It is clear upon a Kindle review that the device has altered the reading experience for the reader, but little has been published about the effect the shift has had on writing! The Kindle catalogs are filled with the exploits of writers from world over and the change in the way we read has had a dramatic effect on the way writers write. The new writing environment offers budding writers great new opportunities, while also introducing a series of pitfalls which were previously unimagined.

Changing of the writer’s persona

The image of a book signing, intoxicated by the adoration of hundreds of fans is one that most writers strive towards. The emergence of the e-book means that the writer will no longer be able to benefit from this ego boosting perk. This does not make much of a difference to the average writer because most book signings have about 30 people at most and the crowd is generally comprised of family members and close friends.

A simpler aspiration, however, is for the author to see his or her work on a bookshelf. The pride associated with knowing that you can request your book at the front desk has been lost to the faceless electronic age. The value of publishing has been undermined and authors will have to look elsewhere to overcome their overbearing insecurity.

Publication is easy

The electronic age has had one benefit: publishing has become easy. This does not, however, mean that you should immediately rush out and upload an electronic version of the novel that you have been working on for 10 years. If you approach the matter with this youthful exuberance then your masterpiece will simply disappear under a pile of electronic drivel published daily on Amazon. You need to employ a shrewd marketing strategy if you actually want to sell copies of your book. Commissioning the services of a professional editor would be a good start in ensuring that your book isn’t an error-laden reading headache.

Fewer overheads

Publication has become cheaper, because many of the middlemen leading to the release of a book have been eliminated. Self-publication is quickly becoming the chosen method for many authors. Stephen King, among other best-selling authors, has already released a novel exclusively in Kindle format. This is a trend that will become ever more common as Kindle continues to rise as the primary reading tool in the modern age.

Publishers also have to adapt in order to continue existing in the electronic age. Every new Kindle threatens the ability of giant publishing houses to hold clients and continue making money. It would not be far-fetched to see some authors using the reputation of a publishing house simply as a jump start to the newly established independence synonymous with e-publishing. Kindle has changed the end product and every step that leads to this has consequently been altered in some way.