Old dogs and new tricks

 Lisa and I went to the movies last night. Specifically, we went to see the first three episodes of The Chosen, season 4. Three and a half hours, three episodes, one theater. Massive amounts of popcorn and Diet Dr. Pepper. It was so good. 

It got me thinking how the world has changed. I've never been to a movie like that before. We've watched the first three seasons on DVD, because we don't have the capacity to stream video on our remote little farm. But we do have a DVD player. We've really enjoyed the series. It's a great way for a whole new generation to get to know Jesus better. 

At one point during the intro, the creators of The Chosen posted a QR code on the screen and encouraged us to take a photo of it. So I did, and I followed the links on my phone and filled out the info. And this morning, I received via email a special add-on scene and a couple other special offers. 

It got me thinking about how the world of writing has changed. A few decades ago when I was first trying to get a book published, the only legitimate way to do so was to convince an established publisher to take a chance on me. Then the print book would come out through their services, and that creative work would essentially belong to the publisher. That's just the way it worked. 

I went that route. It was a frustrating, disappointing experience for me. I began exploring other ways of doing things, and discovered that there was a growing world of alternative publishing out there. In the last five years I've published three books through these alternative means. I've learned to handle the creative side of publication and to work with experts in cover design, electronic formatting, print-on-demand technology, and more. 

This spring I'll be publishing a fourth book. It will initially be coming out through Kickstarter, which is a whole new way of launching a book. I'm learning a lot. (When we have a firm launch date and the campaign is finalized, you will certainly find the links to our pre-launch page here. Watch for it!) 

Sometimes it seems like all this changing tech is scary. I have to admit I was a little surprised when they told us to pull out our phones in the movie theater last night. I'd just silenced mine and put it away. But indie publishing, and Kickstarter, and QR codes, and print-on-demand... it's all just new ways to get books out to people and connect in a more personal way with readers. 

So this old dog is trying to learn some new tricks. And having a lot of fun along the way.