Right now the publishing world bears a strong resemblance to a tornado-like water slide ride in a closed tube. Just picture it:
You have a moment of exuberant panic as you’re launched, then no idea what’s really happening until you land in an explosion of sunlight with water up your nose, your swimsuit askew, surrounded by loony laughter and – hopefully – breathless joy.
It’s a wild ride for authors and publishers of any genre these days. I’ve mentioned here that paranormal romance authors might have the advantage because they tend to be outside-the-box thinkers anyway, but the ebb and flow of sales and success in publishing is ultimately up to readers.
Thank goodness!
Readers and fans of paranormal romance authors, horror authors, sci-fi authors, historical and contemporary authors (you get the idea) want books that will deliver that same sort of wild ride. As a reader I sure want to get swept away in the dark mystery or romantic adventure from page one. I want to get dragged along with dynamic characters, barely able to catch a breath, my heart pounding as they leap over, tunnel under, or just barrel through to reach the ultimate goal.
When I started my publishing career, it was vital to find rubber bands that would hold a bulky manuscript together during a submission snail-mailing. A few twists and turns later… and now it’s more critical to proofread and double check the formatting requirements before you hit send on the email submission or the upload button for Kindle direct-pub.
But is the change good or bad?
Well, it’s happening, and good, bad, or indifferent, as a paranormal romance author making independent publishing choices, I believe riding through the blind chute with a great attitude and willing laugh beats the heck out of getting stuck in a whirlpool of wondering and what-ifs.
Live the adventure!
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