Central Texas has been under an Excessive Heat Warning for what feels like months now, and I can't remember a time in my 42 years when I've seen a more pointless advisory from the National Weather Service. What exactly are you expecting us to do, NWS? Get under our desks? Put wet paper bags over our heads? We know it's hot; we've been outside, trying to live our lives. Oh no but it's like, really...
I started self-publishing in 2004, and it took me a long, long time to figure out what most authors already knew: you don't market to friends and family. For one, they're often not your target cyberpunk-loving audience. Second, if they do buy your book, it will be because they either love you or genuinely enjoy your work. Either way, it's a limited audience, and your efforts (and money) are...