Author be nimble...author be quick

I've seen a fair amount of angst the past few days about a few recent publishing developments:

• Amazon Sunshine Deals - Over 600 books from traditional publishers priced from $0.99 - $2.99, which are gobbling up the the Amazon Top 100 rankings
  
  
• Amazon becoming a "real publisher" as evidenced by their hiring of Larry Kirshbaum and signing of Barry Eisler, Joe Konrath, and Barry Crouch
  
  
• Some slow down in the ebook %'s off the big 29.5% numbers of February's AAP numbers
  
  
• The discussion that never dies which is: a flood of "crappy books" will kill the book industry
  

Michael has a great scene in his yet to be released book where things are looking just about as dark as it could be. One of my favorite characters in the book is totally unaffected by the impending doom. He basically points out that he's lived a good life, will die in relative comfort surrounded by friends...he has no complaints. He makes a great analogy about whether it makes any sense to spoil the memory of a great meal by lamenting that you've come to the last bite.

Well we are FAR from "the end" of the good times brought on by the current climate in publishing. But I wanted to give my own opinions on the subject of change.

We can be certain of a few things:

• Change will come, it is the only certainty that we can count on.
  
  
• We can speculate what that change will look like. It's important to keep abreast what is going on and to keep your eyes open. If you wait until after it happens you'll have to play catch up.
  
  
• No one can be certain exactly what the future will look like, although many will bet on their soapboxes and proclaim they know for sure
  
  
• Those that are able to adjust to change quickly, will be more successful than those who clinging to the past
  
  
• Will it always be this great? I have no idea - this may be the "gold rush days" but it may be just the start of something even better. Recently I posted the great sales of one of my authors (at the time at about 10,000 a month) and mentioned it in a forum someone sniped back...but what makes you think those sales will continue...you can't count on that. My first response was you're right - the sales will probably increase...and they did - he finished out May with 17,700+ in sales.
  

So what are my "messages of the day"?

• Maximize Opportunities: Times are great now, make the best of current environment. Remember the old saying of making hay while the sun shines?
  

• Continuous education: Keep yourself informed of the changes in the industry. You're already doing that by reading my blog but other great sources are: JA Konrath, Dean Wesley Smith, Kathryn Rusch, and David Gaughran. We won't always agree with one another but we spend a lot of time watching for trends and important information so stand on the shoulders of others who have already invested the time and effort.
  
  
• Be thankful: Times have never been better to be in writing. You are fortunate to be in the right place at the right time. Authors who have been in the business for decades no how hard it once was.
  
  
• Don't worry: Getting yourself tied up into knots about what may or may not come to pass is unproductive. Focus that energy to point #1 above.
  
  
• Embrace Challenges: Overcoming obstacles is far more rewarding than to have everything handed to you on a silver platter. I've always said that perseverance and determination is the best fuel to guarantee success. If you find a wall in front of you, go over it, dig under it, or find away around it. The only unacceptable option is to sit down before it.
  

I'm not worried about what the future holds because I know that the entrepreneur spirit has proven time and time again to be the catalyst to drive our civilization forward. Each closed door opens a new window. So my thought of the day is to be nimble and smart. You can't stop change, nor should you want to. Instead embrace it and find a way to succeed while the rest cower in fear.