Well, maybe in the world of new technologies 6 years is long enough to earn me a shot at a new prediction. E-books are here to stay, due in large part to the Kindle. Publishing industry guru Mike Shatzkin makes some very interest observations on this topic in his piece “15 Trends to Watch in 2008” in a recent issue of Publishers Weekly. It is well worth reading.

I agree with the basic thrust of the article, except that I would go a little further and say this: for independent publishers, the Kindle will be more important than any other technological development in the past decade because of its potential for helping to market-test publishing projects, to provide audience for quality writing of all kinds, and to begin building the kind of interactive, buzzy, indie community of readers and writers that has long existed in the worlds of indie music and film. To get in on the ground floor of this exciting transformation in independent publishing, you may want to start reading my book on publishing for the Kindle through this terrific pre-publication deal.