It begins

So, in 2010, I took the NaNoWriMo challenge to write a novel in a month.  I never figured I would reach the 50,000 word goal, but I did, and I continued to write and polish the original manuscript.  I'm still in the editing stages (and beginning to think I always will be), but I wanted to check into publishing options.  I figured researching the end goal would give me the extra kick in the ass I need to see this novel get finished.

It turns out the world of publishing is a hell of a lot more complicated than I want it to be.  With Amazon/CreateSpace, self-publishing has become a viable option.  They have made it (relatively) affordable to get your book into print, and will even help you with the more daunting tasks of copy-editing and book design.

I haven't even begun to see if attaining a literary agent is even a possibility, but know it will be a necessity if I want to go with conventional publishing.  Query letters confound me, and I'm honestly afraid they will tell me I am wasting their time.  At least with self-publishing, the only person's whose time and money will potentially be wasted is mine...

Seems like I am slowly sapping my own optimism here.

So, the tl;dr here is I want to self-publish, but am afraid I will fail at marketing and the book will be a flop.