Self-Publishing Online

Who says you need a New York publisher to sell novels? Who says you even need physical copies of your book?

More and more writers, many of whom are rejected by agents and publishers, are finding an audience online. Most self-published books won't sell hundred of thousands of copies the way this one has. In fact, almost none will.

All the same, a small to medium advertising budget and a low selling price (such as 99 cents) can attract attention. The tale of how text finds reader may lack the romantic appeal of E. Lynn Harris selling books from his car trunk or at beauty parlors, but any Internet user knows online rejection can sting quite a bit less than an angry or flustered "No!"

Which is not to say you can't still drop by one of the remaining independent bookstores to be rejected in person. Plus, you can console yourself by buying an espresso, which you won't have to make, while you're there.