1. I didn’t want to bother with the marketing and sales bullshit.
2. I didn’t have the cash to make self-publication a viable option.

Well, I’ve learned that most authors end up with the lion’s share of marketing and sales even if they have an agent and a contract with a traditional publisher. That means I’ll have to deal with all that shit anyway; a lot of it won’t be on terms dictated to me by the publisher, and I’ll get a pittance of the proceeds from book sales. The only real upside to it is that I’ll have much better distribution through the publisher. I don’t know if that’s much of a reason to choose traditional publishers over self-publication.

My new job pays enough for me to afford self-publication. I’ve worked hard to live within my means since my divorce and bankruptcy in 2003. I lived comfortably on the money I made at the hospital, and my salary jumped about 20K when I took my new job. I can continue living comfortably and use all of the new income to publish and promote my book. Three obstacles prevent me from self-publishing right now.

1. I haven’t exhausted my list of potential agents to query. I haven’t given up on the traditional publishing models yet.
2. I don’t know enough about the process yet. I still need to learn about marketing, press releases, etc, and I need to work up a budget.
3. I’m on a probationary period at work. They could fire me on a whim any time within the next eleven months, and I still need to clear their background investigation.

I’ve devised a basic action plan to overcome these obstacles and to provide contingencies. In the next eleven months I will:

• Exhaust my agent query list.
• Update this site to include the same features and functionality that I have on shannonthomas.org.
• Launch an article-based marketing initiative to gain following on my websites.
• Get a business license and create a business checking account.
• Generate a feasible budget based on my salary and quotes from vendors.
• Pay down my current bills and set aside funds in case I get fired or in case the banks are still playing chicken-shit games when I’m ready to launch.
• Learn everything I can about self-publication, marketing, and promotion.
• Purchase business cards, stationary and other business materials.
• Hire an illustrator to produce cover art and promotional art.
• Identify a book manufacturer to publish my book.
• Identify the software required for desktop publishing.
• Identify vendors to supply other promotional materials to be purchased based on my available budget.
• Devise methods of local and internet advertising, based on my available budget.
• Continue to network and spread the word about my book.
• Lose sixty pounds. (If I’m going to pimp myself, I should look as good as possible.)

This plan should set me up for success whether I get an agent or not. Who knows, embarking on this mission may be the deciding factor that gets an agent’s attention. Either way, I will move forward. Warlock’s Wake will be on shelves in the foreseeable future.

Ending Tune: Just Another Psycho, by Motley Crue

New art is coming as soon as I can pay the artist, probably mid January. A few interactive functions will be added soon, like the rating system I use at Shannonthomas.org.

I’ve also updated all of the plugin and installation files for this blog, ensuring everything is as up to date and secure as possible. Readers won’t see the effects of this, but it needed to be done.

The sample chapter has also been replaced with an updated version.

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