What's the state of publishing

I came into writing from a commercial perspective,i.e. direct sales copywriting. It’s interesting that I’ve seen ideas converging over the last few years from my previous experience of copywriters (including myself) happily self publish in on and offline formats ahead of many ‘traditional’ writers.

From what I’ve heard and read, it seems that newspapers are struggling to find a workable strategy to make money online and publishing is fragmenting with smaller outfits able to be more responsive to new trends.(think of turning a ship round)

It is a time of flux and that may frighten you especially if you still have that traditional large advance as your Eldorado.  the new is that advances are shrinking even for the top authors.

Still I urge you to dive in. Publishing in its traditional format is dead. But this opens up opportunities for us as writers to strengthen our individual experiences in this wonderful world of writing.  The successful authors of the future will embrace all the technologies and use them to make the connections to readers that are vital at some stage whether direct or via agents and publishers.

Attending the conference gave me great hope for the future and I came home more enthusiastic and excited about the possibilities.

Check out http://www.writingindustries.com/ for more information on the sessions.  They are intending to upload recordings of the sessions.

Books: an obsession

Once upon a time there was a little girl who got excited every time she went into her local library. Because she read so fast and they could only borrow 3 books at a time, she used to nag her mother to take her several times a week.

Her heart started to sing as they walked towards the library. To reach it from her home they had to cross a canal bridge and she'd race ahead with her mother calling to her, "wait at the top of the bridge for me".

Then she skipped down the other side of the bridge and turned into the road where the library was. From the outside of the building there were no fireworks or flashing lights to show that they were entering a wonderful world.

To the little girl it was Aladdin's cave where she knew she'd find all manner of jewels and treasure. Picture books about faraway places, stories of daring do and tall tales.

It's more than 50 years on but that little girl still lives inside me. Still drags me to the library, tugging my hand to 'come see what there is today."

That's the excitement I feel every time I start a new book. What will I discover, what fun is there inside for me?

The means of delivery may have changed with audio books, downloadable digital and the like, but the anticipation is the same.

Books have helped me change my life, introduced me to new ways to think and worlds to explore.

That's what I want to help you do. Come and join us in the Writer's Little Book Club and see how you can produce that excitement for someone else.