Of course, you're right.

Just post your cover/blurb/link to your book with a throwaway, and delete it once you've gotten some feedback.

I may do that. It's not like I'd be posting up something I believe to be a perfect product and asking for a critique. I mean obviously I'm not making a living at this because of something I'm doing horribly, horribly wrong, and that in itself is embarrassing. The suggestion to use a throwaway account makes it more likely that I'll give it a shot.

My only problem with that is that when I post for a critique, you guys will already be aware that it's not something that is selling well. I actually do think I did ask for critiques way back when I was starting out, and got a lot of advice, and applied it, and nothing significant changed. It's not anyone's fault but my own, but reverse-engineering a reason for my failure will always come down to a problem with cover/blurb/title/niche. Because we all know that.

If I posted the cover/blurb/title of an actual best seller and lied and said it had sold zero copies, if it would be super obvious to everyone that the problem is that cover/blurb/title/niche... because that's what it has to be. We all know that.

I already know something is wrong, and probably because of the cover/blurb/title/niche, or else I'd be selling more. Maybe all the somethings are wrong. Asking for a critique and reading "yep, all your somethings are wrong, you should go back and work harder on not being wrong" isn't all that useful.

Does what I'm saying make sense?

Of course I think too much. I only make posts like this when I am doing really, really badly psychologically. I know it comes across terribly. I don't actually think I'm entitled to anything. I don't mean to imply that I am at all. And I don't mean to imply I don't appreciate you all, because I do. I'm just in a bad place right now, and when I am in a bad place is really the only time anyone hears from me.

Sorry.