WRITING ON A SHOESTRING: DAVID MEETS GOLIATH

You’ve, no doubt, read about it. Or seen it depicted on film: the Battle of Thermopylae. Xerxes, King of Persia, versus Leonidas, King of Sparta. The brave stand of the immortal Three-Hundred Spartans against the overwhelming numbers of the invading Persian army. The Spartans’ “fighting in the shade,” while thousands of Persian arrows blocked out the sun. The eventual triumph of the Persians and death to all those who dared resist.

It’s the stuff of myth and legend. And it sums up how I often feel as a writer.

Say what?

Okay, comparing yourself as a writer to Leonidas leading three-hundred Spartans against impossible odds may not seem like the best analogy to make. But some days, that’s exactly how I feel as a writer: overwhelmed, under-resourced, and outgunned.

I recently had the moderator of a panel I’m slated to be on at an upcoming conference write in an email, “If you want your publicist to send me your book in advance, my address is below.”

My publicist?

Ha. I don’t have a publicist. Or an agent. Or a large publishing house with a massive advertising budget. I have a great publisher. But it is a mid-sized, independent publisher. Not much money for extensive advertising. So, a lot of marketing—and the expenses—fall to little old me. Oh, and I’m my own agent and publicist, too.

But the assumption seems to be that if your novel gets nominated for an award, you have all those things: an agent, a large publishing house backing your play, and a publicist. And that it’s no trouble or expense at all to send a “free” book to a panel moderator.

Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. You know what they say about assuming, right?

I’m not complaining. I’m really not. To the contrary, I’m grateful. I’m grateful because the reason I received the request for a copy of my novel is because it’s been nominated for an award and the moderator wants to read it in preparation for the panel presenting award nominees. As a matter of fact, my debut novel, Voices of the Elysian Fields, has been nominated for three prestigious awards this year: an Agatha (at Malice Domestic), an Anthony (at Bouchercon), and a Macavity (through Mystery Readers International). The Agatha is history (I didn’t win). The Anthony and Macavity are pending. (Keeping fingers crossed.)

Who knows if I stand a chance of being chosen? It seems so unlikely, given the realities of novels published by major publishing houses, books advertised to the hilt, and thousands of readers “in the bag.”

No agent, no deep-pockets publishing house, no publicist. And yet, here I am—nominated along with “the big dogs.” I’m certain the Polymarket® would give my chances as somewhere between “Surely You Jest,” and “A Snowball’s Chance.”

I’ve come a long way since I started my writing journey. And I’ve accomplished more than I ever expected. I’ve met so many new people—quite an accomplishment for a deeply introverted person. I’ve made fans—something I never really thought about having before I became a writer.

Then there are the authors I’ve become friends with—many of whom have mentored me or provided support in other ways. Just take a look at the blurbs in my two novels, Voices of the Elysian Fields and Shadows of Frenchmen, and I think you’ll get an idea of what I mean. With that kind of support—what got me here—maybe there’s hope after all.

In sum, it’s been one heck of a ride. And it’s only just begun. So, come what may, I’ll continue to fight the good fight, write the very best stories I can, and “let the good times roll.”

If you have a problem with that, give my publicist a ring.

(Note: This is a repost of my August 8, 2026 post in the Sand in Our Shorts blog at https://sandinourshorts.blogspot.com/2026/08/writing-on-shoestring-david-meets.html)