Ten years ago today, I gave myself a birthday present.
I self-published my first book, It Was Only on Stun!
In some ways, it was self-indulgent, but it was mostly a matter of prudence. At the time, I had an agent trying to schlep A Pius Man around to Doubleday, at a time when Doubleday was going through acquisition agents like Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer blew through thugs. My agent had been going the rounds on this foe over two years, and we seem to be getting nowhere—I was the hamster on the wheel.
So, a decade ago, I got off the wheel, and hit the button on Stun!
Since then, I’ve published… one second…
2 Dystopias
1 Nonfiction book on IRA songs
1 Murder mystery with my father.
1 parody
Check my math, that’s 29, right? (Yes, I’m at the point where I don’t trust myself with basic math).
That’s not even counting the short stories and anthologies I’ve been a part of.
So, 29 books published, and 4 more that I gave to Silver Empire over a year ago, (one of which would be out by now if Amazon weren’t screwed up) so let’s split the difference and call it 30 books in ten years (because an average of 3 books a year sounds better than 2.9).
It’s just that, looking back on the whole thing, makes me realize just what a long freaking road this has been.
A Pius Man — represented once. Dropped by agent. Picked up by another agent. Then I dropped the agent, self published, then picked up by Silver Empire.
Honor at Stake, of course, is the strangest of the books. Published once—publisher died. Self-published. Dragon Award Nominated. Picked up by Silver empire.
Anyway, if you’d like to give me a gift for my birthday, may I suggest that you pick any book of mine that you haven’t reviewed, and just leave a review—even if it’s just to say “I liked it.” Because I really will take those, on Amazon or Goodreads, or wherever you find my books.
Though you could could also vote for White Ops in best SF in the Dragon Awards. It’s not like that costs anything.
Anyway, be well all. I’ll be busy on … things. Many things.