Much to the dismay of the well-entrenched, stodgy traditional publishers, the landscape of the publishing industry has literally been transformed overnight. Changes in recent years have brought about an exciting era for both authors and readers. The advent of self-publishing and the proliferation of e-readers has moved power away from this tightly knit old-boys network and into the hands of the reader.
During this time, we've seen an increase in the power of bloggers, Amazon, and now the average consumer. Thanks to the Internet, which most of us now spend hours surfing in on a daily basis, each person's voice has sway. Simply leaving a comment, clicking 'Like', or writing a blog post adds our vote to the never-ending stream of consumer preferences that winds its way into our networks. When enough people cast their vote in one direction, we can make a real difference, and make something become a 'viral' experience.
In the past few years, experts have begun predicting the demise of publishing, and ultimately reading. Considering society's drive for online interactions, which are mainly a series of short-lived bursts of information, it was a logical conclusion. The demand for distraction, in which each new image, news story, or video competes to hijack your attention from the last, has had a damaging effect on our attention spans. Add to that the growing acceptance of poor grammar and spelling to communicate through Twitter and texting, and it would seem that the experts had it right. Interestingly, the opposite has actually been true. The number of people reading is actually growing. We owe this trend to a renewal of interest in book clubs. Conduct a quick search on Bing and you will see that book clubs are springing up everywhere. Celebrities such as Oprah have made book clubs en vogue. For proof of this trend, look no further than websites such as Readers Circle, Book Club Reading List, and GoodReads.
In fact, you can even find book clubs with the stated mission of driving this viral phenomenon. Book Club Reading List has launched a novel new book club called The Lit-Tank. Indie authors compete for the group's marketing support. In Week One, members vote for their favorite book. In the second and third weeks, they purchase the winning book and read it. At the end of Week Three, the winning author hosts an online book club meeting to answer any questions. In the fourth week, members begin by leaving their reviews. If the group likes the novel, they will actually help market it by following a simple schedule to mass tweet, post comments, write in blogs, etc.
The rules of the game are changing so fast that we've simply done away with the old rules. The result has been a unique self-fulfilling cycle. Increased access to high-quality works by up and coming writers at cheap prices has created demand for e-readers. When people make this investment, they are more likely to increase their desire for e-books. As the traditional publishers double-down on reality TV celebrity fluff that does little to enhance our experience, and they try to peddle it at higher prices, consumers become more interested in giving self-published novels a chance. People are joining book clubs like The Lit-Tank to have more input and let the publishing industry know which books and authors truly deserve their attention.
About the Author:
Looking for a good book recommendation? Steve Pojerova is a twenty year veteran of the publishing industry with a knack for spotting up and coming talent. When he's not reviewing books or entertaining his online book club, he's busy blogging about the ever-changing publishing industry.
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