What is the upside of “getting a publishing deal”? As I understand it, they pay you no money, in exchange take the right to butcher your book, send you chasing around the country (best case scenario!) to read for three people in a bookshop box room, forget to promote your book and blame you for the error, and when you bring them a new book it’s “thanks for the words, we never liked you, fuck off”. Persuade me otherwise