u/Gaslit_Chicken

I've been fighting this manuscript for about 6 months. I thought it was ready back then, but I was really wrong. With the help of a professional editor, the book has added another 8k words and has transformed into something worth pursuing. It is amazing how helpful a good editor can be. It's still a few chunks from being done with the edit, but it's moving fast and I expect it to be presentable again in a few weeks.

This brings up that question again about where to publish this. It's a full 94k book with a series of 6-8 planned. I've been working on a pod cast revealing some of the backstory to try to promote it (that is a dragging project... no where near as fun to work on as the manuscript is).

So, I am soon to be faced with the question of traditional vrs self-publishing. The traps have me terrified, like getting an agent that signs me into a publisher that low-balls it and lets it sit on a shelf. Or the converse, self publish only to not know how to locate the market.

I'd love to hear some ideas about self vs trad publishing from some people that have done it already.

I've wanted to do this since I was a kid, but was talked out of it by a friend of the family who built helicopters... I was safe in my ignorance. Then Youtube had to show me they'd solved that issue.

The Experience Flight scheduled for next week. I'm terrified. Zipping around in the sky on a lawn chair strapped to a Cuisinart.. OMG that sounds like so much fun! How the F! am I going to afford one?!?! Talking with the instructor dashed my hopes that he'd dissuade me. Now I'm obsessing.

That is where this post lands. I have a small public field not far from me. He mentioned that he'd flown there a lot and that it was ripe with people that may want to go in with me on a ship; though I am not sure I want a partner yet. I would like to start connecting with the locals, but I'm still stuck trying to figure out how to find the community.

Anyone have any pointers?

I'm trying sous vide again, and picked up this LEM. I tried my first recipe (Asparagus and bratworst) and had air issues. I use their bags and the auto setting. Next round I'll try a manual setting, and have some OEM bags coming.

This this just a crap machine or am I just doing something wrong?