I don’t know this woman, I know nothing of her book, I’m just reprinting this to illustrate what a creator has to do to get noticed, to make it today. It’s no different for a band. You can’t rely on the company, you’ve got to rely on YOURSELF!

Hey Bob,

Your comment about Amazon’s Kindle kindled a response from me. I’ve been a radio research director, and did a stint at McGraw-Hill ages ago, long before I ever heard of an e-book. It’s interesting to see how the record biz and publishing industries are both witnessing major changes due to the Internet.

Today, I’m a first time non-fiction author, and before my book is published in October, my head is spinning with all of the stuff I need to do to promote my opus about my spiritual awakening through rock music. You’ve got to have a bitchin’ book trailer on YouTube, (like a music video or movie trailer for your precious tome), network your ass off on MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook, and all of those sites which seem to spawn new networking siblings daily, write to Amazon top reviewers to query if they want to read and write about your pretty words because their praise is even more important than kudos from the New York Times, and though I haven’t touched my fingers on Amazon’s Kindle yet, my publisher will also offer my magnum opus as an e-book through Amazon.

I’ll plug it all on my website, which I now have to figure out how to create an on-line glossary for, because the glossary in my book was 50 pages long, and that didn’t make my small, independent publisher happy. She whacked me in the head with a large iron skillet: "DRIVE READERS TO YOUR SITE," she said. Alrighty then, I’ll get right on it.

There are tons of other shifts transforming the face of publishing, like the prolific increase of POD (digital Print-On-Demand) and self-publishing, all thanks to technology, Amazon.com, and the World Wide Web. I actually like the idea that my book, as an e-book, will be priced much lower than the physical book, and that a few trees will be saved. If a reader wants to download it, they’ll get it immediately with no additional shipping costs either. Wow. How wonderful. But as you said, Mr. Lefsetz, it’s about the STORY, not the delivery method.

I’ve spent six years trying to perfect my words and insights, so that someone, somewhere, someday might actually want to read about my journey. It’s my sincerest hope that people begin to see different ways that music impacts our lives far beyond anything we’ve imagined. I hope my book can change the world, but right now, all I can say is "Stop the World, I want to get OFF!" because I’m exhausted trying to keep up with all of the new avenues to promote my prose. Ultimately, word of mouth is what sells most books, and I pray that I’m doing enough to get at least a few mouths to yak about mine.

Kindle and e-books aren’t going to replace physical books any time soon. But, like downloading music, e-books are a definite trend that is here to stay. We’re a mobile society, addicted to technology. It’s probably only a matter of time before devices like Kindle and iPhone merge, (maybe they have, and I missed the email) and all of our media and communication needs are on one portable device. God help us all.

Cheers,
Laura Faeth
www.soundofyoursoul.com where no glossary exists…yet.