I had a wonderful time this last weekend at SCBWI-IL's Prairie Writers Day. I tell you, great people go to that shindig, and I'm not talking about the speakers (though they were plenty fine too). I was able to catch up with quite few friends I haven't seen in awhile and it felt like a real treat.
(If you live in Illinois, are a children's book writer and/or illustrator and you're not a member of SCBWI-IL, sign up. It's a good group of folks. They'll get you started. They'll keep you going.
Above is a page from my notes. I was practicing using Penultimate and a stylus on an iPad. Not bad!
Any news about where the publishing industry is headed? I wondered what vibe I'd get from the speakers. For the most part, these people seemed to have peace with the place the industry is at -- which is 'Wait and See.' They obviously love their jobs. They don't want paper books to go away. But it might happen. Who knows? There was an art director here and she seemed to be the most optimistic. She said she may be out of a job in five years, but right now? They're hiring designers. And if more stuff, like page layout, is done in-house then they'll be hiring even more designers.
And as for us? My thought is simply that we're writers. No matter which format ends up on top, stories and well-placed words will always be needed.