Self Publishing, Borders, and the Kindle

Huge, both good and bad, positive and negative, things are going on in the bookish industry.

First up: Self-publishing.

In her latest blog post, Amanda Hocking announced that her VERY popular and very self-published Trylle Trilogy has been optioned for a film! Furthermore, her popular trilogy will be in the hands of Oscar nominated screenwriter Terri Tatchell (District 9). Granted, she isn't the only self-published author to have her indie work optioned for the big screen, however, given her immense popularity the film should increase her already steady sales. Good for her and good for self-publishing.

Next up: Borders

In not-so-surprising news, Borders filed for bankruptcy today. As a result, they are planning to close a staggering 200 stores (Two in my area). Whether you've expected it or not, this is sad not only for the book/publishing industry, but also because some people's only bookstore may be Borders and there's a good chance the store in their area will be closed down. What then?

Reasons why: Some claim its due to the rising popularity of the e-book, self-publishing/Amazon, and others point to Borders' poor business ethics. Personally, I think it's a combination of both, and then some. Let's face it Borders could have avoided this by developing an e-reader quicker than they did. Just look at their competitor.

So, what's next? Will this give the chance for Barnes and Noble to flourish? Or, will the mom-and-pop bookstores that had to close shop years ago be able to open back up but with a more, e-reader friendly platform? Time will only tell. One thing's for sure: Barnes and Noble better continue to adapt to the ever changing state of the book/publishing industry, or they'll find themselves in line at the bank behind Borders.

Lastly: Latest news on the Amazon Kindle

Attention Kindle Users!!! Kindle is offering a new update that will give each book REAL PAGE NUMBERS!! Way better than reading through a book that is like 10,000 "pages"! Also, with the upgrade you will get an easier to navigate method on the magazines/newspapers! Good stuff! Go Kindle.

P.S." I suggest everyone check out the cover story from this week's Time Magazine. Very Interesting.