For about seven years my wife and I were stuck in a situation that prevented us from doing anything meaningful. I don't want to go into too much but will share that it was a family member that, in effect, held us hostage by means of manipulation and forced us to work toward her own ends. Nothing illegal, just a terrible person and a narcissist with a mixture of psychotic and sociopathic traits.
We've been free from it for about a year now but are still trying to get our lives sorted out to provide for ourselves with a seven year gap in meaningful job experience.
I have a part time job but I feel that God is strongly calling me to write, so I've been pounding away at finishing a fantasy novel as fast as I can so I can send it to a publisher that I have a working relationship with. It is a quality one that has a wide distribution network that also handle marketing while leaving me with all of the rights and a good share of the sales profit. Only, they charge for the first print run which would be another matter due to novels costing $20K to get started.
My wife felt led to seek employment to take some financial burden off of me and allow me to focus more on writing, but she was just informed that she didn't get what she applied for due to others having more experience.
It's been a rough eight years and I could really use some prayers from my fellow anons as we continue to try to sort things out. Encouragement and helpful advice would also be nice.
You shared with the right frogs fren.
Dear father in heaven, we know that you desire for us to draw closer to you all of the time, but especially in times of trouble. We thank you for setting Rando and his wife free to pursue their gifts and dreams and we ask that you also give them mental clarity and wisdom as they work to find what you meant for them to be. In Jesus' holy name we praise you and thank you for your blessings.
As for advice, it sounds like this could be a vanity press type situation unless they are guaranteeing a certain payoff. One of the awesome things about the internet is that it gives power in the form of options to the little guy. I bet you could find a website that could give you the exposure that you need to get your name out there and make a bit of money as well. I say this because my father wrote a book before he died and the publishing company turned out to be a scam. All they wanted/needed was to take advantage of peoples dreams. If you're paying for everything up front, you might be better off buying 20k worth of lottery tickets. I love you frog.
The publisher that I've been considering actually has an established record and has published some pretty well known books. I'd share their name, but I personally know the president of the publisher and don't want to share info that might allow people to figure out who I am on the forum.
And thanks for the prayers.
Love you man, all the best to and yours