P is for Publishing (In a Huxleyesque New World)

The publishing world is in flux today.  So many choices.  So many unanswered questions.  What does it all mean?

Traditional publishing with a publishing house?  Self publishing, usually within one's own house?  Pay on Demand publishing houses?  Publishing through a company such as Amazon?  And the list grows longer seemingly with each passing month.

Gutenberg Printing Press
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It is a conundrum for writers today.  I'll let you in on a secret.  It's a conundrum for publishing houses, too!  Sands are shifting everywhere in the world of the written word, and no one knows what will ultimately happen.

Then there is the parallel world of apps.  What's the future for them, and will they really and effectively incorporate into books?  Particularly kid's books. 

 Oh, we know what they do now.  But will what they do actually sell books, eBooks, tablets for books, iPhones for books...?  Will they have the staying power to be seen again and again?  Publishers live in hope.  So do authors.

So it truly is a Huxley world out there in dealing with a time honored and ancient profession.  A profession for which the very fabric, if not unraveling, is morphing into a different frock, and only time, technology and consumers will determine the outcome.