The decision to self publish

About five years ago, on a dare from a friend, I sent out two chapters of a novel I had been working on to one of Canada's most important literary agents. The novel was to be a funny, darkly satirical look at academia. To my surprise, she called me about three weeks later and told me she wanted to take me on. Visions of huge advances danced through my head, as I knew that many of the authors she represented were getting large contracts and making big money.  I finished the book and she tried, with all her might, to get someone to take it on. Harper Collins thought it was wonderful, but didn't have quite the right niche for it. More accolades followed, from publisher after publisher, yet the novel remained in the drawer, unread, unappreciated, except by my agent, and unpublished. In the meantime, I began another novel, still in progress. But the first one haunted me from within the drawer, where it sat, gathering dust. I finally decided that I couldn't really move on with the second novel until the first one was in print, and in the hands of readers. Another friend told me of his experiences with Lulu. I decided to get on board. So far even the decision to self publish has had an enormously invigorating effect. I revised the last chapter, and embarked on the adventure. In this blog I will spill the beans about how it works, the process, the heartaches, the headaches, and with any luck, the successes. See you next time.