Leland Shanle's Blog: Leland 'chip' Shanle's aviation+writers blog

My award (MWSA Gold Medal) winning Aviator Book Series is on sale!

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Action packed Historical Fiction puts you in the fight; on the ocean, beach or in the air. All the action for .99 cents!

PS: If a Psychological Thriller is more to your liking, try HEMINGWAY’S SUITCASE.

Blue Skies!

Leland

It has been a hot subject on the Internet for 11 days. After reviewing multiple reliable sources, I believe not only is the ghost of Kiev real, and he savaged Russian Forces, but unfortunately he also died in air combat, in the defense of his homeland.

This is The Ghost of Kiev, Colonel Oleksandr “Grey Wolf” Oksanchenko. His real call sign was Grey Wolf, a former air show demonstration pilot for the Ukrainian Air Force, in the SU-27 Flanker, he came out of retirement to fight for his country.

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While the types of aircraft shot down by Grey Wolf vary, the total number apparently is at least 6, making Colonel Oksanchenko an Ace.

Nickel on the grass, Grey Wolf, and God Speed.

Time Magazine dropped an article, The Secret History of the Shadow Campaign That Saved the 2020 Election, it is absolutely astounding. In it, author Molly Ball lays bare the power structure strangling the Grand American Experiment of Individual Rights. She inadvertently verifies the most bombastic QANON conspiracy theories and exonerates Trump in his Re-Impeachment. It details how the “conspiracy” (her word) of Unions, US Chamber of Commerce, Leftist activists, and CEOs not only controlled the media message, but actually controlled the violence in the street. She actually brags about it!

“In a way, Trump was right.”

“There was a conspiracy unfolding behind the scenes, one that both curtailed the protests and coordinated the resistance from CEOs. Both surprises were the result of an informal alliance between left-wing activists and business titans. The pact was formalized in a terse, little-noticed joint statement of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and AFL-CIO published on Election Day. Both sides would come to see it as a sort of implicit bargain–inspired by the summer’s massive, sometimes destructive racial-justice protests–in which the forces of labor came together with the forces of capital to keep the peace and oppose Trump’s assault on democracy.”

This is the most important article Time Magazine has ever written, and they have no idea why. They pulled back the curtain, it is as if you are reading from a script called The Big Steal.

This “conspiracy” actually shut down a 200 year old news paper when they published a verified and vetted story, related to Hunter Biden’s laptop. They conspired to suppress the truth, and this is just one example.

“Their work touched every aspect of the election. They got states to change voting systems and laws and helped secure hundreds of millions in public and private funding. They fended off voter-suppression lawsuits, recruited armies of poll workers and got millions of people to vote by mail for the first time. They successfully pressured social media companies to take a harder line against disinformation and used data-driven strategies to fight viral smears. They executed national public-awareness campaigns that helped Americans understand how the vote count would unfold over days or weeks,“

Read the second sentence of the above paragraph again. Those laws were changed illegally, and there are cases pending on that. And why did they need “armies of poll workers”? Here is why:

 “Every attempt to interfere with the proper outcome of the election was defeated,” says Ian Bassin, co-founder of Protect Democracy, a nonpartisan rule-of-law advocacy group. “But it’s massively important for the country to understand that it didn’t happen accidentally. The system didn’t work magically. Democracy is not self-executing.”

Read the arrogance of that statement again, a quote. “Proper outcome”, “Democracy is not self-executing.” Whose proper outcome? The voters? Read it again, any reference to a fair election?

Democracy is not self-executing? One citizen, one vote is “self-executing”. Which also begs the question, why do vote counting machines need algorithms to count votes, to “correct mistakes”? All computer programs are based on bi-nary code, in simplicity that means at their root they can only see a 1 and a 0. For example: 10000000000 equals the letter A, 01000000000 equals the letter B. A counting program can not be simpler, its a 10000000000 for one candidate and a 01000000000 for another, Binary. If you aren’t manipulating the outcome then why algorithms?

“That’s why the participants want the secret history of the 2020 election told, even though it sounds like a paranoid fever dream–a well-funded cabal of powerful people, ranging across industries and ideologies, working together behind the scenes to influence perceptions, change rules and laws, steer media coverage and control the flow of information. They were not rigging the election; they were fortifying it. And they believe the public needs to understand the system’s fragility in order to ensure that democracy in America endures.”

