A year ago, I was heading into Thanksgiving giving thanks for the dream-come-true publishing contract I had just signed, and I was over the moon, truly.

Fast forward to today, and I am heading into Thanksgiving not quite ready to give thanks for having that experience and all that came with it — incredible disappointment, disbelief, and even hatred of the publishing industry itself.

But I am ready — I think — to celebrate my book’s re-release and maybe even feel proud of it. I’m ready to say, hey, I am my own publisher, I am in complete creative control of my work, and I will keep more of my earnings. I’m ready to get to work on more books and to learn more about self-publishing and the business and marketing side of it. Even though this is not the route I originally wanted to take, I think I’m ready to say that maybe this is not just a detour. Maybe this is the path I was destined for, and maybe I should be willing to not just follow it, but embrace it wholeheartedly.

The journey isn’t going to be easy, but I can almost guarantee that it will be interesting, and at least that’s something. Anything extra is a bonus.

So what are you giving thanks for this year, and what are you ready for?