what to do...what to do

As the new year approaches and I think about writing and publishing I find myself wondering what to do.

Well, I need to write, of course.  My WIP, Dodge, is sort of stalled right now. Oh, I know where it needs to go next--I'm just avoiding it. I can't find the excitement I've had when in the midst of writing any of my other books. Maybe it's just the busy holiday season finally coming to a close.

Maybe it's the anticipation of meeting up with Logan after the New Year arrives and possibly getting some help with one of my finished books. That would be nice--very nice in fact. I'm not holding my breath, nor am I expecting anything other than an enjoyable session or two discussing books and agents and publishers--hopefully getting some tangible feedback.

I'm pretty discouraged on the query front. Check that...I'm real discouraged with how the querying has gone thus far. The slushpile thing ain't working out for me, that's for damn sure. I know I should go to conferences and actually meet some of these people but that just isn't going to happen in the near future.

It makes me think maybe I suck at this writing thing. Except I don't...not really...but it gets under a guy's skin, you know...

And...I'm becoming more and more intrigued with the idea of self publishing some of my work as e-books. Smashwords seems to have a very accessible platform and their e-distribution format looks like they've got most if not all of the bases covered.

But do I have the grit to learn all of the promotional stuff and stick with it? The only things I've ever sold on the internet were on e-Bay!

What would you pay for a copy of Ferris' Bluff or The Storm Glass or First Murder?

And what about...if I do dive into the e-book ocean...what about having real printed copies for all the folks who haven't embraced the Kindle or the Nook, or any of a half dozen other e-readers I saw in the stores before Christmas--not to mention the I-Pad! Apple is projecting sales of 34 MILLION I-Pads in 2011. Granted it's not a dedicated e-reading platform, but it beats being hunched over a computer monitor.

Are we at the cusp of a true paradigm shift in writing and publishing? I think so...but I don't KNOW so.

What to do. What to do.