowhere is the compelling debut literary fiction novel by Ian Nettleton, winner of the prestigious Bath Novel Award 2023. The book follows Frank Neely, who is riding in a prison transport van when it’s ambushed in the dark. He walks free – but into the vast, merciless heat of the Australian interior. He has no money, no plan, and one destination: the daughter he hasn’t seen in years. Told in Frank’s relentless present and in the fragmentary voice of Abi, his former wife, this is a novel about a man defined by what he has lost and what he refuses to surrender: by turns darkly funny, bleak, and unexpectedly tender.
I took an overnight train from Melbourne to Sydney many years ago and spent the journey talking to a man who had just come out of prison. A while later I began working on a novel set in the UK. I got 35,000 words into it before realising it just wasn’t working. The only part of the story that interested me was a subplot about an escaped criminal. When I took that one thread and set it in Australia, the story suddenly came alive. I could see it like a feature film, and Frank was inspired by that man I met on the train to Sydney.
How close was the experience of being published to what you expected? Were there any big surprises?
It’s been a lot of fun. When Salt offered to publish the novel we opened a bottle of champagne. Then things went quiet for a couple of months, but once I signed the contract and agreed the cover, things suddenly picked up pace.
The experience has been like walking through a magical door and discovering secrets you didn't know were there. The publisher’s questionnaire, headshots, the arrangements for a book launch, finding many and numerous ways of publicising the forthcoming launch. The time-scale is long – from offer to publication will have been over a year – but all this time is needed to create as much interest in the novel as possible. Then there’s what comes after: a book tour and independent book shops, festivals, the possibility of putting the book out for awards and contacting local radio and newspaper outlets before doing signings. I'm anticipating a very busy year ahead!
What advice would you give other people who are thinking of indie-publishing?
I had a conversation with an author who was published by one of the big five. I said, ‘I bet it was amazing to be published by such a big hitter.’ His response surprised me. He said his second novel was to be published by an indie press, and that the experience was far more satisfying. Big publishers don't give you the same amount of attention because unless you are a popular fiction writer or a celebrity author, chances are they are going to put most of their effort into the books that will sell the most.
My experience with Salt has been genuinely wonderful. They have been very attentive and quick to respond to any questions, and their publicist, Kirsty, is enthusiastic and imaginative and very active. Salt understand the book completely. They know what kind of book I've written – that it is a kind of hybrid between literary and popular, which is exactly where I pitched it from the start. It's no surprise that Alison Moore has stayed with Salt long after The Lighthouse was shortlisted for the Booker prize.
What was the most important piece of advice you received while collaborating with Cornerstones?
Extra plotting. There was an important thread in the novel which focuses on a character who is trapped in an horrific situation. Monica asked for more background details. This led to a vital part of the story, where I wrote new scenes. This in turn explained more of the background stories to some of the more prominent characters. It enhanced why the characters did what they did. There was more narrative logic. Monica has an amazing clarity about what is needed to elevate a story by adding to the layers of plotting.
What stage in your writing career are you at now? Are you working on anything new?
At the moment I’m working on the first draft of a post-apocalyptic novel set in the north of England and East Anglia. There’s also another Australia-set novel I wrote, The Last Migration – a ‘sequel’ to Out of Nowhere – that was runner-up in the Bath Novel Award and the Bridport Novel Award in 2014. I'd like to go back and edit this. I’ve thought about writing a third Australia novel to complete the trilogy. So, lots of plans and ideas.
If you could go back and talk to yourself just before you started writing your first manuscript, what would you say to yourself?
I wouldn’t tell myself about how long the journey ahead was going to be. I’ve written three novels and it’s the third that is getting published. Graham Greene wrote two unpublished novels before his third was picked up. I guess the only thing I would say to my younger self is, keep on writing and don't allow a gap between one project and the next. The struggle is part of the prize. Publication is a big bonus.
