HOW IS PUBLISHING CHANGING?

• What do the enormous changes in the publishing business mean to us writers? 
• Should we be afraid of the changes or welcome them?
• Will it be easier to make our way in the world or harder?
• What opportunities should we pursue or ignore?

These, and many more questions are beginning to rise to the surface as everything we thought we knew about publishing and marketing is disappearing or at least, morphing into shapes and circumstances that many of us are totally unfamiliar with. Will these changes create more opportunities, more competition or more excuses?

I wish that I could say that I am an expert in the new world of publishing and had some sort of third eye seeing ability to know what will work and how it works, what will be the eventual outcome and how to guarantee my success in this new world, but I don't. But, here is what I do have; an inquisitive and constantly searching personality that wants to learn and try new things. And so, that's just exactly what I plan to do.

I invite you to come along for the ride. No guarantee that I will get everything right but I will ask the questions, read the information and try it out on my own writing to see how it works and then report back to you about the how's and why's. Anyone who is already a writer or aspires to author their own book will need to adapt to some of the new realities as traditional publishing undergoes an upheaval reminiscent of what happened to the music industry. We, as writers (just like the musicians), provide the content and as such, have a very vested interest in what is happening. There will be traditionally published heavy weights who cling to the old world, some that will jump into the new world and a plethora of new writers who need answers. So, hold on to your digital rights and let's give this brave new world a look and see where we can go.

One of the preeminent voices in both marketing and writing is Seth Godin. He has announced a new venture with Amazon and we wait with baited breath to see what the marriage of these two powerhouses will bring about. You can find his announcement here and stay tuned to the Book Mentor as we make our way through this time of excitement, change and fear. By the way, please subscribe and pass this blog on to others who will be interested in this process.