Can it have been a month since the last post?
Oh, yes. The holidays, perhaps the handiest excuse for inactivity.
My question to myself has been sitting there, sitting there, day after day: Self publish or traditional?
In favor of traditional publishing: It’s traditional. People have been making a living at it for pushing 600 years (not counting the monks working the vellum). Somebody out there knows the many-more-than a few hundred people I could contact by myself. Somebody knows how the business is done. Right?
Well, maybe not. I see randomness, chaos and poorly executed fundamental practices.
So, self-publish, right?
Umm … maybe. Amazon’s out there throwing business models on the wall to see if they stick. One can self publish, hard copy publish, audio-book publish, get reviews from other writers, offer up completed books for reviews … all on Amazon. I think of Amazon as an avuncular alligator, happily consuming writers’ products as long as market share keeps rising. As self publishing flattens, as it reportedly has, does the alligator tear off your arm for a snack? (Pardon my mutilation of metaphor.)
Dunno. A couple more contests coming up. More queries. Freshen up the platform (Ugh!) Who knows? Soon, I may get writing again.
Pilgrimage 
Good analysis – but I feel like traditional is the way to go except that we can’t always count on it. It’s like saying, “Should I try to win the lottery, or should I try to earn money on my own?” Yes, if you can figure out a way to win the lottery, then by all means, do so. But until then, earn your own money! I’m hopeful that self-publishing will become more and more accepted and viable.
Thanks for a good comment. I, too, am hoping self publish will gel into something worthwhile.