I love technology. It means a publisher may be more likely to take a chance on me now. It’s CHEAPER now. Less of a risk! Yay technology! Bring it on, baby!

http://www.ondemandbooks.com/home.htm

Technology is always a factor in change. However, I don’t think even the combined power of the Internet (which I am loath to capitalize), television, e-readers, smart phones, and whatever earth-shattering new gadgetry will be choking our superstores and landfills in the next several decades, have the power of the novel.

It’s refreshing to see writers and the rest of the publishing industry embracing the convergence of fiction and technology, and I applaud the efforts of those who manage to get people to read books through innovation. However, we must always remember that technology serves us–we do not serve it.

As long as there are people to read them, there will be books.

The novel will never die, and I for one refuse to stop writing them.

I will say, about attention span comment, that I was most productive yesterday because I didn’t have internet access. I wrote for like 4 hours straight. Usually I’ll interrupt with some facebook checking or email checking. So we all still have the capacity for uninterrupted interest in books, we just need to force ourselves to minimize the distractions.

I really want to believe you, but your logic is hella faulty.

Novels require deep levels of concentration, without distractions. All facebook is is distractions.

I have never read more than a few lines of a fiction story on the internet anywhere. Because some messages me, or I get an email, or whatever. A crowdsourced twitter novel isn’t even close to being art, it’s more like playing Madlibs with a bunch of strangers.

TRY AGAIN.