Online Self-Publishing: It's a Good Thing!

Letters to Martha is a new novel from Bob Sassone, the editor of Professor Barnhardt's Journal (which, in the interest of full disclosure, I admit has published the occasional rambling statement sent in by me). It's a satirical epistolary tale consisting of an unemployed writer's letters to imprisoned home diva Martha Stewart and (so far) the responses from her lawyers. Apparently Bob'll be releasing segments every Tuesday and Thursday for the next few months. Why?

"It was really a matter of timing [Bob says]. I actually sent it to a couple of agents. One passed, one I never heard from (it was sent via e-mail--who knows if he ever got it). But because Martha's time away is up in March, and it can take up to a year or more to get a book out via a publisher, I felt I needed to take advantage of the web and get it out quickly and have it be accessible to everyone for when she gets out and is in the news. Besides, I've been promising the people on my newsletter list a free novel for about two years now, so it works both ways."

UPDATE (2/4): Bob has learned the hard way that you have to have the back-up files. I've been there, Bob, and I feel your pain. Good luck getting it rewritten!