Slow death by self-publication of fantasy series with a female protagonist

Twenty three years ago, I started writing No Stone Unturned as a stand alone book called Stillness of a Pond, about the main character, Pond, an angry, frustrated young woman just turning 14. She would be cursed with abilities that would make her less able to cope with life as she wanted it.

I tried the regular publishing route for a few years, sending out the expensive, bulky, printed manuscripts knowing they would end up in trash, but that's the choice we had. I got one letter from a female editor who liked my writing style but suggested that this was middle school stuff and I should look to the appropriate publishers.

At that time, the antagonist Nobijir did not appear until a third of the way into the book so even sending the first 25 pages omitted him entirely. He now begins the book before I even let you meet Pond. His introduction moved about five years ago before I attended a writing conference so he would be the plot complication immediately. When Pond admits her skills, the reader can say, "Uh oh."

When I attended a virtual conference in Toronto in 2020, I could send electronic bits to established authors and editors who could comment and direct me. The idea of self-publishing gelled after a talk by a self-published author.

For a few years now I have been beta-reading for a British crime mystery writer who kept asking about my books - I qualified myself to be a beta reader with my English teacher background and my own writing. I had been struggling with WORD to format with an intent to sell on Amazon. He steered me to Scrivener. Heaven. Once I had a decent ePub ready to share with him, I had no excuse left to prevent my from throwing them all in.