The so-called publishing apocalypse

I’ve been getting more stuff ready for the Pikes Peak Writers’ Conference today, in the middle of everything else.  I was supposed to have this all done last week, but there you go.

Anyway, I’m speaking on a panel called “Surviving the Publishing Apocalypse.”  I’ll be speaking with Ian Healy and j.a. kazimer (aka Julie).  So, really, it doesn’t matter what they call it, because I’ll be up there with people who are both friends and smart and smartasses.  Fun.*

Wow.  When did I survive the publishing apocalypse?  Why didn’t anyone tell me?  It must have happened while I was asleep.  As it turns out, the big publishing conglomerates look like they’re surviving, thank you, thank you very much.  However, any number of small presses are gaining what seems like more of a foothold.  This, as it turns out, is more like it normally is in publishing (other than the last couple of decades).  What?  Returning to a near-normal state of events, and it’s an apocalypse?  Somebody get me a politician 🙂

I had a cunning plan for my part of the panel, but it didn’t pan out, so I won’t have the visual aids that I hoped for.

But here are the things that I’ll talk about, if I have time:

• Being an epublisher/POD publisher.
• Getting your POD books to independent bookstores.
• Selling ebooks at independent bookstores (a possibility).
• How to get your book listed on FREE book sites without making your book forever free.
• How to get your indy books reviewed.
• How to get your small press books into libraries–now and possible future opportunities.

Am I an expert on any of these things?  NO.  But the nice thing about being a n00b in a rapidly changing world is that the person willing to make an ass of themselves can get up there and facilitate the talk.  As a writer, you learn there are always people who know more than you, and there are always people who know less.

However, I’d also like to talk about this stuff in more depth, so I’ll blog about it.  Writing an article or blog, as it turns out, is a great motivator to do the research that you have to do anyway.  And it lets me cross off another item on my daily to-d0 list.

If you happen to have another indy writing/publishing topic that you’d like me to cover, let me know.  I’ll be digging into it sooner or later.

Next time:

The humble small-press publisher and independent author take advantage of the new pulp era…

*If you happen to have a time machine, please travel back to five years ago and tell me that five years in the future, I’ll imply that there are conditions under which public speaking could be fun. Bring a camera. It’ll be good for a laugh.