Actually the biggest boost to my decision was THE call from an agent in response to my query. I had also entered some contests and gotten some critique so I received similar feedback that I am ... doing something different, and it may not be good in a marketable sort of way. Change it, and send me the manuscript.

This is the right time, as opposed to years ago, to weigh publishing options. I'm told all the time I read the 'wrong' web sites, but this self-publishing thing seemed like something I could do. Would this work contradict a vision of seeing hundreds of copies of my hardbound edition stacked on a table at B&N? I don't have that vision. I can clearly see my mountain of Stephen King's It from when I worked in a bookstore, and packing a lot of them up to be returned.

Monetarily, I also weighed the options, since making a lot of money could lead me to reconsider writing to the formula instead of my freestyle way of throwing all sorts of things into a story. The average author earns $500 a year. That means many earn less. Wait - there's more info that makes this not sound so dire, the median unagented advance is $3500, and the median agented advance is $6000 (or $5100 to you, $900 to agent). To earn more than the advance, that book needs to sell enough to earn the advance back, and then you can receive royalties - the book may not come out till 18-24 months after you sign with a publisher. So if you're on the right path, you're working on book 2, while you're living large on $5100 for about 3 years. If you've been querying for a long time, it might add years into the process - how long did it take to get that agent?

Good news though, if your publisher contracted with you to have first look at Book 2, and likes it, the median advance for multiple works authors is $12,500 with an agent, $7,250 without. You're the Gatsby of authors now, tweet that!

Sharon from New Jersey
The End of the World Sucks