Hubby Speaks...or moves his lips anyway.

Spotlight or Darkness?

Maybe it's none of my business, but Nada has been relating to me the group's conversations about whether to self-publish or go the traditional route. Be serious, is there one among us who would turn down the opportunity to be promoted and published by an existing, mainstream publishing house? I don't think so.

I thought that self-publishing was the alternative when one could get no positive response from a literary agent, publisher, or submissions to magazines, etc. The notion that they are in any way equal is rediculous, and personally, if I could get serious, dedicate the time, I would be submitting my work for mainstream publication, and looking for an agent. I have no delusions, I know how hard it would be, and I'm very proud of Nada's accomplishment. As for all my buddies living in my new community, the next time I see your name, I want it to be on a bookshelf, and your face on the "Today Show", and your voice through an intercom box in front of your closed wrought-iron gates, protecting your slate-roofed country manor, paid for by your runaway best seller.

Nada just read this entry before I sent it out, and she asked me, "Do you want to discourage people from self-publishing?" No. it's an alternative, but if you share my desire to be read and enjoyed by as many people as possible, self-promotion and self-publishing is a much more difficult route. Who knows how many geniuses of the word were not appreciated by edititors and publishers of their time? Civilization has no doubt been lesser for it. In our world, we have the opportunity to publish and diseminate our work to more hearts and minds than those few who, protecting their jobs, looking for common denominators, pick and choose whose words will see the light of day. So please, write, share and be courageous...because you never know whether or not you will find an audience.

It's Sunday morning and I'm going to take several hours and catch up reading your entries, and for the first time, comment on them. Not that I expect you to be holding your breath, because I have not exactly been reliable in the past, and my comments aren't that eagerly anticpated. However this morning I am going to work on becoming a better, virtual citizen.

Therefore, time to start reading......