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Kindles, e-books and the future of authors

April 21, 2011 in books & faith with 2 Comments

I am an author. I love writing stories for the page and screen and right now I’m also writing some non-fiction. My work is with words. So I must say I’ve been following all of this e-publishing stuff with great interest…and not just a little concern. My words are my trade. I work with my own words, I edit the words of others and I write – hoping that someone will pay me for those words now and then. I don’t get a paycheck for writing this blog, or for the Girls, God & the Good Life blog – I write for blogs because I love to do it and it allows me to connect with my readers.

I can’t help feeling like our words – in today’s world where so many think everything should be free – are becoming worth less and less. I received a Kindle for Christmas so I have joined the growing ranks of those with e-readers. And I’ve noticed a few things:

1 – Maybe I’m just old-fashioned but I’m not a huge fan of not having the actual book. Perhaps I’ll get used to it eventually, but I still love to hold an actual book more than a device.

2 – I haven’t actually paid for anything. Instead, I have found myself the recipient of “free Kindle downloads”. So all the books on my Kindle? They were free. In several of the cases, I may have actually bought the book at some point but now I don’t have to. I’m kind of confused by this new phenomenon. I suppose it could be very helpful if it’s the first book in the series that is given away free. And I suppose that releasing one book for free may cause me to get other books by the same author if I like it. Maybe I’ve had too many psychology courses, but it seems to me like what we’re really doing is training people to just wait for books to be free.

3 – If the writer’s trade is de-valued, how will we earn a living in this new marketplace? Some writers are publishing their own materials as e-books instead of allowing the publishers to do it for a percentage. And some are earning a nice living. But the whole publishing world is a little bit messy, a little bit wild right now.

And yet, I am about to sign a book contract for my 6th novel! I’m quite excited about it. I still love books. I love to hold books. And this will be my very first hardcover. For now, I won’t worry too much about all of it – I’m just going to keep writing, keep blogging, and hope that I’ll be able to earn enough to keep the kids in school. A vacation would be really nice though…

And several years ago I made my own venture into a blog book that I wrote primarily for fans of my Becoming Beka series. There wasn’t any interest by the publisher to continue the series (or any other YA novels for that matter) so I wrote a spin-off novel called Totally Unfamous and released it online. It was fun experiment (and you can still read it at Totally Unfamous for a few more weeks).

So what will the future of authors be? I know that people will always want stories. And there will always be a place in the marketplace for those stories. But where will that “place” be? Who knows? I’m going to go write now:-)

~Sarah~

Book Talk: Half the Church

April 7, 2011 in books & faith, women & faith with 0 Comments

Half the Church: Recapturing God’s Global Vision for Women
by Carolyn Custis James

I am a woman. I did not grow up in the church. And to be quite honest, once I became a Christian,  I was very surprised by how the church thought about and dealt with women. Particularly among evangelicals. As a college student and new Christian, by observation alone, I learned very quickly that the woman who were valued were

1) quiet
2) demure
3) served in the shadows of the men
4) were focused on being wives and mothers
5) if single were expected to pursue missions
6) could have other “pursuits” if tied to the home in some way (quilting, scrapbooking, etc.)

I wasn’t any of those things. In fact, the passions and callings God had put in me seemed to have no place in the church. When I stepped out to follow God on the path He had set before me and I asked my church to pray for me, I got no response from them. They essentially ignored me, and continued to ignore me. Eventually I realized that I couldn’t sit around waiting for “approval” that I was never going to get. I chose to follow God and the path has been extraordinary, difficult, amazing and challenging. I wouldn’t want it any other way. But you know what – I still feel like there is no place for me at my home church. I love them anyway – you don’t stop loving your family just because they don’t understand you. And thankfully, I have found my “church” among amazing and precious women from across the country who are also off pursuing God in ways that don’t fit inside the box that the contemporary church has made for women.

About the book:
So why do I share all of this? Well, truly, Half the Church is what made me start thinking about all of this. I’m sure plenty of other sites will do a more classic book review. But if you haven’t figured out by now, I don’t do much in “typical” fashion. Carolyn Custis James shares a message for women that I think many, many women need to hear. Are in fact longing to hear. I know that my small experience is a microcosm. What James tries to offer is a more global perspective, and shows how the problem of women’s place in the kingdom of God is a global concern for us all. But while it widens your eyes, I don’t think it minimizes the ongoing struggle that many women have within the body of Christ. There are many nuggets worth searching for in it’s pages:

1- the word “submission” and how Jesus modeled it for us.
2 -how women are meant to be warriors for his Kingdom
3 – how the church has an opportunity – if she will embrace it…
4 – how women have a purpose – right now – no matter what their age or station in life

I found the book to be a bit more set-up than pay-off at times – but it’s a book worth committing to. It’s a book worth exploring. Pondering. Wondering. For me, it really just confirmed much of what I have already come to believe. But I’m worried too. Worried that the people who NEED to read this book – namely men, won’t. It will be their loss. If you care about the church, then the ideas contained within these pages must be part of the conversation. I will be recommending it. To women who need that confirmation that God has a purpose for them right now. But also to men. Men who need women’s input as much as women need to have a voice within the church.

Will things change? I don’t know. But I think being willing to have the conversation is a step in the right direction.
~Sarah~

Want to win a copy of Half the Church by Carolyn Custis James? Then join the conversation! Make a comment and be sure to include a valid e-mail address and I’ll pick a random winner from those who comment! (Click on the post title to go to the blog page if you don’t see the comment box below).

**Disclaimer – I received a review copy of this book from Zondervan along with the extra copy I’m using for the giveaway. Just so’s you know!**

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