Good News from "The Write Stuff"

I had the good fortune of attending "The Write Stuff" conference of the Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group this weekend. As always, attending a writer's conference is invigorating, and I want to share some positive news that I learned about the publishing biz.

Author Marie Lamba, who is also an agent for the Jennifer DeChiara Literary Agency, gave a presentation entitled, "Claim Your Victory in Today's Publishing Revolution." Her theme stressed that instead of being nervous about the changes in the publishing biz, we should embrace the changes.

One of the things she said that struck me is that "self-published" authors need to re-label themselves as "independently published" or "indie published." This follows the music industry where artists who do not land a major label are referred to as "indie musicians."

Reviewing my notes, here are the key points that I learned from Marie's presentation.

1. We are living in the age of the empowered writer. Now more than ever before we can control our own destiny.

2. The publishing biz is enduring drastic changes, but the only thing that has not changed is the world still needs good quality writers.

3. Due to print-on-demand technology, many small indie publishers are springing up to take the place of the big NY publishing houses.

4. Lucrative deals are still being made.

5. When someone invests in a Kindle, research indicates they buy three times as many E-Books than print books and they tend to buy more impulsively.

6. Young readers are more tuned in to Kindles than to print. This bodes for a brighter future.

7. The old publishing model was to start with a hard cover, then release a paperback, then an E-Book. The new model is to start with an E-Book or do a simultaneous release.

8. More established authors have gone indie which lends greater credibility to indie publishing.

9. Kindles allow for free and lengthy previewing which attracts more readers.

10. Indie publishing is forcing traditional publishers to change. Traditional publishers are now courting quality indie authors instead of deriding them. "Quality" is the key. We need to strive for excellence in our writing.

These points coming from a literary agent I find to be very encouraging.