Operating without Underpants

It feels weird calling myself an author. Kinda like operating without underpants. I feel almost stupid, like I'm pretending to be something I'm not. It doesn't help that there are people out there who have a really rotten opinion of e-book and e-zine publishing. I had one person tell me today that alot of publishers and agents consider e-books nothing more then fan fiction. Well that's just great. And then I stumbled across a conversation on another website about short stories. Apparently, according to them, unless you get published in a well known magazine, nothing you sell will be considered a publishing credit. I always assumed if you get paid for something, then its considered published. It was a really depressing conversation. I could understand what they were saying...that doesn't mean I agree with them. Yes, a publishing credit in Writers Digest would be much more impressive then an unknown e-zine. Not everyone can get published in a well known magazine straight away. Some people have to start off small and work their way up, like me. I've just sold an e-book. Its a step. I don't care what others might say about the standards of e-books, I am still thrilled with my achivement. As far as I see it e-books are a great way to build a reader base and get myself noticed. I'm hoping to hear back from the editing department this week. I'll post an update here once I do.