iSoap on NewFiction.com - The Future?

This is the textbook definition of early adoption, especially when Questers are hearing the worst of news.

While trolling around Twitter, I came across this gem from New York Magazine, openly wondering about the demise of publishing as we know it. As many Questers can attest to, the publishing business was already tough to break into. Now, if the pundits are right, the business will be dead and buried before long.

But it probably won't. Like the first rule of chemistry, matter is neither created nor destroyed, just changing form. With the advent of e-books and readers from Amazon, Sony and soon, Plastic Logic, those of us trying to get our writing out there will have just as many places to go as ever. And, as in the case of Amazon Digital Text Platform, with a little bit of tech savvy, we, as writers, can cut out the middleman altogether.

That's not all. While making my regular stop on LinkedIn, I can across a question in one of my groups from a gentleman named Tom Lopilato seeking fiction stories for his venture, NewFiction.com. Out of sheer curiosity, I took a look at the site.

What I saw could very well be the future of publishing. NewFiction is the creator of the iSoap, a publishing hybrid that marries the format of old-school weekly radio shows and the technology behind podcasting. Throw in a e-book PDF text format for good measure, and they really could be onto something.

Needless to say, I've already sent them Flagrant Foul. If ever there was a book to have in this format, this would be it.

Then again, perhaps I should have went with Dilemma...

Sites to Swear By

Like any aspiring author, I know now that it takes a lot of work beyond writing to make the best decision on how to best make my writing available to as many people as possible. However, when the Quest started back when I originally finished Flagrant Foul, my haste proved to be my ultimate undoing.

Since then, I've come across some very valuable resources for my fellow Questers out there.

The Publishing Game - A friend of mine, noted poet and author Anthony "Da Boogieman" Rucker (whose current book, The Relationship Cookbook, is now on sale!), told me about this series by Fern Reiss. Not only are the books packed with infomation (I own Find and Agent and Publish a Book. Still working on getting Creating a Bestseller), the Web site, plus the Writing and Publishing group on Facebook are updated regularly with the latest news and updates.

LinkedIn - In a former life, this site saved my bacon on more than one occasion. But there's more to the premier business networking site than just connecting to as many people as you can. The Answers section is what's been most helpful to me during the Quest. Don't be afraid to ask!

Preditors and Editors - If you think that the publisher or the agent you're working with is shady? Here's at least one place to find out! Over the years, I've found it to be the most honest source of information about the book market.