This is a guest post from M. Elias Keller, author of Strange Case of Mr. Bodkin & Father Whitechapel.  Having recently independently published a novel, I’ve come upon plenty of “how-to” or “what-not-to-do” articles about the process. Most of the advice is sound enough—yes, you must proofread your work until your eyeballs vomit—but I haven’t found many articles that target serious writers who are trying to accomplishing more than seeing their name in print.  An author published by a large publishing house is, in a way, an employee. The company has invested in the author’s work and the author is compensated based on product sales. If sales meet certain benchmarks, the company continues to invest in the employee—if not, the author… [read more]