Specifically Spec Fic

Science Fiction Weekly reports that J.K. Rowling is pondering the idea of another book with Harry Potter in it, even though he might not be the central character! SFW quotes the London Daily Mail in discussing the "hints" that Rowling has dropped. Don't get your hopes up—she also said that although her oldest daughter is lobbying for another book in the series, she herself would like to wait 10 years. And, she's already working on an adult novel and a "political fairy tale," as well as some "charity work" (the charity work doesn't sound like a writing project).

I'm tagging this as "Harry Potter" because let's face it, those books are practically their own genre.

The New York Times had another article on print-on-demand. The article is titled "Got a Manuscript? Publishing Now a Snap." But of course, they don't really mean publishing as we know it, they mean printing. It's really just a vanity press with a much smaller print run. The difference, as the article points out, between the old days of a garage full of self-published books and today's POD presses, is the Internet. Distribution has always been the key, and with the web, self-published authors finally have a way to reach an audience. Amazon has gotten into the act by adding POD books to its CreateSpace feature, which previously allowed filmmakers and musicians to burn their work onto DVDs and CDs (which makes me suspect that the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award is just a way to generate a marketing list for CreateSpace).

Because really, what POD does best is to satisfy the need to hold your own book in your hand.