Read the entire paragraph again, and then a third time. This is what Trump is being re-impeached over. “A well-funded cabal of powerful people” effecting the outcome of the election. The unambiguous fact is, Trump is being re-impeached for revealing the truth. Told to us by a card carrying member of the “secret cabal”, Time Magazine, owned by Marc Benioff.

*Side-note: America is a Republic not a Democracy, our Founding Fathers went out of their way to make that clear by defending the Individual Rights of citizens.

“Marc Benioff, the new owner of Time Magazine, is the latest in a series of prominent tech CEOs who have added media outlets to their business portfolios.”

“The latest in a series of prominent tech CEOs who have added media outlets to their business portfolios.” Now do you understand why they hated Trump going directly to the people? Now do you understand why they cut him off of twitter and all forms of social media? Because the Global Tech Oligarchs now control the corporate media as well. Why else would the tech CEOs buy the buggy whip factories they put into bankruptcy? Control.

But why impeach? The “secret cabal” won, so why a clearly unconstitutional impeachment of Citizen Trump? 45 senators have already gone on record stating its unconstitutional. Why? Because they fear the truth the most. They fear the American Citizens will hear it and put a stop to their ultimate goal, Globalization.

The “secret cabal” is so emboldened by their success “fortifying the election”, they want to crush the voices of 73 million citizens. Citizens that stand for America and its history of Individual Rights, are being labeled terrorists. Patriotic Americans called terrorists! Some in the “cabal” are even openly calling for re-education camps. For voting your conscience. In America.

“Protecting the election would require an effort of unprecedented scale. As 2020 progressed, it stretched to Congress, Silicon Valley and the nation’s statehouses. It drew energy from the summer’s racial-justice protests, many of whose leaders were a key part of the liberal alliance. And eventually it reached across the aisle, into the world of Trump-skeptical Republicans appalled by his attacks on democracy.”

“Reached across the aisle”, why would a republican side with ultra leftists? Globalism, which is really what this is all about. Globalism crosses both aisles. For Globalism to succeed American Individualism must be destroyed.

And why would any American seek to do that? Some no doubt are true believers, but ultimately its about the money. Always follow the money. America stands as the beacon of Individual Freedom in the world, as it has for centuries, the struggle has now come to our shores.

Put aside all personalities, put aside all party politics, boil it down to its essence. Change the players: the target, the author, the conspirators. Then ask yourself, “what if they came for me?”

How many Amendments of the Bill of Rights have been denied to you in the last year? Could you go to church? even meet with more than six of you relatives? Walk on a deserted beach? It’s undeniable that the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth have all been violated.

“Democracy won in the end. The will of the people prevailed.”

No, as her article clearly points out in detail, the Swamp and Global Tech Oligarchs won, the people lost.

*Again, we are not a democracy, we are a Republic based on laws that protect the Individual against rule of the mob.

I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.[1]

It is required by statute, the oath being prescribed by Section 3331, Title 5, United States Code[1] for all 7 uniformed services.

Tens of millions of Americans have taken this oath, we shall “not go gentle into that good night.”

leland

Most of what Naval Aviators do, and Military Pilots in general, is out of the view of most people. For obvious reasons you are not going to do the above over a populated area. The noise complaints alone would drive command crazy.

It looks routine, and to the experienced Aviator it is. That doesn’t make it any safer or less amazing to watch! As I move further and further away in time from this kind of flying, I find that I think of it more. My dreams are filled with returning to the Fleet.

Irritatingly, they always seem to be denial dreams; I’m just about to take off or catapult from the ship, but something always happens to stop the sortie. I suppose its my subconscious telling me that those days are over.

I do re-visit and try to share, with my Aviator Series of novels and giving rides in my old war bird a Nanchang CJ-6A.

Flying through the clouds on our way down the Keys of Florida. I’m in the Lead Aircraft with old friend and Navy Vet Joe Butler in back, Major Sean “Thumper” McDonald fellow Naval Aviator (Marine type, yes they exist) and wingman for nearly 4 decades, is flying wing. Our videographer is US Army Infantry and my oldest Son Leland III.

The top two videos show fun and exciting, yet routine flying. It’s all for a reason though, and that reason is to project power upon our enemies far from home to protect America.

As I put the finishing touches on Laura and my retirement home, I’m returning to writing. Finishing my fifth book in the Aviator Series is first on the list with exciting projects to follow. I also thought I’d start a blog series on Military Aviation, to put you the reader in the cockpit. I’m going to add some videos, because as we used to say while on instrument approach at night to the ship: “A peek is worth a thousand scans!”

