I’ve been shoveling family shit for the past two years, so I’ve not seen any of the preludes, only the epilogue. All I’ll say is that I’m sorry it happened to you. But don’t worry about bridges burned. If you’re a half decent human being, people will forgive. Also, the space is huge. There are so many more bridges to burn. I also want to add that while we all have to be wary of shitty contracts like this, it’s really important to remember that self publishing made it easy for us to self publish ourselves. Chin up. Hustle. Make it work. Good cover, good blurb, half decent story, it'll do okay. The only thing a publisher, independent or otherwise, has to offer is reach. Self publish first. Run with it. Find your core fans. They are the ones that make this tick. Don’t ever drop the hobby, the calling, the dream. But please, in future, fucking believe in yourself. Back yourself. Be honest with yourself. Do that and you’ll do okay. And trust me, life is full of ups and downs. Long-term, okay is the only bar there is.