@Erika_Steele - Thank you! This story is close to my heart so I’m thrilled to see it becoming a “real” book!

@Shining_Garnet - it’d be cool if you won! I’d love to know what you thought of it!

@fauquet - thanks! it took a lot of work to reach this point and there were many times I felt like giving up. But I always felt encouraged and supported here and that made a difference!

@ZSA_MD - a small independent publishing house called Word Branch

@ZSA_MD - it’s a cross between traditional and self- they don’t pay you anything up front but you share the profit with them. They pay for the editor, the proofreader, the graphic designer, and the marketing out of their share. They also do all the work getting the book ready for r-readers, get the ISBNs, register it with the Library of Congress, and since you are part of a publishing house, you have the other writers to help you market. It’s the model I think will survive the whole e-reader/self publishing schema and it is one that many traditional houses will move to. Since they publish paperbacks on demand there is no money out for stock that doesn’t sell and since there is no big advances, they can do more with what they have. I really like it. The support they give me is amazing and while I still have to do a lot of self promoting, I’d have to do that with a traditional house. The only downside is the lack of the upfront advance, but even that is shrinking with traditional publishing! Thanks for asking!

@ZSA_MD - with createspace you have to pay them up front for those services, correct? And they aren’t considered a publishing house, but a self-publishing agency. There is a difference. I did look at them when I was considering self-publishing. I don’t pay for any of the above expenses. Right now my books aren’t in the big bookshops- they can order them if they wish- but small independent book stores carry them when people ask them to. It’s still on-demand printing so there isn’t a huge financial risk, though my publishing company is looking as doing small runs for some titles since some of their writers have serious followings.There are some things that being self-published will not allow you to do and there are times when the publisher needs to make requests (for example- being part of some reviews, listed in some publishing mags, etc) so I’m glad I waited and went with a small independent house. My publisher studies trends, etc so they make marketing decisions based on their knowledge and I don’t have to worry about some of it. I still have to market- because everyone does- except famous authors, and even they market! It’s a complicated world- publishing!