Trend Setter, Trend Avoider or Trend Neutral?

Not sure I can add too much to this topic that my wide ranging fellow Word Whores haven't already said this week, as far as trends, technology and troglodytes. (Which by the way that word always causes me to visualize the Morlocks from the old "Time Machine" movie - no idea why.) However, I think it's in my unwritten contract somewhere that I can't just say "what they said" and be done LOL!

Trends - I'm watching the "Hybrid Author" development closely and am one myself actually, being self published and also published by Carina Press. Some hybrid authors have massive backlists from the traditional publishing houses that they're now in various stages of reissuing themselves, which is very exciting to see.

You can Google the term and get millions of hits. You can read Chuck Wendig's post "What the hell is a "Hybrid" Author, Anyway" here....

Hmmm, looked up just now and both cats were staring at me fixedly. Apparently the term hybrid author implies to them I might suddenly become either something small, furry and edible or something large, furry and hungry! Sorry to disappoint my faithful feline companions but being a hybrid author means I publish in various ways and avenues. As Mr. Wendig says, I find advantages and disadvantages  inherent in either but the choices all make me happy. 

One of the nicest parts of this trend is how helpful authors are to other authors. A lot of the advice on the loops about independent publishing goes wayyyy over my head at this point - foreign rights, for example - but I file it away for the day I might need to know how to best market my book in Germany. Some of the advice is immediately pertinent to me and so helpful, like how to do effective promo with free books and 99 cent books...I tried it and my book Wreck of the Nebula Dream recently became an Amazon Best Seller in SF Adventure, which was such a rush I cannot tell you. And I was so grateful to all the Readers who bought the book during that special promotion. I hope they'll enjoy the story!

Another trend I've personally participated in over the last year is the growth of audiobooks. I've done one with a very talented actor (he read it, I just admired the end result) and I loved the entire process. I can't wait to increase my self published audiobook backlist (but kind of need to publish the actual books first. Which means writing them...)

Troglodytes - someone at the dayjob told me last week that no one should ever take notes on a pad of paper again. So in his mind, I guess I'm a trogwhatever. (But much better looking than a Morlock, I assure you!) I always have my pad of legal sized, lavender paper with me at work and I take notes or I doodle. Depends on the meeting! When it's time to seriously write, I'm all about the computer.

The bottom line to me is keeping an open mind to new developments,watching the trends but not necessarily adopting them, picking and choosing what works for me, experimenting...and always, writing my stories!

Is there a trend or a technology that you've recently adopted and recommend?

Jake the Glowing e-Cat is Everywhere!