First-time novelist Leinad Zeraus (a pseudonym for Daniel Suarez) didn’t let rejection decide his books fate; getting nowhere after submitting his novel Daemon to dozens of literary agents, he shifted gears and formed his own imprint then self-published through print-on-demand leader Lightning Source.

Here’s a link to the full story in Wired Magazine: Daemon

By courting bloggers and influential techies like Joi Ito, Stewart Brand, and Craig Newmark — demonstrating that if you can get the geek grapevine on your side, you don’t need Random House.

Lesson: Figure out a way to get your book in front of an audience that gets it.