If you're a writer and you want to publish a book, you don't just have one shot at success. That might have been true about 30 years ago when you needed the blessing of a major publishing house in order to get your book printed and distributed. When Random House finally called you back and said they wanted to publish your book, you made sure you returned their calls and showed up promptly to meet with them. If you blew it, if you didn't sell yourself to them, then you might have missed your chance. And it might have been the only one you ever got.

They don't get to choose any longer. I met someone a couple weeks ago who has self-published a book on LuLu.com. For a few hundred dollars, he got himself listed on Amazon and an ISBN number. No negotiations with Jeff Bezos over the allocation of shelf space; on Amazon, shelf space is infinite. No dealing with an agent to even get your manuscript read. (And to anyone who feels that a few hundred dollars is too much to invest in your own book, well, then what are you doing trying to convince anyone else that they should invest several thousand dollars in your book?)

To anyone who seeks to write a book that will change things, or the great American novel, or their memoirs: here's your chance. Right now. Life's too short to sit around waiting for someone sitting in a cubicle in some other state to validate your art by agreeing to publish it. They don't know you or your world even 10% as well as you do, so why trust their judgment?

You can have as many chances as you need now. Seize them.