The year is rushing away with all due speed, yet there’s a lot left to do for all of us, I’m sure. But first, take a few minutes to check out these outstanding articles on developmental editing, the self-publishing wars, using social media, an innovative way to create a book, and the end of an amazing publishing experiment.

Alan Rinzler on The Book Deal
When do you need an editor?
“Most successful fiction and non-fiction writers work with developmental editors, with very few exceptions. Here’s how it works.”

Robert Francis on The Fall of Print
Is self-publishing really only for genre writers?
“The print-digital shift is about more than a change in the means of distribution. It’s about letting go of a whole mythology, ritual, and culture that has shaped us in deep and profound ways.”

Sean Platt on Ghostwriter Dad
How to Use and Measure Social Media: A Writer’s Guide
“There’s something for everyone, depending on your style and strategy. Know what you want and why you want it, rather than taking the typical scatter-shot approach that shortcuts to failure. Careful aim will help you hit the bulls-eye every time.”

Chris Brogan on Chris Brogan
Hugh McGuire on the Future of Digital Publishing and PressBooks
“Hugh McGuire stopped by to tell me about his interesting new company, PressBooks, a new tool to let authors and publishers create books via WordPress and some other magic.”

Seth Godin on Seth Godin’s Blog
The Last Hardcover
“The ebook is a change agent like none the book business has ever seen. It cuts the publishing time cycle by 90%, lowers costs, lowers revenue and creates both a long tail and an impulse-buying opportunity. This is the most disruptive thing to happen to books in four hundred years.”

Blog Note

If you left a comment on Dana Lynn Smith‘s guest post about virtual book tours on Thursday, check back tomorrow when I’ll be announcing the winner of her drawing for a free copy of her new book, Virtual Book Tour Magic.

Photo by Grand Canyon NPS