Since I've been engrossed in other things over the past few years, I haven't really been in close touch with the publishing industry. Of course, I've been connected to social media so I've watched authors flourish and new authors come onto the scene. But I have not necessarily kept in the know of the publishing market or publishing trends.
Well, now I'm catching up and I almost feel overwhelmed. The industry has indeed changed so much with publishing methods, publishing trends, and marketing opportunities. Although I don't feel like I will have to start off at square one again, I do feel that I have to study the industry again to get up to speed. And I can do this while I continue my writing projects.
Some of the changes put questions in my mind though. E-books seems to be gaining traction (since when I published); self-publishing--which was a gamble and was considered inferior when I published--seems to no longer be taboo; and traditional publishing seems even more elusive. On top of this, it appears that the industry is possibly in the midst of a transition between traditional and self-publishing. And then there's the whole Amazon thingy.
I have to admit that all these changes cause me to have questions rolling around in my mind as to what avenue to take with publishing now. Honestly, at this point, I'm not sure. Since I started in self-publishing and had a great time doing it, I'm not fearful in taking that path again. I would probably welcome it. I think I'm a control freak and I love handling business and marketing. Of course, there's always a down side and that is....distribution. And the money chase is no picnic.
A lot to think about indeed. But the first thing to do is to just get these projects finished. Because if I don't, well, then the publishing thoughts are all moot, right?
One thing's for sure is that regardless of publishing, I just want to write stories again. While as an author, sure, I want to get paid for writing stories and entertaining people. But it doesn't feel like the primary reason to write to me. Even if someone told me today that I would not make a dime from publishing stories, I would still want to write. It really doesn't feel like a choice. It feels like if I tried not to do it, I would go crazy because I'm always thinking about stories. When I look out into the world and experience things, my mind just naturally goes into figuring out how I can make something work in a meaningful story. It's not something you can turn off because of money. It there. It's always there.
Well, now I'm catching up and I almost feel overwhelmed. The industry has indeed changed so much with publishing methods, publishing trends, and marketing opportunities. Although I don't feel like I will have to start off at square one again, I do feel that I have to study the industry again to get up to speed. And I can do this while I continue my writing projects.
Some of the changes put questions in my mind though. E-books seems to be gaining traction (since when I published); self-publishing--which was a gamble and was considered inferior when I published--seems to no longer be taboo; and traditional publishing seems even more elusive. On top of this, it appears that the industry is possibly in the midst of a transition between traditional and self-publishing. And then there's the whole Amazon thingy.
I have to admit that all these changes cause me to have questions rolling around in my mind as to what avenue to take with publishing now. Honestly, at this point, I'm not sure. Since I started in self-publishing and had a great time doing it, I'm not fearful in taking that path again. I would probably welcome it. I think I'm a control freak and I love handling business and marketing. Of course, there's always a down side and that is....distribution. And the money chase is no picnic.
A lot to think about indeed. But the first thing to do is to just get these projects finished. Because if I don't, well, then the publishing thoughts are all moot, right?
One thing's for sure is that regardless of publishing, I just want to write stories again. While as an author, sure, I want to get paid for writing stories and entertaining people. But it doesn't feel like the primary reason to write to me. Even if someone told me today that I would not make a dime from publishing stories, I would still want to write. It really doesn't feel like a choice. It feels like if I tried not to do it, I would go crazy because I'm always thinking about stories. When I look out into the world and experience things, my mind just naturally goes into figuring out how I can make something work in a meaningful story. It's not something you can turn off because of money. It there. It's always there.