'All is Vanity,' saith the Bishop

That's the title of a poem by Robert Browning.  If I recall correctly, he meant 'vanity' in the sense of "efforts made in vain", "the futility of it all" etc.  But it also speaks to self-importance, as in "a vain person"--and not just one who is vain about his appearance, but also about virtually everything he says or does.  Which brings me to my very recent decision to have my novel published by a vanity press--and a big one, at that.  However good or bad my novel is, I have to strike while the iron is hot:  vide the release of Disney's Secretariat and the forthcoming Saving our Nation's Horses.  If I stubbornly persist in going the traditional way (which is partly why it took me so long to write my Master's thesis), I'll lose the timeliness of the subject. Xlibris can get it out there, in many formats, probably by February, or Christmas at the earliest.  The price is equal to what I've spent on friends (one of whom is still paying me back after five years), or two-months' worth of keeping up with the house costs or the start-up cost of my ex-husband's business.
I know the book is flawed:  it's far too short and harbours all the tics associated with a first novel.  But I have to start somewhere.