I’m done querying

Burying the lede: I’m going to self-publish my novel (and I’m really happy about it)

Last week I made the call: I'm done querying. Over 2.5 years, I sent 141 queries! Here are my stats:

• Full request, eventual decline: 3

• No response: 74

• Declined: 64

I'm sharing these stats to help other querying authors feel less alone, less rejected. Because the truth is, getting an agent and then traditionally publishing is not quite as rare as being struck by lightning, but it's not too far off.

• Odds of getting struck by lightning: ~1 in 15,300 people during their lifetime

• Odds of traditional publishing a manuscript: ~3 manuscripts out of 10,000¹

I've seen so many Substack posts lately about "how I found my agent" and "my successful query letter that I used to sign an agent," and it's hard not to feel a little jealous of these lucky and talented writers. But just because you don't find an agent doesn't mean you shouldn't publish at all.

I gave querying and traditional publishing a shot, and I don't regret it. But I also know when it's time to move on. I’ve been working on this book on and off for ten years.

The more I think about it, the more excited I am about self-publishing. I love rolling up my sleeves and getting things done. I ran product and technical marketing teams at startups and big tech for over a decade. I have a web design background and can do some basic graphic design work. And I'm not afraid to self-promote. I was born for this. I can't stop thinking and talking about my publishing plans.

Even if an agent or publisher walked up to me right now and offered me a contract, I think I would turn it down. I need to publish this book in 2025, and there's no way a traditional publisher or even a prestigious hybrid could move that quickly (yes, publishing is that slow).

Why Is Now the Time to Publish the Book?

The more I think about it, the more I feel like this is the moment that I need to publish the book. Why? It has so many themes that feel especially relevant right now:

1. AI is top of mind. 2025 is the year that generative AI and large language models are dominating the zeitgeist. I've been thinking and writing a lot about how AI is impacting the current generation growing up "AI-native." The characters in the book are learning how to code and are maintaining a generative AI model run by a fictional Big Tech company called "Big Smile Corp." I legitimately came up with this idea back in 2017 with no idea that AI was going to take off.

2. The insidious nature of Big Tech is on display. One of the major themes running through the book is the ambiguous ethical choices that Big Tech companies make. Spending nearly two decades in tech, I saw these practices constantly (not necessarily at my employers, but in the industry at large). Now the whole country is seeing it too. The DOGE playbook is the same one that’s been used for years in tech. It's bad enough in private businesses, but it's horrifying to see it played out in the government.

3. Kids don't read for fun anymore. According to The Nation's Report Card, from 2012 to 2023, the number of kids who read every day for fun dropped by nearly half. This is a stat they've been tracking since the 1980s and it stayed relatively consistent until 2020. While this is not exactly new news, it's troubling. This drop corresponds with lower than ever literacy levels and lower achievement in other subjects. The pandemic didn't help, but these trends appear to go back further. Obviously, I'm not going to solve this with one new book for middle schoolers. But since there is so little science fiction published for this age range, I'm hopeful that a few reluctant readers may pick it up who otherwise wouldn't read at all.

4. The moon data center concept won't be science fiction for much longer. This feels insane, BUT a few companies are planning to build a data center on the moon. Will they staff it with kids? Oh boy, I hope not. But I'd like to publish the book while I can still consider it science fiction or at least speculative fiction.

Publication Announcement: MOON HACKERS will publish on September 5, 2025

I've set a publication date: MOON HACKERS will publish on September 5th (link goes to my newly redesigned website with more information about the book). This is terrifying. But I work really well against a deadline. September 5th feels about right to me—it gives me enough time to get the editing, layout, and design done, while also doing a bunch of marketing in advance of launch. It's also just a few weeks before my 40th birthday, which feels fitting. I've spent my whole life saying I want to be a published author, and accomplishing it just before I turn 40 feels perfect.

I built a publishing and promotion plan based on Jane Friedman’s excellent template. I can clean it up and share it here if it's of interest to folks. I merged Jane's template with my own Marketing Launch Template that I've refined for years as a product marketer at tech companies. Turns out marketing SaaS and marketing a book are not so different.

I've also built out a budget, but I couldn't find a great template, so I've built my own from scratch. Again, happy to share if this is a resource that's helpful for others who are self-publishing.

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AI Transparency Disclaimer: No parts of this article were written with AI nor were the graphics generated with AI. I used Claude to provide light copy edits to improve grammar and readability.

1. https://www.underdown.org/publishing-odds.htm