I was right

Not long ago, I had a three book deal with a traditional publisher. Even though sales for the first book were great, they didn't do anything to promote my second book and I decided to get out of my contract with them.

In the months since I launched A Long Thaw on my own, I've wondered whether that was the smartest way to go. I wanted control over how my work was marketed but I didn't really know if I could do it by myself. Here's what I said back in March: 

"Getting that agent to help negotiate the contract may have been the best $100 I ever spent. Instead of allowing my publisher to hold the rights for my book for ten years, I get them back in two. This means I can rerelease A Long Thaw, the book my publisher didn't promote, and see if I can do a better job."

Well the reports are in: I've already sold more books in the past four months than the publisher managed to sell in an entire year. I guess I'm done wondering if I made the right decision.

If you'd like to take a look at my debut, Monsoon Season, it's being sold by Hachette. My next book, Finding Charlie, will be out in the coming months.

Stop supporting sweat shops

My most recent blog post about this got the least amount of traffic. I think it's a subject that makes people uncomfortable. They don't want to think about it.

So let's talk about it again.

The reason sweat shops exist is that corporations are greedy and the reason they get away with it is that consumers are greedy.

We're also isolated and aren't forced to think about where our cheap stuff comes from. If it all came with a warning label with a picture of the exploitation it supported, we might not buy it.

I'm not interested in making people feel hopelessly guilty. Let's share some solutions. Buying sweatshop free means paying the real cost of things. In my last blog, I explained how to search for US made products on Amazon and wait for them to go on sale.

Here's another: I just spent $50 on boring underwear at American Apparel because their products are made in America, sweat shop free.

I've also found etsy.com is helpful, especially with gift buying. Their site will allow you to search for American artisans in your state.

If anyone has other tips to share, I'm always on the lookout.