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This year’s Blog Action Day subject is climate change. At first I struggled with how to relate that to writing. The obvious answer didn’t jump out at me. I blame that on my muse sticking around Europe and not coming back home when I did.

My muse is back now, apparently refreshed and ready to work. She pointed out to me that we are in the middle of big climate changes in publishing now. Some of these changes will have a positive effect on the world’s climate.

Publishing as a business resists adopting new technology. Even when they moved from printing presses to computers, submissions still needed to be sent by “snail mail”.

Publishers didn’t take as long to shift the responsibility for publicity to the authors. Just because you receive an advance for your book doesn’t mean that the publisher will put money into your promotion. Very few authors get any publisher support for promotion.

Fortunately the Internet lets authors reach far more readers than even the largest publisher’s PR departments did in the past. Subscribe to this blog for tips on using technology to promote yourself and your writing.

Right now the e-Reader wars are heating up. This week Amazon announced a big jump in earnings. They attribute a large part of the increase to the Kindle, both the device itself and the books, blogs, and magazines sold for it.  The International Kindle version is now shipping.

Plastic 40 mg strattera Logic has said that they will release the product details and the price of their e-Reader device at the Consumer Electronic Show in early January. It will probably be called the Que or the QueproReader. AT&T will be the wireless provider. It will read PDF, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents.

Design Spring has announced an ebook reader based on the Google Android operating system. It will have full browser capability and a patented dual screen. The Alex will have an electronic paper display for reading and an LCD screen, running Android, for better web access with browser features for bookmarking, history, and security. It’s also mobile enabled with smart phone capabilities.

You are now able to pre-order buy viagra online without prescription Barnes and Noble’s ebook reader, Nook.  It’s also a dual-screen reader and has similar features to the Alex. Due to release at the end of November, you can check out the features on Nook.com or at Buy a prescription online target=”_blank”>Barnes and Noble.

These readers are great for those of us who freak out about running out of reading material. It’s especially handy when traveling. I saw lots of people reading Kindles on my recent trip.

As more readers accept e-readers and the e-readers themselves improve, the amount of paper used to print books will decrease. This will benefit the entire planet.

Do your research before you buy. Pick the reader that works best for your reading habits and your eyes. These readers will continue to improve. If you plan to upgrade, make sure you can read the books you’ve purchased on the new device.

If you haven’t already subscribed to this blog, sign up on the right. I’ll keep you updated on the latest changes in e-Readers and other technology. Remember that the climate of publishing is changing. I’ll help you keep up with it.

Write on,

Lynn

Related articles by Zemanta

• Que and Alex set to challenge e-reader leader Kindle (seattlepi.com)
• Kindle is More Environmentally Friendly Than Old-School Books [Ebook Readers] (gizmodo.com)

Where do you want your writing career to be this time next year?  How many books, articles, blog post, and short stories do you want to have written?

Work backwards to figure out what your short-term goals need to be to accomplish these goals. Be sure to set goals for your writing, promotional activities, and development of your craft.

Writing goals

You probably won’t be able to write every day. Start by blocking out vacations, holidays, and other times that you know you probably won’t be able to write.

How much do you need to write daily to accomplish your goals? Be realistic in your estimates.

If you really plan to write as much as possible, set your daily goal low. You’ll feel great when you meet it and most days you will be able to exceed it. Join or start your own Club 100. Write 100 words per day for 100 days. This builds up your writing habit. It also pleases your muse. Online groups are great because you check in and are accountable to the rest of the group.

Promotional goals

Do you want to be a bestseller?   What steps do you need to take to get your there.

If your goal is to be an Amazon bestseller, a great place to start is with Kathleen Gage’s course on how to be an Amazon bestseller. Click the link above to check out her free preview call.  Kathleen knows a lot about marketing books and using the Internet to your best advantage.

What steps do you need to take daily to build up your readership?

• Attend conferences
• Network online
• Blog

Craft goals

What skill do you need to improve? Will you take classes online or in person? Do you need mentorship?

Be sure to set goals which you can control. You can’t set a goal to be published or to find an agent. You can set a goal to send out a certain number of submissions to your list of top editors and agents. Set goals that optimize your chances of publishing or finding that special editor or agent.

Most important of all is to take steps everyday to reach your goals.

Set long-term, intermediate, and short term goals. Evaluate your progress along the way.

What are your goals for 2009? How will you reach them?

Write on,

Lynn Jordan