Self-Publishing — I've had a lot of queries about this.

Other than the role of ebooks in the publishing industry, nothing stokes the passion of bookies of every stripe (Meyer Lansky's ilk excluded) than self-publishing. Loved or loathed, it's here to stay. And done well, it's great.

First a little historical prospective: our greatest poet Walt Whitman self-published LEAVES OF GRASS. Not only did he set the type, he wrote his own reviews, sent out promo copies (the one to Emerson is the most famous), and remained his own best promoter. So there you have it.

Like everything else, from bit coins to YouTube do-it-yourself videos to creating your own photo album online to global warming, self-published fiction, nonfiction, and poetry are here to stay. The book market, like every other market, is a messy, unruly, unpredictable affair with winners and losers. It involves luck (lots of it), imaginative marketing, and patience. And BTW, the internet is your friend.

But it also involves good books: books that are imaginative, well written, well edited, proofread, and—oh, how I hate to mention this—spell-checked.

The indie/small press world is a great place to be. Without it, talented writers might spend years simply trying to find an agent. So, go ahead, break a leg, wait a decent period, and write your memoir: HOW I BROKE MY LEG AND BROKE INTO PUBLISHING.