Change…to be or not to be

We all face changes in our lives. Some we like and others we feel we could live without. The older we get the more challenged we feel with change, the harder it is to make the adjustment.

Recently, a very large challenge came into effect within the literary field…..e-publishing. This is actually not new, just one of those things that sat on the back burner for a number of years, waiting patiently for a ride to the front. It needed a conveyance, transportation to the front line.

Back in the middle 1990, e-publishing was established and the literary world laughed about publishing an e-book. Whoever heard of reading a book from a computer? Who would want to do such a thing? Those who chose to try something new were put down and sales were minimal. But e-publishing survived and held its ground, waiting patiently for the right vehicle.

Today, the year of 2010, the trumpets blared, the confetti flew through the air and loud voices proclaimed victory. The reason was the development of the Kindle. An e-reader of all e-readers. There were others before Amazon’s Kindle, but once this device surfaced, the public jumped on the bandwagon. An easy way to carry a multitude of books in one small container. The avid reader was excited.

The question is….will this replace the actual handheld book, whether it be paperback or hardcopy? I doubt that the change will be that drastic upfront, for many people enjoy holding a book in hand, collecting that specific author’s book for a personal library, or whatever the reason we scan the bookstore shelves. I personally enjoy reading from a book, but I do believe I would find the e-reader convenient. So why can’t both survive in our world of the 21st century? We are in the making of a historical change. How will it affect our libraries?

Here is a question I pose to my readers. How do you feel about the new adventure of electronic readers? Are you game to try something new? To be adventurous. Let me hear from you.

Back to School

What a fantastic time I’ve had the last couple of weeks.

First of all I went back to school. No, not to study, but to speak to three Creative Writing Classes and the Dead Poets Club at the Port Charlotte High School here in Florida.

The opportunity to speak to the students about developing a manuscript and the steps necessary to be published was not only an enlightenment to the students, but to me as well. My friend, Virginia, shared the limelight, exhibiting reference and self-help books necessary to further their writing careers. We interspersed logical formatting information along with handouts on manuscript completion.

I personally was inspired by the eagerness as the students listened and questioned us about the how-to’s in the publishing world. Many of the students had several chapters written and one young man was a published poet. Thank you, Mrs. Flowers for the opportunity to share time with all of your students.

Another exciting experience in my world was an interview on Internet Radio Ear Network by Joe Dobzynski, at the Sarasota Border’s bookstore here in Florida. What an experience and loved being part of this technology. I was a little nervous at first, but Joe graciously made me feel right at home. We discussed my book and the writing processes necessary to be published.

Come visit with me and leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you.