After reading this article...I don't feel so bad about agents not interested in my book. Check out this article from TIME.

Want to read more? It's really interesting.
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1873122,00.html

EW, I loved the article! As an author who had this conundrum with traditional publishing: publishers wanted writers who had an agent, agent wanted authors who had been published, I was in a hurry to get my book out... if it was the last thing I did if I did not survive the cancer. (dramatic, really, but true) so I used not "vanity" publishing but Print-on-Demand with Authorhouse. What I loved about the article is that independent authors such as myself will get the respect we deserve. While indie publishing is not the way to get rich and famous, if you have a message you feel compelled to bring to an audience and/or you have a form of entertainment that an audience enjoys, ie. fantasy lit or romance novels, then indie is a way to go. Also, whose reviews matters most? Would you, as an author, prefer a review by some high-brow literary magazine with carefully crafted reviews created to SELL books for publishers, or do you really want to reach readers, who then will tell it from the heart how they feel about your book? I have a couple of literary reviews, but the ones that reach me are the short little emails that tell me my book inspired someone to make changes for the better. Also, this article makes me think of Chatty, who as an editor can appeal to those who want to publish their books on Kindle. (Chatty, you should check out the writers on the Kindle threads on Amazon or approach Authorhouse to be an editor they recommend) Anyway, I'm getting too long here, I just like the concept that publishing is not for elite writers. It used to be that READING was for the aristocrats, and the peasants were not literate. I like to see modern changes, evolution for all.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/books/28selfpub.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=publishing&st=cse

The above is a link to a New York Times article on the same topic, how the publishing industry is changing. The comments on the article are very interesting.

Wow Princess. This really impressed me. Now instead of studying which agent to submit to, maybe it's better to check out which self-publishing company to work with.
But also the comment about there being more authors than readers,...does make you think. Is this worth all the hassle? Did you read that the average number of sales for a self published book is around 150? Can you confirm this? If this question is too personal, please just ignore it.

Hi EW, I have no idea how many "self-published" books other writers sell. I know that I've sold way more than that. I know that self-published does not mean much to me when it comes to the purpose of the book. I mean, if I had a cookbook of my grandmother's recipes, I would not care to achieve sales. Or a cook book for a fundraiser. So, I guess the stats include those books in the count, which lowers the sales. I always get encouraged by the books that were self-published and got picked up by other publishers, such as Chicken Soup for the Soul, A Child Called "It", and historically speaking, Abe Lincoln, Ralph Waldo Emerson, etc. I can tell you this: my e-book version sells better than print. I guess everyone is reading at their computers.

Good point, Princess. Statistics can give a very wrong picture.
I really appreciate you sharing your author experiences. Glad to hear your e-book is selling good.
I'm going to use up my stamps that I bought for the queries and the return envelopes...and if no more go...then I will give up. Hey, all good card players and smart authors know when to run.

Hey ladies didn't I read sometime awhile ago about one of our ladies starting a Publishing House and that she was looking for material. I seem to think her name was Carol something or other. This could be the answer to your prayers Edelweiss if we can figure out who that was. Dotsie do you remember? I am researching some old posts and hopefully can find it.

EW, the profile picture on your web site is classy, and beautiful. Is it you? Was it a picture taken in a studio? Your hair is different now? I like the way you combined all your talents into one web site. Those query letters, grumble, grumble grumble. IN the USA we do have a book on the best seller list (Still Alice) and it is by a woman who gave up on query and went to self-publishing. An agent was lurking on "independent authors" sites (just like independent movie studios, with no major corporation and investors) and the agent took a liking to the story. My dream come true! So, if you are sick and tired of the query system, shall we talk about print-on-demand? I'll be glad to help. Chatty, do you mean Carolyn Johnson Howard, or Carolyn Harold Johnson, of the Frugal Promo... books, once a featured author here?

I was 52 when the picture was taken. It's 8 years later,...but I thought the picture looked typical of pictures on book jackets. Yes, it was taken in a studio.
Princess, I would love to talk to you about 'print on demand'. That is what I'll probably end up doing. But I just ordered 120 dollars worth of self stamped envelopes to slip into my query letters...so I want to use them up first. Princess, may I send you a copy of my query letter? I would love to hear any suggestions or critique. It's only a page long.
Please let me know. I could post it to you.

Chatty, I remember someone mentioning that too, but haven't seen her around anymore. Didn't she live in Florida? I'm not sure.

Ladies I have a small publishing business. I'm new to it but I've studied for over a year now about how to go about it. I've been going slowly but would love to chat with you all about it if you're interested.