September 2, 2021

Of Gilded Flesh will be the last book I self-publish. Not because I found an agent who believes in me or a publishing house that finds my work worthy of investment. No, to put it simply, I hate self-publishing.

The last nine years spent getting my three books into print has given me no reward. Sure, I've made a few friends along the way, but my stressful, often heartbreaking efforts have been utterly fruitless. The metaphorical branches are barren and the tree is dying. All that remains are the roots - the writing - and I need to nurture them (and myself) back to health.

It's been no secret that I'm a traditional kind of guy, as a quick perusal of my archived blog posts will reveal. My venture into self-publishing was a rash decision that came from a place of anxiety (that I would never be published at all). Now, in hindsight, I feel if I had stuck with just the writing and the queries and the rejection in the traditional way, I would've eventually seen at least one of my stories or manuscripts accepted for publication between 2012 and today. And that would have led to a far more rewarding writing-life.

So, back to the basics. I look forward to being rejected by agents and publishers again - a much better feeling than the emptiness I've been left with otherwise. I'm confident that one day in the next nine years one of my queries will lead to publication. Will that lead to a best-seller in my future? Don't know, don't care. At the very least, the process will make me feel like a real writer, again.

My current books will still be available for anyone's reading enjoyment. While there will be some changes to my platform in the coming months, I will maintain my website and continue my newsletter. I hope you'll stay with me on this journey.

As always, thanks for reading.

Gordon Gravley

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