As I’m writing this blog, I’ve now sent out over two dozen queries to literary agencies, looking for representation for my first novel, Artifact of the Dawn. Finding an agent is merely one of the many steps on the journey of trying to become a published author.

I could have just self-published this novel, which is the route I chose for the children’s book I wrote a few years ago, Dittle Little Lion and Dittle Little Bear, the Adventure to Coconut Island. I am more than familiar enough with the process of self-publishing now. Holding the first copy of that book in my hands and receiving the official copyright notice from the US Copyright Office was a great accomplishment for me at the time. I know many new authors these days are opting to self-publish.

However, I will admit that marketing is not one of my strong suits, and that’s a very important part of self-publishing. Also, I feel that if a literary agency and publisher found my novel worthy of their resources, it would give me a certain sense of validation that self-publishing never could. To be viewed by industry professionals as worthy of publication definitely makes a statement.

I’m not trying to suggest that self-published novels aren’t as good, or even better, than published ones. There is a lot of effort in either approach.

I’ve just decided that being professionally published is a goal I am trying to achieve. I will exhaust every option available in doing so, and if those efforts all fail, then I know that self-publishing is still an option available to me. Becoming professionally published is one of the many things remaining in my bucket list, which is why I have chosen to go this route first.

Regardless of the outcome, Artifact of the Dawn will be published one day, hopefully soon!