Hallooo, is there anyone out there?

I don't know how many millions of people, dogs or cats troll the internet, but I know it's a crap-house.

Every writer aspires to being published or they wouldn't write. I don't care what they say to cover this deep desire.

I'm writing it for my kids

I'm writing it for myself

I'm writing it for my goldfish.

None of that gels. Anyone who says that is afraid of failure, so they cover their arses with a lame reason for writing.

There is no longer a reason not to publish. We have the internet, an amazing platform to sell and promote anything, even our books.

Self-publishing is no longer seen as vanity publishing--whew, thank God for small mercies. However, every Tom, Dick and Harriet is self-publishing.

What gives you a better chance to stand out from the pack?

A fantastic, unique plot, story? Nope. Every writer thinks they have that, and maybe they do. But, it isn't up to the writer to decide the story is good, They need readers, who give them the star ratings. Ergo, you have to promote your books on the internet, and that's a whole other ball game. I'm mentally challenged in the techno area, so it's a real battle for me to wade through all the internet-speak. Luckily, there are experts to guide us.

Kristen Lamb has a great blog and books, guiding one through the quagmire of promoting your book on the internet.

Smashwords, CEO Mark Coker has free books on how to promote on the internet. You don't get it cheaper than free.

Then we cogitate our navels on where to publish.

Publish on Amazon by all means, millions do, but that is like having one dude with a loudhailer yelling your name, it won't reach all the ears, I mean ebook readers.

There are distributors like Smashwords that send your book to many ebook outlets. Now you have lots of dudes with loudhailers.

However, a good story and promotion alone won't get the readers giving you stars. In fact, the very opposite might happen if you don't have a book that is well edited. And editing is just one aspect.

The first thing to do is get your story edited, edited, edited x by more editing. Then you need a professional, reputable editor. Even editors who publish books use an editor. I know, you've heard this a thousand times, but that should tell you it's important!

I use Inspiration For Writers Inc. The CEO, Sandy Tritt, will use her stable of professional editors to find the best editor for your genre.

Next, I will talk about editing and the best, cheapest approach.