I’ve published a ”debut” novel, Promised Valley Rebellion, the first of four Promised Valley novels, a what-might’ve-happened prehistoric tetralogy asking whether civilization and history, with their countless heaven-sanctioned wars and genocides, could’ve begun differently. I’ve found much of what I’ve read on SPR useful for a self-publisher to know, and I thank Henry and all the others who contribute to this website. I’ve enjoyed working with Lulu for the POD version and Smashwords for the ebook version of my book, but I’ve published it under my own imprint, Asymmetric Worlds. Kirkus Discoveries gave my book an exceptionally favorable review. You can read it, if you wish, at my website, promisedvalley.com. I’m willing to spend money to market my book, but only if I know what I’m getting in return. During the publishing process, two marketing companies have inundated me with their offers. One is Author Marketing Experts, Inc., in San Diego. It’s main website appears to be marketingexpert.com. The other company is Jenkins Group, Inc., in Traverse City, MI. Its main website appears to be bookpublishing.com. Jenkins has an Independent Publisher Book Awards (”IPPY”) program and has recently begun a similar eLit Awards program for ebooks. I’m not opposed to entering contests for the fees Jenkins charges. I suspect many people choose to spend more than that in lotteries and casinos. But if they and I truly enjoy what we’re doing, why shouldn’t we do it? On the other hand, it would be nice to know, beforehand, what experiences others in my position have had with the companies in question. Do any other A3 authors know what I should know about them?