Thanks for reading, leland

Fellow American Airlines Captain Tim Knutson heads up a great charity, I invited him to share a few words here. I know its late for this year, but buy a pair for next! leland

Christmas Epaulets In Memory of Captain John H. Knutson…It all started back in the early 60’s when a farm kid from Wisconsin decided to learn to fly…just to broaden his horizons.  After a short stint in the US Army, flying led to more ratings, and eventually a decision to seek an airline job.  This began in 1967 at North Central Airlines in Minneapolis, and on to Republic and Northwest.  Starting in the DC-3, moving through the CV-440, 580, all models of the DC-9 and finally the B757 as well as owning and flying several light aircraft and a warbird from his farm in Wisconsin..  John passed on the love of flying to his family before he passed at the age of 56 from cancer in 1997.  

After his passing, his wife Mary started to make Christmas Epaulets in her home out of materials that she had in her sewing closet.  I began to take them to work and sell them for $10 per pair and the money was coming in.  Mary suggested that all of the profits go to the scholarship foundation at our local high school where John had graduated from in 1959.  Sales and support continued to climb and manufacturing of the epaulets moved a couple of times until it landed with a wonderful lady and her now late husband Lois and Bob Hartman of Chetek, WI.  In recognition of John’s military service and the family’s sense of patriotism, the decision was made in 2015 to start supporting the Gary Sinise Foundation and Snowball Express with half of the profits.  The price of Epaulets was raised to $20 per pair and it’s been uphill from there.  Out of the $20 per pair, about $17 goes directly to the 2 charities of the Chetek Weyerhaeuser Scholarship Foundation and the Gary Sinise Foundation’s Snowball Express.  Every Christmas season these epaulets memorializing Captain John Knutson span the entire globe on the shoulders of every version of pilot from corporate, freight, regional, major passenger, and including many countries.  The huge thing is that to date, just over $40,000.00 has been donated to the Gary Sinise Foundation and over $72,000.00  had been given to the CWSF.  If you’d like to order your own pair of Christmas Epaulets for yourself, a loved one, or the next airline crew you meet in your travels, and want to support two great charities and honor a great human being and pilots pilot, you can do so at http://christmasepaulets.com    The order will come right here to the Knutson house and we’ll get it packed up and shipped that same day or the next morning.  So the next time you see Red Epaulets with a green stripes around Christmas time, you know the story.  Merry Christmas, Happy holidays,  Happy New Year and God’s Blessings upon all who read this!

Captain Tim Knutson

Brigadier General Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the sound barrier, died this week. He broke through the speed of sound in the Bell X-1 in 1947, becoming the most famous Test Pilot in the world. Not just a Test Pilot, General Yeager flew combat in multiple wars.

Appropriately, for a WWII Ace, he died on the 79th anniversary of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s attack on Pearl Harbor (DEC 7). Every pilot knew who Chuck Yeager was.  Beyond a legend, he was a rare living legend for over 70 of his 97 years. His exploits and achievements have filled volumes. Rather than relist them here, I decided to share a personal story.

I read the General’s books as a youngster.  While my Uncle’s Larry and Bob had inspired me to fly, Yeager’s first book cemented that decision. I had chosen the Navy to fly off ships, but still, I often thought about Yeager’s career. I back-doored my way into Flight Test, not too unlike the General.  I was more a “seat of the pants pilot” than engineer. Similar to the General, my technical education did not impress, and it certainly didn’t overwhelm the Selection Board of the Navy’s Test Pilot School. I suspect a collective YGBSM was shared when my BES in Education and MAS in Airline Management were compared to the Aerodynamic and Electrical Engineering Degrees I competed against. I was an average Fleet guy, and long in the tooth at that, well into my thirties. I received a polite; “Thanks, but no thanks”.

Through a little persistence, and a lot of luck (mostly luck), I found myself in VX-30, the Navy’s West Coast Developmental Test Squadron for weapons. Pulled there by my old Midway Shipmate and friend, Captain Jim Seaman, one of the best pilots I ever met (RIP). Another old friend, Captain Jay Mills, had whispered in his ear that I was up for orders. I was equally lucky to be taken under the wing of the Chief Test Pilot of VX-30, , friends to this day, we have continued to dabble in the Flight Test world. We did the Documentary for Discovery’s PLANE CRASH together in 2012. It produced such good data we briefed the project to the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP) at their annual symposium after its completion.

