Wrote a book? Try selling it.

The big discovery this week is that traditional publishers aren't my only roadblock; traditional booksellers are too. I made this discovery while trying to arrange a book signing for my novel. In the process I learned a few things:

* It is nearly impossible to garner interest in a new unknown fiction writer; you can advertise but people will ignore it and not attend the signing. Apparently they want to be sure the event is worth their time and that they are not wasting their money. 

* The booksellers will buy books for the signing on consignment but will not advance money to pay for them; this means the author must foot the bill, not something I can do easily.

* The bookseller will alternatively buy books for the signing from the publisher but they have to be returnable. My publisher, as a small press, does not accept returns. 

* The sum of all these points means that a new author cannot, in all likelihood, arrange book signings to promote his or her book This leaves very few avenues open.

So I'm back to square one and spending time thinking about what I can do for now. Frankly, I think the best thing I can do to promote my work, at the moment, is to keep writing and release more of my work to the public.