h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Sort of.

I've set myself some deadlines to actually try and get this novel finished, and I've been mostly making them. The first deadline was to get chapter nine ready for first proper going over by the end of July, and I've managed that. It's the 31st now and I'm even 600 or so words into the start of chapter 10, which I've set the deadline of the end of August for. There's only two more chapters planned after that, one a month including also getting the previous ones into first draft status. So I'm hoping that by the end of October I'll have a book that I'll be happy for people to look at with the aspiration that they'll pay me to publish it.

Yes, I can dream.

I have been seriously looking into the pros and cons of self publishing again, and each year that has gone past since I started writing this book (there's about ten of them!!) the pros have increased and the cons have decreased.
The only cons left really are getting the book into high street stores, what few of them are left. Having someone else deal with things like taxes, which itself is getting easier. And having a marketing department promote the book for me.

Now the thing is, I'm not totally sure it's worth it. Authors don't get a lot of money from each sale, and they say that if you're in it for the money you shouldn't be in it. I'm not, I'm in it because I do love to write. But I've got lots of ideas floating around my head, and half finished projects, that I'd like to be able to get paid enough from one of them to quit the day job and spend more time on the rest.

So, the majority of a few sales could well be more financially than a small amount of a lot of sales. Or I could sell the book cheap and hope more people buy it. I really don't know.
I do keep thinking that I should give the self publishing a go, and try getting an agent if it doesn't work. But I've also been told that they won't touch anything that's been published elsewhere before.

Confusing isn't it?

Still, I should get back to writing it.

I've read several articles in the past on boingboing, especially by Corey Doctorow on the subject (or at least near the subject) of publishing and he always seems interesting in new authors. You might have a look around at some of the things he's written about it and maybe even start up a dialogue.

*interestED

There's a huge amount of stuff out there, and I shall certainly look up the one you mention.

The wife is also a budding writer, and has been getting magazines for years with hints and tips. But I can't help thinking when I read them that they're slightly out of date. They did a special edition last year on how to write a blog.