Captain Kennedy even sent a group of us OJT (On Job Training) Test Pilots, to National Test Pilot School; “up in the high desert, where that demon lived”. (Shamelessly borrowed from the film The Right Stuff). We attended Out Of Control Flight (spin) School and a very intense 7 day a week, month long, Project Officer and Engineer Course. He continued to take care of his OJT Bubbas even after assuming Command.  He pulled a couple of us in his office one day and informed us, “You guys have been accruing enough points to join SETP”. We shrugged in indifference, not realizing the significance.  Shaking his head, he simply said, “I expect to see you knuckleheads’ applications for SETP on my desk by the end of the week”.  We were all later selected for full membership in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, an honor I now truly appreciate.  Like I said, he took care of us.

Warranted or not, I did feel a bit of kinship with Chuck Yeager, certainly not to his level, but those glory days of supersonic records were long gone. Just doing test flights in the same areas where he had, to recognize the spots he wrote about in his book, was pretty humbling. Certainly, the highlight of my career.

I retired from the Navy while in VX-30, started my Airline career, and moved home to St. Louis with my wife Laura, and our four children. A few years later, getting the itch for edge of the envelope flying, I went to the Osh Kosh Airshow with my oldest son, Leland, and good friend Dr. Jim Russell.

We were quite happily surprised when two P-51 Mustangs pulled onto the runway, in section, to begin an airshow routine. They were piloted by two famous WWII Aces, General Chuck Yeager and Colonel Bud Anderson, both in their late 70’s. To say it was an awesome show is an understatement. They put those old fighters through the paces.  The aerobatics were perfect; the formation tight. I was impressed, to say the least.

After that incredible show, we figured nothing could match it for the day, and began the arduous journey back to our camp site. As we made our way through the miles of parked War Birds, we were stopped by volunteers due to crossing aircraft traffic. Both fighters chugged right in front of us and shut down their majestic Merlin engines just a few feet away. Chuck Yeager and Bud Anderson slid off the wings and began to debrief their show. I could tell, because, like all fighter pilots, they were using their hands.

Now, Chuck had a bit of a reputation of being a tad, how shall I put it…curmudgeonly. But I knew they wouldn’t turn away a young teen. I was wearing an old McDonnell Douglas hat with a fighter pilot embroidered on it. I traded my son for his Cardinals baseball cap and told him to go get the old guys’ autographs. I held my breath a bit as he waited for them to finish their debrief.

There were only a few volunteers around and they were keeping their distance.  The old Warriors noticed my son and turned to talk with him. They chatted a long time and were both very gracious and couldn’t have treated him better. They took the hat from his hands, and both signed it. They then talked more, as my friend and I watched from a distance. It will always be a special memory for me. One of my childhood heroes standing with my own child.

Years later, my son and I went back to Osh Kosh.  He had just returned from a combat tour in Iraq, earning a Combat Infantryman’s Badge, and having been awarded a Purple Heart and a couple Army Commendation Medals for action in combat with the 10th Mountain Division.

It was a special time for us, complete with dark humor that only an old Warrior can truly appreciate: I blew myself up using white gas to start a campfire and after first checking to see if I had retained all parts, Leland laughed so hard, I thought I’d have to give him oxygen. I don’t recommend it, even for the humor value.  The smell of burnt hair lingered in my nose for days.

Leland’s two brothers and sister followed him into the service, and ironically all became military pilots. David, USAF KC-135 Stratotanker AC (ILANG); Kait, Army UH-60 Blackhawk (ILNG), and William, V-22 Osprey USMC.

I say ironically because only Leland and I have been to the aviation Mecca of Osh Kosh’s Air Venture; only he and I share the memory of how kind and generous General Chuck Yeager and Colonel Bud Anderson were to a young teen.

God Speed Chuck Yeager.

leland

I just drove my 20 year old Ford F-250 up the driveway to a little cabin, in the woods, near a little lake. Dark, and cold inside, I pulled a can of beer and a bowl of chilly out of the frig. I popped the top, crossed the room and flipped on the heat. After putting the chilly in the micro wave, I waited for it and the cabin to warm. I thought of my wife and 40 year love, Laura, she had to go back to the city.

Another night, of so many, without her sweet voice and soft touch. It was my fault, I had chosen a profession that necessitated endless separations, the longest had been over 8 months. I had left her with a toddler under two and a one month old baby, then flew to the other side of the planet. I might as well have dropped off the edge of the world. No cell phone, no texting, not even email back then. Only snail mail, which you had to number on the outside of the envelope so they could be read in order. Reliability was not an option.

