Round 2

In the meantime, I had been checking out other self-publishing outfits that various people had sent my way. One was already gone by the time I typed in their URL. That gave me pause.  With a small publisher or printer, I was definitely running the risk that they wouldn't be around as long as I would, or my book would. That wouldn't be the end of the world, but it was something I wanted to take into account.

Among others, I found Outskirts Press, which was the first self-publishing organization to have a phone number on their website. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but I clicked on the "sign up with us" button, and got an email response in short order, along with the name of my contact in their company. I called the company's number, got the directory, typed in her name, and got to the wrong mailbox. I tried again, with the same result. Yup, my contact was unknown to the company directory. Not a promising start. Another email followed the first. It said:

Hi, my name is A- T- and I look forward to consulting with you about your book.  My goal is to [...] Please look for a brief welcoming call from me to confirm that you are receiving my emails. I am excited to learn more about your project. Have a great day.

I replied immediately: "I'm at my desk now, this would be a great time to call". Unfortunately, no response.

In the meantime I ran across iUniverse.