The Self-Publishing Question

I recently took a road trip with my husband. As we crossed the heartland, through the passenger window I watched combines harvesting wheat—an impressive scene. Amber waves of grain, and all that. I wish I would have stopped to take a picture of a decades-old, dilapidated barn alongside an equally aged windmill. Behind these structures, large scale megawatt windmills rose from the landscape for miles—a modern day windmill farm. 

And I wonder . . . when will the future overtake the past completely?

When Gutenberg invented the printing press, the world was transformed. More books were printed and put in the hands of the population at large—you could call it the information highway of that time.

We see that very thing happening before our eyes with digital technology. Nothing is changing faster than the publishing industry with the onset of digital media and eBooks. And suddenly, everyone and anyone can publish a book.

Some things change and others stay the same. No matter how book publishing has changed, one thing stays the same—a book requires words and words require writers.

The changes that have occurred in my lifetime alone are stunning. Who can begin to predict what we’ll see over the next decade or two. But no matter what new technology the future brings, if you self-publish your book it will likely be out there forever for all to read in digital format.

So make it good. Learn your craft and produce the best product you can. 

You can’t expect the first, second or third book you write—as you’re learning the craft—to be seriously publishable. Even though you CAN publish your book, should you? Quality requires practiced skill developed over time.

And that is something that will never change.

Next time I'll talk about my upcoming release, Wilderness Peril.

ON THIN ICE 

Run off the road and left for dead, Shay Ridiker's only hope for surviving the frozen claws of the wilderness is pilot Rick Savage. The beautiful airplane mechanic came to Alaska expecting a routine repo, but a missing coworker and a crippled plane are just the tip of the iceberg. Now held captive by ruthless killers at a derelict gold mine, Shay needs Rick's protection more than ever. But Rick has shadows that follow him into the land of the midnight sun. With gunmen at their backs, can he be all Shay needs—a haven…and a hero?