Communication came in expensive, broken conversations when in port via ancient oceanic land line. Normally, months in between. During one such break, while home with family in St. Louis, Laura saw a news report: “EA-6B lost off USS Midway, news at eleven.” My aircraft. My ship. There were only four EA-6B’s and six crews, bad odds, and she knew it. Even worse I was the nugget, the new guy, so chances were…

At eleven, she awaited anxiously through the entire news cast, apparently they had lost interest and moved on. A few days later the Navy finally tracked her down and gave her the double edged news. You husband is alive, but four other families weep. The dichotomy of relief and guilt, that only military families truly live, on a regular basis. The Greens, Carters, Gibsons and Horas would never be the same. I know, my Uncle LT Larry Menzies, perished in a Navy aircraft, our family was never the same. Many understand it, but few live it, day in-day out.

Old music from my glory days played in the background, I didn’t select it, YouTube just seemed to know. I sipped my beer, the microwave beeped. The chilly wasn’t quite warm, but I ate it anyway. After a crusty cup of pudding, I got in the shower and washed away a long days grime.

I let the hot water massage my sore back, sore from another long day working on Laura and my retirement house. I felt blessed. Blessed that I had survived when so many of my friends hadn’t over the years? No, at this age, that is more in the guilty category. Blessed that Laura and I navigated all the crazy years together? Absolutely! Blessed that I first shared a beer on this night with my life long friend and fellow Vet, Mike Paillou? Certainly.

But what was really on my mind this night, as the endless hot water throbbed across my back, was how blessed I was to have a Hollywood shower. No baby-wipes. Actual water. And the water stayed on, it didn’t alternate when I pressed a button between ice and steam. I didn’t have to deflect it off the overhead steel to cool it. It just flowed. At the temperature I had selected. Luxurious! Shallow? Guilty! But as Veterans know, it is often the simplest things that can make you feel blessed: a spoon, TP, a hot shower. It always will for me. I won’t forget.

So Happy Veterans Day to all the Vets, their Wives and Families! May all your showers be Hollywood!

leland

I was surfing the net today, bored, stuck in my hotel room, because I’m sick and tired of the mask police in Vegas. I reached my limit when told by security I had to put my mask on between sips of my coffee. Looking across the casino at all the people with their hands on contaminated slot machines, it was just to hypocritical for me to tolerate. So, I retreated to my room where I came across an article by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, it contained this quote:

“The league, which as highlighted by the recent comments of Commissioner Roger Goodell to Emmanuel Acho clearly supports player protests and understands that kneeling during the anthem does not constitute disrespectof the military, the flag, or the country, continues to let Jones clumsily stumble through the anthem minefield in search of “grace.””

First, since you are not in the military and are not a Veteran (according to your bio) YOU and the NFL do not get to dictate to those of us who have gone into, or are in harms way, what is or isn’t disrespectful to the military.

Second, let me make it crystal clear, as a retired Naval Aviator, I do think it constitutes disrespect of the military, the flag and the country. And all the veterans I know agree, but I will speak only for myself.

I think it epitomizes disrespect, especially to the fallen men and women I served with. I lost four Squadron-mates in a single night on my first cruise, all four wore the American Flag on their flight suit as they perished. My Uncle and his crew all wore that flag when they also made the ultimate sacrifice. I have seen too many of America’s finest, die in service to this country, while wearing the flag. Thus, I absolutely think that kneeling in front of the American Flag and during the national anthem is a willful act of disrespect to those that have fallen. Their quite simply is no other way to take it.

YOU don’t and never will understand that, you can’t possibly, because you have not: “been there, done that.” I understand that, what I don’t understand is your presumption to speak with authority on what we consider disrespectful. Do NOT presume to speak for me, or any other man or woman who has ever worn a uniform.

At the risk of repeating myself, I will emphatically re-state I find it disrespectful and abhorrent. I find it insulting to the fallen and their families, and so do most Veterans!

Take a note and pass it on to the NBA, NFL, MLB and the NHL, especially after the NBA supported the crushing of freedom in Hong Kong by the Communist Chinese, write it down. Most of your fans consider it a spit in our face, when millionaires, backed by billionaires, lecture us on how bad America is. We’d prefer you all just go to China.

