Yep, the times they are a changing. Self publishing once had a bad reputation, but the public loves their e-readers. Once it was about Auntie Jane writing her life story, which began with a sentence like….I was born at a very early age! The Internet has brought an unprecedented change to the way we create, distribute and read books.The summer I finished writing, Greening of a Heart, a published article stated that e-book sales were outselling paper books.
Believe me, I understand the concerns addicted readers have. We love a book store, browsing, picking up and turning over books whose covers catch our eyes. We can’t do without this fix. The first couple of years my husband offered the gift of a Kindle I wasn’t interested. “I have to hold the book in my hands.” Sound familiar? The old saying, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it, is applicable here. I tried it, I loved it. I have read 82 books on my Kindle Fire. Four more are in the queue to be read. Having run out of shelf space, this is a great place to store books for a book-aholic.
I enjoyed Dan Brown’s paragraph in his new book Inferno. “Langdon scanned the crowd. “So tell me, do we have any authors here tonight?” Nearly one-third of the hands went up. Langdon stared out in shock. Wow, either this is the most accomplished audience on earth, or this e-publishing thing is really taking off.
Dan Brown’s book is sitting in my TBR pile, I like that quote I must get on and read the book. Thanks
My husband read aloud to me the Brown quote when he came to it. He knew I would be interested, and I was. My turn next to read, but just started Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch. Opening pages stunning.
Stephany– Only one-third? It’s an oft-quoted, ill-sourced statistic that 80 percent of us feel we have a book in us. Writing and publishing books is taking on the status of gardening and other DIY things people do in their spare time. It’s demystified the idea that authors are filmy presences working in some parallel universe utilizing skills only a few of us could ever hope to have. I happen to think that’s an excellent thing. I hope in the coming years we reform publishing into a happy place where readers rather than New York marketers decide what are the best books. Anyway, it’s fun being on the crest of a gathering wave.
I didn’t want to be left behind in this technological world we now live in. I love my Facebook page and texting and my new I-phone is a joy. Why not get in on the beginning of the e-reading world? So, I did that too. I remain hopeful that the cost of printed books will be driven down in order to retain customers. The new Margaret Thatcher book is 35.00 as is the new Woodhouse biography. I want them both! It would be nice if publishing began to draw a wider circle inviting more authors to have a seat.