The Experiment: The Leap of Faith

I have applied to an independant publisher to print The Artifact.

This does not mean I've given up on self-publishing. In fact, the publisher I have applied to is more like full-service printer than a publisher; although they pay a royalty on sales, they do not charge for their services.

Most of the decision-making regarding the Artifact, if it is accepted for publishing, will be left up to me. And I will still be pretty much solely responsible for the distribution & marketing of the book.

So why have I chosen to go with an indie instead of doing it myself?

Well, the painful cost of the self-publishing, for one.

For another, the publisher in question comes highly recommended by someone whose opinion I trust.

Thirdly, the more money I have to put into the marketing campaign, the better I can make that campaign.

I'm still not 100% sure that I'm going to go with the publisher if I'm accepted. Why? Because I want to keep my options open as long as I can. So far, the next leading candidate in my quest to self publish is one that would still cost me upwards of $1500 USD. However, they would guarantee a 40% royalty, providing I sell my book at their suggested retail price (Unfortunately, their SRP for a book the size of The Artifact is quite high--perhaps even inaccessibly so).

The problem is one of self-doubt and second-guessing. I realize that whatever I decide will either make or break The Artifact. If I go with this publisher and it's a mistake, my book will tank. However, the same is true if I pick the wrong POD or full-service printer. And as marketing and distribution are going to be key to this project's success, if for whatever reason my printed / published book is not acceptible to the distributor, I'm fucked.

I've heard people talk about having a "What the fuck am I doing?" moment; skydivers when they're leaning halfway out the airplane door; bungee jumpers after leaping from the platform. Me, back when I did drugs, the first time I dosed on LSD.

It is a moment when a person is making a leap of faith: one that they cannot come back from. Whatever happens from that point on will happen solely because of that one act, that one decision. The parachute will open, or it will fail. The bungee cord will stretch, or it will snap. The drugs will stew your brain, or they won't. The Artifact will succeed, or it will fail.

Perhaps I should clarify my criteria for success: I want to sell enough books to establish myself as an author; to garner enough readers to create a demand for my works and to make back whatever money I invest in the project.

Anything above those three criteria will quite literally be more than I dare hope for.