By Ann Minnett
Would I like to have a fat contract with a large publishing house? Yes, I would. But I don’t.
I did give Serita’s Shelf Life one last chance at representation by contacting almost seventy agents. I limited contacts to legit agents accepting email submissions in my genre. Three or four rejections came back within hours. Most dribbled in over a few days. Some agents would never contact me as they made clear on agency websites.
About a month later, two agents wanted to read my entire manuscript! I was thrilled because no professional had ever asked to read more of my work. Both let me down gently, and one included a personal note of support.
Another week elapsed with no further responses. If I held onto that manuscript another week, I’d revise chapter numbers, change tense on Serita’s POV, or something equally compulsive, so I self-published Serita’s Shelf Life in late August. Then two more agents requested my manuscript. What?! After a walk in the woods I realized it didn’t matter. Self-publishing is my path, and an agent’s validation or rejection can’t change that.
Oh, I love maturing as a person and writer. BTW Serita’s Shel Life is available in print or as an ebook.
Montana Women Writers 
Having read the manuscript, I know that Serita’s Shelf Life is a terrific read. This delightful novel will do well however it made it to publication. Karen
One of the great perks about self-publishing is that you, the author, have the control over your work. With publishers, you don’t even have total say on your cover. Plus, you save those commissions, and the readers are the ones to judge the story. Both ways of publishing have their pros and cons. I didn’t like waiting for the phone to ring when I was 16. Still don’t. But I love your writing!
Deborah