All sports are hanging by a thread as current ratings show. We are shut in, a captive audience and nobody is watching, nobody cares. We tune in sports to get away from politics not get it shoved down our throat. You have already lost me, and obviously many others.

On a personal note; heed the memo, or you will have to go back to work as a lawyer.

We have had enough!

Leland C Shanle Jr. LCDR USN(Ret)

*Flag, on shoulder.

Breathtaking U.S Navy Blue Angels Footage

Breathtaking U.S Navy Blue Angels Footage

Posted by Combat War Footage on Saturday, July 25, 2020

In my Aviator Series I attempt to put my readers into the cockpit of high performance military aircraft. My fifth in the series, Cold War Hot, is moving into the Jet Age over Korea. But a good video can take you there almost as effectively as the human mind, enjoy!

leland

The below advice was to an Aspiring Author on Facebook, who wondered whether to go traditional or self published. I put the naivety aside, you don’t choose, the industry does, and gave it my best effort. The Aspiring Author must have been “attacked” by Trolls, a sad reality in today’s “cancel culture of cowards”, because the post was pulled before my response uploaded. Since, I put a few minutes into the effort, I decided to post it on my site. Here it is, unedited, down and dirty advice, to any aspiring author.

Leland Shanle I’ve traditionally, self, and hybrid published. I’ve gone the agent route and currently have a contract with a producer. I have been doing this for a couple decades now. Traditionally: the only money you will get is from the initial advance. Yes, it’s nice to have the gravitas of being a “published author”. But, the reality is YOU will have to push/market/etc your own book unless it goes “viral” or you are famous, you will get little to no support. Self: it’s a lot of work (one-man-band) and the reality is the product suffers. Hybrid (buying services of traditional publisher but maintaining all rights): you get a good product and keep your rights and any money produced by your work. The KEY is a top notch editor, formatter and cover designer. You may not be able to judge a book by its cover…but readers will buy it based on its cover. So? Long post already, sorry, it depends on what YOU want. Yea, I know BS response, but it is true. For example: are you in, or are you seeking a position in academia? If yes, then you need to go traditional. Old school. Good luck going traditional, its damn hard competing with dead authors who pump more books out post mortem in a year than they did over their entire “alive writing” career. I don’t recommend Self, again, the product suffers, its a ton of work, and once its “out there” you can’t take it back. Hybrid used to be the route to go IMO. I say used to be, because the entire publishing scene has changed. Hybrid worked for me 10 years ago because you got the editing, formatting, cover design, etc. of professionals. The product was the same quality as traditional and you kept all the rights and money produced by your work. So how has publishing changed? For starters, anyone can publish anything, regardless of quality. Millions, and MILLIONS of books get dumped on the market every year. Readers have to sort thru so much chaff many have gone back to traditional only, using it as a quality screen, again IMO. The evidence is anecdotal, but by monitoring the NYT BSL you can see that Indy or Hybrid books rarely penetrate the top 100. Just a few short years ago it seemed 40% of the list consistently were “Self or Hybrid”. Traditional publishers were slow to the ebook phenomenon. But, have since come back with a vengeance. Amazon won the war of the book stores. The 4 Publishers (they hide how consolidated the industry is by keeping the old House names as divisions) are clearly dominating the ebook field of battle as they do the hard copy. Agents? “You have to be published to get an agent; you can’t get published until you have an agent…” An obvious problem. NEVER pay an Agent! EVER! That’s the end of agent advice, I’ve had a couple and never got any results. Pretty depressing, sorry, its reality. What can you do? How can you compete with dead authors, a fixed market, and an endless dump of books, thousands a day? Well, you can sell your soul…I mean rights and go traditional. NOT EASY. Prepare for mass rejection and if you do score, get a big advance, biggest possible. Do NOT think taking a small one or not at all will endear you to the House. It will only mean they put less effort into your book because they have invested very little. Hybrid: it still is all about the marketing. Get a website, in the author’s name, get a hard ass editor who will call shit, shit. An anal formatter and a good cover artist. Then start pumping out books. You will have to build your own readership. Book bub, Amazon Prime, etc.will help. And, an email list. It can be quite disheartening, sorry for the reality check. My last couple of books, my publisher (we have since parted company) and I thought were my best work. Unfortunately, all the factors listed above have made them only one tenth as successful as my first three (financially). I’ve been on a year long self-sabbatical trying to figure out my next move. I re-vamped my website (another disaster story) and have tried to start writing again. It is addictive…

Leland