The Future

What will the publishing business do? This is the question that plagues writers everywhere. Millions of words have been typed on the subject, and those have been looked at by (who knows) thousands of people. Still, no one has the answer. I don't, that's for sure. So I move forward, submitting my novel and looking at the self publishing industry with guarded trepedation.

However, the more important question is this: as a reader, where in the world am I going to go to find a good book?

I spent the evening with a couple of my awesome writing geek friends, and we got to talking about this.

How did I find David Eddings? (The first big Fantasy series I ever got into.) How did I discover the book White Wing (that got me into Science Fiction)? And what about Ender's Game?

Sure, a good chunk of the books I've read have come from recommendations. Friends, family, teachers . . . you name it and I've read books they said they liked. But not all of the books I've read came to me that way. Some of them I found in the (wait for it) book store.

But wait. Book stores are going out of style, aren't they? Dead in the new age of e-books and Nooks?

I'll refrain from going into the love I have for a good book in my hands. Feeling the pages turn beneath my fingers, and seeing the point when more pages are behind me than in front of me makes me happy in a way I cant' describe.

The other thing I know I'll miss is pulling out a random title, something that may or may not sound good, and finding a diamond in the rough. Or just a rock. Either way.

Where does a reader go? As my friend said, readers are like butterflies in a garden, hovering about, looking at all the pretty things. I don't know. Well, I might know. Let me get back to you on that.