Fans of literary fiction are perfectly willing to read a novel in which deep characterization and the exploration of ideas (i.e., theme) is placed above the forward momentum of the plot.

1. Self-publication is when the author is in complete control and responsible for every aspect, from writing to marketing. The author pays all costs and retains creative control, all rights, and all royalties over expenses. Self-publication is the fastest. Sales are limited to the author's ability to promote the books. My previous books are all self-published. I have done everything myself, except the editing and valuable input from a critique group.
2. Hybrid publication is when the author pays a few thousand dollars, non-refundable upfront costs, to the company for their services. They usually have a few more distribution capabilities than the author, and work on a faster timeline than traditional publishers. The author needs to be certain the Alliance of Independent Authors has vetted the hybrid publisher.
3. Vanity Publications imply that they are hybrid publishers, but they are not. Authors beware! Vanity publishers profit on the fees an author pays, not on selling books. Their results are high costs, poor printing quality (Remember--they don't care about the books), and low sales (They don't care). They frequently mislead authors, lock authors into restrictive contracts, claim exclusive rights, and offer minimal distribution.
4. Traditional publication is when the author writes the book and secures a literary agent, who then sells the book to a publishing house. The publishers have industry expertise and will only accept books that they can sell. They distribute to bookstores everywhere. The author has no upfront costs, but can expect low royalty rates, loss of creative control, and a very long timeline of two years or more from the publisher’s acquisition to actual publication.

• start with an inciting incident at the opening 
• keep readers engaged with conflict and tension 
• pass
• we, as a group, are not very drawn to Christian fiction
• too much telling and not enough showing
• more than one point of view is distracting.

• "When you finish a draft of a poem, or short story or novel, make sure you go out and celebrate all night long because whether the world ever notices or not, you did something most people never do: You started, stuck with, and finished a creative work. And that is a triumph." — Andre Dubus III (American author, novels, short stories) 
• "Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home." — Anna Quindlen (American author, novels, journalism)
• "Reading is to the mind, as exercise is to the body." — Brian Tracy (Canadian-American motivational speaker and author)
• "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest." — C. S. Lewis (British author, scholar, Christian apologist - one of my favorites)
• ”Both reading and writing are experiences―lifelong―in the course of which we who encounter words used in certain ways are persuaded by them to be brought, mind and heart, within the presence, the power, of the imagination.” ― Eudora Welty (American photographer, writer, short-stories, novels)
• “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” ― Louis L'Amour (American writer, mostly western fiction - a favorite of my Uncle Rip)
• “You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” ― Madeleine L'Engle (American Christian author, young adult fiction, other genres)
• "Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are." — Mason Cooley (American professor emeritus and speaker who used aphorisms)
• "A book is a dream you hold in your hands." — Neil Gaiman (English producer and author, novels, comic books, audio theater, screenplays, short fiction)
• “And by the way, everything in life is writable about, if you have the outgoing guts to do it and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt." — Sylvia Plath (American author, confessional poetry)
• “The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them―words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they're brought out. But it's more than that, isn't it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you've said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That's the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller but for want of an understanding ear.” — Stephen King (American author, horror, thrillers, science fiction, fantasy) 
• "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." — Toni Morrison (American novelist, editor)
• "Books last longer than digital media, with physical books (especially hardcovers) potentially lasting for centuries while ebooks may disappear without active maintenance. Many paper books, particularly high-quality hardcovers, have lasted for hundreds of years and will continue to exist indefinitely if stored properly. E-books and other digital artifacts have a much shorter lifespan without constant maintenance and updates. Internet engineer Brewster Kahle suggests that without active upkeep, digital books may not last a decade. A Yale study found that people who read books lived, on average, almost two years longer than those who do not read books. This survival advantage is thought to be linked to the cognitive engagement that book reading provides, which can hone critical thinking skills, concentration, and empathy. Researchers caution that this is an association, not a proven cause-and-effect relationship. Factors like higher income and education levels common among book readers may also contribute to a longer life." — AI Overview (artificial intelligence)
• "I read because I love to read. I enjoy all kinds of books―physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks—in many genres including my own. I write because I love to write. God gave me the desire to write as surely as He gave me the desire to sing, play piano, teach music, love, and be loved. And it is my desire to do His will." — Betty M Reeves (American author, audio producer, self-publisher - I know her well.)

• "When you finish a draft of a poem, or short story or novel, you make sure you go out and celebrate all night long because whether the world ever notices or not, you did something most people never do: You started, stuck with, and finished a creative work. And that is a triumph." — Andre Dubus III 
• "Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home." — Anna Quindlen
• "Reading is to the mind, as exercise is to the body." — Brian Tracy
• "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest." — C. S. Lewis 
• ”Both reading and writing are experiences―lifelong―in the course of which we who encounter words used in certain ways are persuaded by them to be brought mind and heart within the presence, the power, of the imagination.” ― Eudora Welty
• “Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” ― Louis L'Amour
• “You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.” ― Madeleine L'Engle
• "Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are." — Mason Cooley
• "A book is a dream you hold in your hands." — Neil Gaiman
• “The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them―words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they're brought out. But it's more than that, isn't it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried, like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you've said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That's the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller but for want of an understanding ear.” — Stephen King 
• “And by the way, everything in life is writable about, if you have the outgoing guts to do it and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt."  — Sylvia Plath
• "If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." — Toni Morrison
• "Books last longer than digital media, with physical books (especially hardcovers) potentially lasting for centuries while e-books may disappear without active maintenance. Many paper books, particularly high-quality hardcovers, have lasted for hundreds of years and will continue to exist indefinitely if stored properly. E-books and other digital artifacts have a much shorter lifespan without constant maintenance and updates. Internet engineer Brewster Kahle suggests that without active upkeep, digital books may not last a decade. A Yale study found that people who read books lived, on average, almost two years longer than those who do not read books. This survival advantage is thought to be linked to the cognitive engagement that book reading provides, which can hone critical thinking skills, concentration, and empathy. Researchers caution that this is an association, not a proven cause-and-effect relationship. Factors like higher income and education levels common among book readers may also contribute to a longer life." — AI Overview
• "I read because I love to read. I enjoy all kinds of books― physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks—and in many genres including my own. I write because I love to write. God gave me the desire to write as surely as He gave me the desire  to sing, play piano, teach music, love, and be loved. More importantly, I desire to do His will." — Betty M Reeves