It’s a hard go of it if you’re a self-published author, which I am. There is the burden of stigma regarding self-publishing, much of it deserved I might add, you have to overcome, so that your work has to go beyond good.

All promotion and sales are in your own hands. It is a well-known statistic that most self-published authors will only sell 25 copies of their work, and that to family and friends.

Most periodicals of any merit won’t give a self-published author consideration or coverage, so trying to gain broad literary notice or acclaim is difficult, usually resulting in wider but less credible Internet promotion.

Many literary awards are closed to self-published authors, and hence any hope of added a cachet to your work diminishes.

Given all this, I’m quite astonished I’ve managed, in just over a year, to achieve some rather considerable gains. I’ve worked hard to polish my work, and given the response from readers it would seem I’ve achieved that goal. While most self-published authors sell only 25 copies of their work, to date I’ve sold 55 copies of And the Angels Sang, which was released in September 2008, and 209 copies of Shadow Song, which was released in August 2008, quite solidly smashing that statistic in only a few short months. It should be noted that in Canada, in order for a book to be considered a best-seller, 5000 copies have to be sold. I’m working on that.

As to press coverage, while my books haven’t garnered the notice of the Toronto Star, National Post, Globe and Mail, Calgary Herald or Ottawa Citizen, I have received solid and positive coverage from the Orangeville Banner, Orangeville Citizen, Owen Sound Sun Record, In the Hills Magazine, Hanover Post, Barrie Examiner, Kitchener Record, Guelph Mercury, and been interviewed on A Channel Morning, Cable 6 News, 560 CFOS AM Radio, and 101FM, as well as online through Chapters Community member reviews, Mini Book Expo, Author’s Den, and a myriad of other blogs, social networks, and email discussion groups.

No small achievement, if I do say so. And now this is where you come in.

It usually takes all year for literary awards to be determined, and this year is no exception. There are two of note in the Canadian SF&F world, the Prix Aurora and the Sunburst. It seems both And the Angels Sang and Shadow Song are eligible. Both books have now been submitted to the jury for the Sunburst. However, the Prix Aurora is a popular vote award, not unlike the Hugo Award.

In order for either And the Angels Sang or Shadow Song to be considered for the Prix Aurora, the books have to be nominated. To quote from the Prix Aurora website:

Nomination: The Nominating period is from January 1st, 2009 to February 28th, 2009. The online Nomination form on this site is now active. A .pdf version of the Nominating ballot is available on the same page for those who prefer to mail-in their nominations. At the end of this period the Short List (the 5 people/organizations who received the highest number of nominations in each category) will be posted and will be on the voting ballot.

Voting: The Voting period is from March 1st to July 15th. The online Voting form on this site will become active at the same time. We plan to mail out Voting ballots along with the Anticipation PR4 to all members who are Canadian residents (and to those few we know are Canadian citizens but reside out of the country). This should get done in the Spring of 2009. (This year’s online Voting form, with its payment provision through PayPal, will be both simplified and strengthened).

If you’ve read either And the Angels Sang or Shadow Song, liked them, I’m asking your indulgence should you decide to attend this year’s Anticipation, Canvention 29; please nominate either or both And the Angels Sang and Shadow Song and vote for them. Why? Because it’s possible for David to overcome Goliath. Because if you paint with a big brush, on a big canvas, in full colour spectrum, it’s possible to achieve the unimaginable.