Publishing Is Tilting Toward Authors and Readers

In this week’s post about preaching from an iPad, I referenced an article in the UM Reporter.  Later in that article, I am quoted as saying about the new era in e-publishing,

“It’s great for writers and for readers, and it’s horrible for publishers and agents.”

I firmly believe that.  I love my agent, and I love (almost) all of the editors I’ve worked with at publishing houses.  But I feel badly for them as we enter a new epoch of content delivery.

Last year, bestselling author Seth Godin made waves when he announced that all of his future books would be ebooks.  My next two books will be ebooks — coming straight to your Kindle this summer:

• The Church Is Flat: The Relational Ecclesiology of the Emerging Church Movement
• But How Does Love Win? A Friendly Rejoinder to Rob Bell

I hope that, after that, I’ll have another traditional book in the queue — probably on prayer.  My agent and I are working on that idea at the moment.

So I’ve still got a foot in each world.  But my success (or failure) in the ebook world will likely dictate the direction of my literary career over the next decade.