Update on Familiar

Familiar, the current working title for what was originally called The Water Stone (and may be called that eventually) is currently checking in at 95,500 words. That breaks down to 32 chapters and 460 pages when formatted to PDF. If you want to read a copy or some partial chapters, I have versions available in PDF for printing (recommend: spiral binding, double-sided, black and white for about $40 at Staples), ePub (for iPads), and mobi (for Kindle). Haven't had a Nook request, but I'm sure that is doable. Got to love Scrivener! If you are writing a book, you need to check that software out.

I'm still stuck in the self-imposed nether land of deciding whether to revise my perpetually-changing query letter or going the self-publishing route. Publishing is undergoing a radical change with the consumer adoption of e-readers and tablets, so the self-publishing route is more appealing these days. That doesn't mean a physical book couldn't be produced, but it would most likely be available through a print-on-demand outfit, such as Lulu.

Some quick thoughts on the choices ...

Pros of self-publishing:

• No agent fee (15% flat)
• No waiting for an agent to respond to a query letter
• No waiting for an agent to entice a publisher
• No dealing with a publisher tweaking the content (in a bad way)
• No waiting for it to be published according to the publisher's schedule

Cons:

• All marketing is dependent on me (and friends and family)
• Have to pay for a "real" editor to get rid of all that grammar/tense/word repetition stuff that still lurks in the pages
• No support of a publisher (though that support is probably minimal except for a lucky few)

Thanks to everybody who has read Familiar in its various forms and provided feedback, and as always, if you know an agent, are married to one, or work out with one in a gym, put in a good word.

A final note, I'm thinking of serializing the manuscript (shouldn't officially call it a book if not published) on this site ... or at least some of the early chapters. Will make that decision sometime soon.

PS: If you know Dave Gillis, tell him he deserves no royalties on the family name. Also, tell him to backcheck for a change.

PPS: There are two chapters of the sequel, so if interested in seeing them in somewhat rough form, let me know. Chloe really shines early on in that one.