I think it's very much a case of the-only-way-to-win-is-not-to-play, but then the question becomes what constitutes not playing. I don't want to suggest that someone shouldn't pursue traditional publishing or shouldn't let publicists try to create marketing campaigns, etc., but if someone is in that position, I guess it's just a matter of remembering that all the glitter/glamour/illusion that the publicists want to create is only very tangentially about the author or the work. More, it's spell casting to try to drive sales, just like all the directives about what to write are attempts to drive sales. So if you're *in* that world, you have to work really hard to keep your eyes clear about what's glamour and what's not.

... I mean, I don't think I'm saying anything Kali Wallace would disagree with, and I'm not trying to contradict anything she's saying. To me the piece reads as a cry from the heart, and I feel for her. I just think the pain can be less if you keep your eyes clear. But she might say, Yeah, but that's really hard and the pressure is great, to which all I could really say is, I hear that.