Before I say another word, let me offer thanks to those who give their time, usually voluntarily, to review books. Sure, they receive some remuneration because those books are typically free, but still, time is valuable. Book reviewers, kudos to you!

However, I have a few bones to pick with some of you out there (surely not anyone who works for Novelspot, LOL). I’m certainly not asking you to hold back criticism--if anything, reviewers tend to be too kind. But I do have some heartfelt requests, and here they are:

One thing about working in the arts, you really have to struggle to deal with what your output is worth. Whether you're an author or work in the creative arts or entertainment fields, there always seems to be a big gap between what you feel is the fair value of your work and what the market says it is worth.

Recently I've had several self-published authors contact me for advice about selling their books, including how to price them. I've written before in this column about the vagaries of book pricing these days, and the whimsical way those numbers are determined doesn't help. But there's another problem that often arises, a problem much more in an author's power to control: your own attitude.

How long has it been since being a "book lover" meant that you adored the feeling of a volume in your hands, the sight of shelves full of books in your home? It seems only yesterday that no one asked the question "ebooks or print books?" When I entered the romance writing field in 2004, experts were still saying ebooks were not a viable product and would never catch on.

Well, last month Barnes & Noble executive Marc Parrish predicted that traditional book retailers have just two years to adapt to an ebook-centric industry. Yes, he believes that by 2013, not only will ebooks have surpassed print books in popularity, they will dominate, just like downloadable digital music has made CDs a dying product line.

If you have an ereading device, you know whereof I speak: the way books are priced these days is baffling. I can't think of any industry with more wack pricing strategies that publishing. Think about it...when the music industry went digital, were some digital albums priced at $16 and others at 99 cents? No, for some reason digital music prices have always been a little less than you'd pay for the equivalent CD. You could argue that's pricey, especially considering CDs were overpriced to begin with, but at least there's consistency. Not so in book publishing.

If you want evidence of the Brave New Publishing World, look no further than this example from my own experience. I am mostly self-published, and yet two of my novels have now been translated into Chinese and were published in the People's Republic earlier this year. Take a look at the lovely covers here.

As I mentioned here in December column, last year I was approached by a literary agent (Chengdu Rightol Media & Advertisement Co. Ltd.) in the People's Republic about the translation and Chinese publishing rights for my two vampire romance novels, Bloodchained and Bloodchained II: The Secret of Secrets (www.bloodchained.com). The deal went through successfully and was thrilling to me both financially and as an awesome cultural experience. I even exchanged Facebook messages with the translator of BCII, Ning Qian, a wonderful young woman who taught me a lot about Chinese culture.

By now you've probably heard about Borders bookstores filing for bankruptcy and planning to close all their large stores. Many book lovers are lamenting the loss of one of their favorite places to shop for books. It's just another sign of the upheaval in the publishing industry, and causes some to wonder...is this the beginning of the end of book shopping as we know it? What does it mean for those of us who love to write and read?

Well, don't despair. As sad as it is to see so many good people out of work because of this (and that's the truly awful part of it to me), the news is actually far from all bad. I'll tell you why.

If you already own an ereader, you probably already agree with what I'm about to say. (Please let me know in the comments!) But if you haven't yet tried out the latest generation of ereading devices, the Kindle and nook and their ilk, there may be some food for thought in my column this month.

Before I start the proselytizing, let me just say I do understand the appeal of paper books, I really do. I have a "Shelf of Honor" where I display my favorite novels as a tribute. I have a ton of crafting books because the paper format is helpful when color pictures and patterns are a factor, and when you need to be able to place the book in a messy art studio while you work. I love "coffee table books" that are specifically designed for display.

But when it comes to basic reading, I have surprised myself by not reading a single novel in paper format since I got my nook last June. By the time I'd finished reading my first ebook title, I didn't want to go back. And believe, me, that was not what I expected to experience!

Did you get an ebook reader for Christmas? Or maybe some monetary gifts to put towards buying one? Well, whether your reader is a done deal or still in the research phase, I thought I'd offer my ideas about the great B&W versus color question.

The devices that changed the reading world in 2010, specifically the Kindle and the NOOK but also others of their ilk, utilize "e-ink" technology and present text in black and white. This development was intentional and achieved only by a great investment of time and money. The premise was this: real paper is not backlit. The true electronic equivalent of paper, therefore, should likewise not be backlit. The LCD technology used in devices from computers to cell phones was thought not to be the optimal choice for ebook readers. E-ink would be easier on the eyes, avoid the problem of screen glare, and use less energy.

I've got a nugget of advice to share with aspiring authors. Yeah, it's those four words in the title, and I'm living proof that if you put yourself out there as much as you can, something good always comes of it.

It's funny how life works. You can push, push, push, with no results: send out query letters, enter contests, buy advertising for your stuff, etc. and achieve nothing but a lot of rejections slips and flat website tracking on your Google Analytics charts. But then out of the blue, from some little thing you did so long ago you forgot about it, big fat results occur. In fact, it's likely you'll never even know what it was you did that brought those magical results!

One thing that’s not new about publishing today: authors have to do their own book marketing, just like always. Even when I had a book become the most significant title released last year by a mid-range publishing house, I was expected to work my butt off marketing my title. Okay, so that’s old news. But you know what is changing about book marketing, in a very big way?

The new way of promoting books is “pull” marketing. The old approach, “push” marketing, involved finding ways to put your book in people’s faces...as many people as possible, wherever you could find them. That meant things like print and online ads, interviews, chats, Yahoo group postings, convention appearances, and the like. Pull marketing is a very different animal, and more and more it’s the way to promote everything in the marketplace, including books.

I’m kicking off my new column for Novelspot, Brave New World of Publishing, in a big way: by sharing with you the biggest new trends that affect you as an author and/or publisher. In 2010 few industries experienced as much change as publishing did, and these developments make a big difference for those of us who write and publish books. I’m far from all-knowing and all-seeing, but based on what I, as an author and publisher, have experienced this year, I’ll tell you five things you really need to know.