BORING POST AHEAD

I haven't been around here much because I've been so busy. Irecently realized I'm working 14 – 16 hours a day, seven days a week.  Not good. But several projects were puton hold for the release of The Orchard, and I'm playing catch-up.  It was an interesting fall. I had abook released by a major house, a book released by an indie press, and my ownself-published titles.  I hate tosay which did the best. Self-pubbed.  Anne Frasier. I'm shocked. Really. So I've kicked up my productivity,pulled Belfry Press off the backburner, and have been working night and day onmy backlist titles. Three more going up soon, but I also want to get some newmaterial out there. By June I hope to have my second memoir available indigital form. By fall I hope to have the first book of my cat trilogy released.My agent is shopping an Anne Frasier partial right now, but I have no confidence inselling it because I keep hearing that nobody is buying partials anymore.  Three years ago an agent (not mine) chewed me out for even considering submitting a partial.
So, say you write the entire thing, then submit to apublishing house. What does that get you? The purpose of an advance is money to live on while you write. Well,that's what it used to be. If a publisher buys a complete ms, you'll have towait a year or two for the release, then another year or two before it paysanything, if it pays at all. Or you self-publish it and readers have the bookin their hands without waiting years, and you begin making money on it.  And your name stays out there.  Readers don't forget you.
 I think thebiggest thing for me, and this is HUGE, is the knowledge that I'm not workingon something that I'm going to have to shop for a year once it's finally done,then stick in a drawer because it didn't sell. I can finish the book, publishedthe book, and move on to the next adventure.  When I think of all the books I didn't write over thespan of my career, it makes me sad. I no longer have to not write a book.
I've tried to figure out what it would take for me to signwith a major house right now. I don't know. Everything is so weird! It makes menervous to think of doing this without major-house support, but …
With a major, you sign and kiss the book goodbye. It's nolonger your book.  It's a productyou sold to someone. And in some cases, that's perfectly fine.  The Orchard is gone. It's not my book.I'm not sure it will ever be my book again, but that's okay. It's more thanokay. The publishing house was able to get the word out there in a way I couldnever have done in a million years. But I like the idea of being in control ofmy art from beginning to end. And I like the idea of the stories always beingmine.  I like the idea of notpassing my art through a window and waving goodbye.   The other thing I love about digital publishing is thata book is never finished. Writers have long suffered with stories that neverfeel done. We turn them in, then kick ourselves. Damn, why didn't I add thisline?   Or we're doing a reading and come upon a typo.  We were stuck with the stories thatwould always feel unfinished. Now, even if we don't do it, we know we can simplyupload a new file.