Trends in Publishing?

What I'm reading: Alibi in High Heels, by Gemma Halliday (Nook); Killing Kate, by Julie Kramer



First - for those with Kindles, SAVING SCOTT is now available at the Kindle Store, and at Smashwords. Other e-tailers coming soon. 

[image error] I'm headed out to the Pikes Peak Writers Conference this afternoon. I'll admit that I'm looking forward to a fan-girl moment at dinner tonight, where I'll be seated at a table with author Robert Crais. I shall try not to blather. Or drool. I love his Elvis Cole/Joe Pike books, and years ago, when he spoke at SleuthFest, he was very nice about answering this not-yet-published author's questions, and offered encouragement.



I'll try to take notes during the workshops and have recaps next week.



I've been judging a contest for published romantic suspense books. I was given four books to judge, and I noticed something different about this years' entries. All four of mine were from small presses, most of which I'd never heard of. Yet they're all legitimate, royalty-paying publishing houses.




I know I've talked about going indie with e-books, but here's another print alternative to the Big Six. These aren't 'vanity presses' where the author pays to have his book published. These are publishers that require authors to submit manuscripts for approval, the same way the New York biggies do. They provide editorial services and cover art. I think they rely more on the authors for marketing, but nowadays, the Big Six also expect authors to be their own promoters.



Differences?



Most of these small presses rely on POD, or "Print on Demand" to create their product. Not that long ago, POD publishing was scoffed at, and lumped in with vanity presses. However, POD is a technology, and is not connected with publishers. All it means is that if someone orders a book, instead of finding it on a warehouse shelf, it's printed virtually on the spot. This saves trees, and eliminates the stripped book returns from bookstores.



Indie authors can take advantage of POD technology as well. For example, my two indie published books, DANGER IN DEER RIDGE, and DEADLY SECRETS, are available in print as well as in digital formats. If you go to either Amazon.com or Create Space, you can order the book, and it'll be shipped to you, the same as any other traditionally published book.



So, maybe as the Big Six are trying to figure out what's happening in the publishing world, the little guys are stepping in to fill the gaps. And not only do authors benefit, but readers can experience books that might not fit the confines of the Big Six.



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