Are you dizzy yet?

The publishing industry is changing so fast, I feel like I can hardly keep up with the news. It seems like there's something big happening every day, and it gets posted all over Twitter, Facebook and romance industry blogs like Dear Author. One of the most fascinating things right now is the trend that's seeing more and more established authors turning to self publishing. Makes a lot of sense to me, especially for authors that have a solid network of beta readers/crit partners and people to catch typos, etc. Authors can churn out a story, edit it, and put it up for sale without having to wait for a response from a publisher, several rounds of edits, and an opening in the publisher's release schedule. It's not for everyone, but for authors waiting upwards of six months to a year for a release date with a publisher, they can keep their fan base happy with more books in between their other releases. That equals more sales, a bigger following, and more money in the bank. At the end of the day, more money in the bank is a very good thing.

In my opinion, this is yet another sign that the publishing industry is tightening up at an alarming rate. With the rise of digital publishing (and partly because of the recession), brick and mortar bookstores are closing at an accelerated rate, and traditional publishers are taking fewer and fewer risks. Which means they're taking on fewer and fewer authors. The same goes for agents. It's now harder than ever to find an agent and sell to NY. Print runs and advances are shrinking for a lot of authors, too. Books that might have found a home at a big publisher a year ago are now being rejected. That only makes e-publishers and self publishing even more attractive options for authors.

It got me thinking about what will happen in the months and years to come. Agents will have to transition along with their authors through all this chaos. I don't think they'll ever become obsolete, but they'll have to adapt along with the changing marketplace and become business managers as well as literary agents. The growing trend of self publishing only emphasizes that. What do you think? What predictions do you make about the effects of self publishing and the rise of digital publishing?

In lighter news, I was notified this week that the third book of my military romantic suspense series, No Turning Back, has finaled in the National Readers' Choice Awards. Yay! Ben, the hero, was a giant pain in my butt while I wrote that book. It's dark, graphic, and uber violent; definitely not your average romantic suspense. In many ways I struggled the most with this particular book, and I'm always tickled when readers love it. Winners will be announced at the RWA National conference this summer, so please keep your fingers crossed for me. I'm definitely the underdog in this contest!