Change

The October 2012 issue of the RWR had some interesting statistics. Of the new romances purchased during the first quarter of 2012,

43% were bought in e-book format

29% in mass-market paperback

17% in trade paperback

8% in hardcover

(Source: New Books Purchased, Q1 2012; Bowker Monthly Tracker)

43% in e-book format. Almost half. And there’s a whole slew of new e-readers due out just in time for Christmas 2012.

I thought the turning point in e-book publishing was Christmas 2011; now I’m sure it’s Christmas 2012.

Change. There’s no turning back. At the RWA National Conference this last July in Anaheim, I saw multi-published authors, aspiring writers, agents and editors alike all walking around with that deer-in-the-headlights expression.

Change. It’s difficult for all of us. According to some studies of the human brain, we’re hardwired to resist it. Yet there are times we absolutely have to change to survive. As a writer, the worst thing you can succumb to is that crushing fear that paralyzes any sort of forward motion.

What are you afraid of in this current publishing climate? What’s stopping you in your tracks or encouraging you to move forward?