Don't ask a question unless you want the answer

Last month I talked about things that it might be kind of nice to do, but that I wasn't doing because I wasn't really doing anything. One of these was, "I imagine it might be nice to publish the book I've written related to the work I used to do as a day job." As I've explained before (for example, here in some detail) I've written the damned thing, and I've talked to several people about how to publish it. But I've taken no action. And in fact the day before I posted "Becalmed," I had wasted some time by asking the Tarot how it would go if I tried to publish with this or that person. I couldn't make anything of the results.

But you may also remember a little over a year ago when I was still wrestling with whether to find a job, I asked a woman on the Internet (Kimberly Steele) who reads Ogham what her reading said I should do. (And she said no, I shouldn't be looking for a regular job.) Why not ask her again? At least it's a way to delay having to make a decision or take any concrete action, … right? What could go wrong?

It took me a while, but late last night I finally sent her the following:

I've written a book about a topic in my professional life, and I've talked to several people about how to publish it but haven't taken the plunge yet. A few weeks ago I asked the Tarot, "What happens if I try to publish with this person? OK, now how about that person?" The answers all looked inconclusive or downright unfavorable, but I don't trust myself to have read them correctly. So I'd like to ask you two questions:

1. Is there a favorable path for me to publish this book AT ALL?

2. If yes, what advice do I need to hear about the way forward?

Thank you,
Hosea Tanatu

And sometime this evening she posted a reply:

Hi Hosea,

My Ogham think you need to go forward with your book.

For 1.) They provide Saille or Flexibility well-dignified. So it's a Yes, but you have to be very flexible and open to multiple ways of publishing and promoting it: eBook, website, podcast, audiobook, even self-publishing... Nothing should be off the table. If you've written the book, the lion's share of the work is done. I myself am a self-published author and the proceeds from my fiction paid for groceries for several years, which was better than my peers who got raked over the coals by Hatchette, Harlequin and other umbrella publishers.

For 2.) They provide Luis or Protection well-dignified. In order to make the book happen, you have to invoke bravery and not be afraid of what others think. Your Holy Guardian Angel is telling you to go forward no matter how absurd and hopeless it may feel at times. It's OK to be pushy on your own behalf. Basically getting this thing out into general circulation is going to be an act of will that will act as one of your major tests in your life. Go forward with confidence and determination and don't allow anyone to stop you. They're often jealous for any variety of reasons and that's a them problem, not a you problem.

Well … that's great. Just great.

Because if she is right—and gosh, I trusted her last year when she said not to look for a job—then I have no more excuses. This is now mandatory. Time to get my ass in gear. In fact, I'm going to be graded on the outcome.

I guess I'm not done with that fantasy of "the hardest school." I just moved on to a new semester with new classes.

Just bloody wonderful.

At least, … now I know ….