Ewan Morrison writing for the Guardian argues that ‘within 25 years the digital revolution will bring about the end of paper books.’Are books dead...?

He says that the Ebook will be the dominant form of literature (Amazon & Barnes & Noble already declare it is) and that although the printed book will reinvent itself, probably in the form of lavish and collectible photo editions, the professional ‘writer’ will no longer exist.

Well, bring it on I say. Already I see a demand for copy-editing, proofreading and general book design/typesetting that I can fulfil. Why make new words, when tens of thousands of people eager to see themselves in print will pay you to make theirs more intelligible?

Or, put another way, why bother to write if, as Morrison states, 'Writing has already begun its slide towards becoming something produced and consumed for free'?

It's been a hectic couple of weeks. First there was THE Launch, to set the recently published Write Now! Anthology - My Daughter was an Astronaut - on its way. That was on November the 16th. Floods of people expected at THE venue, Waterstones bookstore in Bury St Edmunds. A photocall from local newspapers kicked off proceedings. The Mayor came, on his way to an appointment later that evening. People arrived, in groups, in crowds, the door was forced shut...perhaps not, but in excess of a hundred guests and families turned up to hear readings from the book, by the authors themselves. Did I mention it is VERY reasonably priced at £5.99? It is.

Over 40 books sold through the tills, and we knew the ball had started rolling. The real effort in marketing a self-published book comes in putting it in places where it might sell, be that bookshops, charity stalls, tourist offices, or even the web, Amazon, and getting traffic to those places, by giving talks, distributing leaflets, tweeting and so on.

Effort, but also excitement.