I was pleasantly surprised by the ASIDIC group. Everyone was very much engaged in the discussions and totally interested in hearing what each speaker had to say today. I was only able to stay for 2 sessions after my own but they were both top notch.

The audience had lots of great questions for me after my keynote. We ran out of time or we’d probably still be kicking around ideas related to blogs and wiki’s, for example. There was a very strong interest in all the forms of community and how to be an integral part of it (e.g., join existing communities rather than trying to build your own, walled-off ones).

I’m glad I was given the opportunity to speak at the conference and I look forward to following-up with some of the people I met there last night and today.

Keep me posted. I am truly interested.

Congratulations on the second book. It’s going to be like sophomore year in high school. You have to get past it. Laws of the universe are dependent upon this hurdle. Probably it’s part of the hero’s journey, but I’m lazy and cannot look it up. Plus I’m supposed to be packing, not commenting.

Do not feel like getting your work published is a pointless endeavor. You want to be read. Like all of us, you have exhibitionist tendencies. But I do like that writers, now more than ever, can control how and where they’re read. I am very happy with how my career as a writer is going. I’m doing what I love to do. I’m also not forgetting that writing fiction makes me happy, too. I have simply found a model that works very well for me. Cats, as you know, are cheaper to feed than human kids; that makes one trade-off easier for me. I think it’s critical to know what you want from your writing — and then you have a goal to pursue.

And things change rapidly. And you have incredible stories to tell. How they’re told can change over time. To me, that’s the coolest, best thing ever.

My opinion is there are (at least!) 6 things publishers need to do better as they evolve. This list includes changing their acquisition/development model, focus on existing brands (and building new ones for the future), embracing the community, focusing on authors with strong platforms, innovating and providing content on a multitude of delivery platforms and leveraging advertising models online. All of these items are likely to be controversial, so I’m looking forward to the Q&A at the end of my session!

Changing this state of affairs will take more than wishful thinking, at least at the major publishing houses. Who will take on these roles in the digital future is anyone’s guess.

Of course, this is where I argue for flexible approaches to the publishing model. There are so many choices, so many options. I think it’s great when publishers look beyond the one size fits all model. One thing that I’m really fascinated by these days is extending the story beyond the book — using alternate venues, technologies, and worlds to tell the story. This doesn’t work for every book, but I think it’s an interesting model for authors, storytellers (can be different you know), and publishers.

Ah, Dan, I live in a fantasy world, you know that. Thus, in my fantasy world, the need for good writers will lead to investing in the infrastructure that supports them. In another venue, I have pissed off a group of erotica authors for suggesting that their prolific output has degraded the quality of their work. The topic that I didn’t address — word count sometimes limits my ranting — is that editing, especially poor editing, is a bit of an elephant in the room.

However, authors are finding increased options for publishing their work. Do I believe that the current system will disappear tomorrow? No. But I do believe that some publishers are doing their darnedest to make themselves irrelevant to the creative, edgy authors that make reputations. I also think that these creative, edgy authors are finding better outlets for their work.

That’s a good thing.

Most books don’t get marketed properly. They can’t. And maybe many books don’t deserve to be marketed properly. There are many factors that comprise a big-ass publisher’s list. Sometimes titles don’t need to be marketed. In the minds of the publishers.

But, yeah, in a way, I think supply and demand will drive the publishing industry to make some (but not all) wiser choices in the future, if only because the authors these publishers want have other options.

As you should. Do you really think that publishers will be convinced to go back to editing and marketing? What makes you think this? The supply and demand imperative of capitalism? Isn’t this what has gotten publishing into its current mess?