I know a lot of us here are self-publishing; some by choice, some by necessity. If you have been searching for an agent, don't let your eagerness and excitement at such a prospect get the best of you. That excitement should not lead you into jumping at the first agent that dangles a contract. Make sure the agent is a good fit, for you and your work. Give the agent the same level of scrutiny that he/she is going to give your manuscript. Once you've done this, don't ignore any warning signs that indicate a particular agent may not be the best for your book. I learned the hard way that all agents and all publishers are not created equal.

I am weeks away from the paperback release of my book and getting increasingly nervous and excited. I woke up early this morning. As has been my habit of late, I rushed to my computer to check e-mail, anxiously awaiting word that the digital proof of my book was ready. It wasn't. But I did find an e-mail about a discussion thread I had been following on Linked In and found a recommendation from a fellow author to check out BookieJar.

Now, six hours later, the eBook of my novel "Harvest of the Heart" is available for purchase! It happened in the blink of an eye, at least in publishing time. My book launch and marketing and all the rest will happen as planned, but now my book is out there, in stealth mode, and I get to start gauging the reaction of the reading public.

Thanks BookieJar!