I recently returned from Bouchercon, a premier conference of writers and readers.
One remarkable thing about being a writer is the people you meet. Unlike most professions, among writers there is almost universal commitment to helping each other. It is a marvelous experience to have readers work their way through hundreds of participants at a conference to find you, shake your hand and ask that you autograph a book for them.
Another understanding came from a week of interaction with the community of readers and writers, and that is that the dominance of the “big” publishing houses is fading. At Bouchercon, the smaller publishers were the ones with new and imaginative ideas. I sat in on at least a dozen panel discussions where the vast majority of the participants were either self-published or represented by Indie publishers. They were writing stories that didn’t fit the cookie cutter models of the past, and they were both refreshing and fun.
Both Indie published and self-published writers depend on their readers to share their experiences and reviews online with their friends. Comments about a good book posted on a reader’s email or Facebook or X account introduce fellow readers to writers and books that they otherwise might never know existed. One reader’s review personally posted and then passed on can now reach thousands of people in days.
Writing a really good book has always been the best tool for success as a writer. We all thank everyone who buys one of our books. We write for you, for your entertainment and to take you places you might never go. We write to introduce you to times and situations that you aren’t going to know about from everyday life. Readers who come up and make comments like, “I didn’t know that Abraham Lincoln was meddling in the Mexican Civil War at the same time he was fighting the War Between the States,” or “Thanks for introducing me to Iranians who are furious with their government and committed to regime change.” Those comments make the hours of research on and writing of a book meaningful.
Thank you for your feedback, and thank you for passing on your comments and reviews to your social media feed. Your posts are critical to introducing Rodger Carlyle Books to the world.