As I pondered how to publish my first fiction novel, I found that Amazon offered the easiest path forward. I could publish my book, list it on Amazon, and have customers in the millions… however, when I thought about it some more, I realized that the most interesting books I’ve ever read and the best authors that I’ve followed through the years, came from recommendations by real people. Instead of 5 star ratings and short write-ups, someone would ask, “have you read that new