Going Liquid

Around the House
I just got home from Dinner and a Movie with Katrina Rue.  These nights are always great.  It gives us the chance to talk about our lives, projects, hopes for the future, and cats.  We are big cat lovers.  While talking she got me to thinking about the state of publishing which I will get into in a minute.  We did see "I am Number Four" which looked interesting, but I did not want to see it because the author did not receive proper credit for his book.  It always upsets me when someone creates something whether it is a book, art, movie, or picture and does not get the credit.  I find it shameful that this is still a practice in the publishing industry.  It is time for authors everywhere to stand up and take credit.  No more ghost writing!  Books should be by the writer with interviews or insight by the celebrity or company that asked for the project.  Authors should not be nameless ever.

My Thoughts
Yes, since my original rant I know I have been quiet about the Borders issue.  As a shopper I never really enjoyed the Borders experience I was always a Barnes and Noble guy, but as I see the company going into bankruptcy and closing stores to try and save itself, I am sad.  Not sad they aren't surviving; I think they made lots of mistakes at the top, but sad about what it says for the future of the publishing industry.  Looking around I see that the publishing industry is now where the Music Industry was during the 1990's with Napster.  So much content is free on the Internet or pirated that it is going to make it hard for retailers and consumers to find new great books.  I hope that with the growth in ebooks we are seeing that the publishing industry heads this off before the authors become the real victims.

Also, I worry about the survival of Borders.  If they do go completely out of business leaving mass market stores and Barnes and Noble as the main company to get books I fear that voices of authors are going to become extremely censored.  You can see how this is happening right now.  Look at what Amanda Hocking has done for independent publishing via the Nook and Kindle.  As an author that couldn't get a book deal because her style or story was not what the publishing business was looking for; she ended up quiet until the rise of the ebook.  Now look at her; her books are flying off the digital shelf.  This goes to show you that what consumers are looking for are not what is being produced.  She not only found a place for her stories, but showed the publishing industry they were wrong about censoring her by not granting her agent representation and a book deal.  So with Barnes and Noble as the major book store out there will this problem get worse?  I think it might.  So I call all readers to gather up and really look at the self published/independent authors out there.  They are the voice of the consumer because they write what they love and not what the publishing industry is looking for.  If we buy more of their books we are telling the publishing industry to sit back and reevaluate what they are looking for.  It is time for a change.  So now I am going to get off my high horse and curl up with a favorite book.  I may even write a little while I smile knowing that authors like H.P. Mallory, Amanda Hocking, Jason Letts, and so many others are making a change in the publishing industry by believing in themselves when the industry doesn't.

Bust at the Big Box

Around the House
I am having a night of issues at the moment.  I currently have four projects spinning in my head, and I am fighting with each of them. Currently my next novel which starts off as part of an upcoming series (as is my current book Witches, Demons, & Deals) is with my editor Tim.  He is currently reading through it and listening to my spazing over the next project in the line.  Then I have revisions I am avoiding for my first book in the series which starts as my current book ends.  Yes, that means more of Raisa and her antics.  Finally, I have two new projects that I am working on; one is part of the world but I am not sure how it will connect yet and the other is turning into 1.5 for the series I am revising.  No it can't just be book two.  It is a bit frustrating and fun.  I can't wait to see how it all turns out.  I am hoping to have book one and the project I am currently fighting with hit publication with in months of each other, so that means I need to hurry and write.

My Thoughts
I am an avid follower of Publisher's Weekly, so I get to enjoy all the news update fresh in my email.  The potential fall of Borders has really grabbed my attention.  While I have always had a preference for Barnes and Noble, I worry what it will mean if this company does go under.  Barnes and Noble has taken over as the a leader in the industry, but I worry what it will mean for new authors, publishers, and agents if this is the store that has all the buying power in the market.  Lets face it.  Amazon is great, but there is nothing like wandering the aisles of a book store and discovering that next great read.  What will that mean for authors who don't have the backing of an audience?  Will they ever get the space and credit they need if only one major book retailer is left?

Also, hearing about BN's change in direction worries me.  For those of you who don't know they just laid off a large number of employees so that they can direct those resources to the online/nook community.  As a Nook owner that makes me happy, but as a shopper I worry that with less buyers we may really be missing out on some great pieces of fiction.  I hope this doesn't mean that new authors will have to struggle even harder to get into the book store than they already do, but I fear that is where we are headed.

Finally, seeing that both Amazon and BN have made self publishing easier for new writers on their ebook readers is exciting.  With the success of independents like Amanda Hocking it looks like these retailers are really trying to support new authors.  If Borders does close it may mean a new surge in the growing world of self publishing, but is that a good thing?  I don't know.  And another thought is will the sales of these self published book affect how these companies view these authors if and when they are welcomed into a large scale publishing house?  I hope not.  Promotions on the store and web level really do help the author in sales, so I just hope that these retailers will give all authors a fair shake as they change how their books are published.  What do you think?