Spending time in the blogosphere is rewarding in itself. With change happening in publishing and self-publishing almost constantly, at the end of the week you like to look back, take stock of what’s happened, and take a deep breath before confronting Monday morning.

Herewith some of the subjects and blog posts that stood out for me from the last week. Enjoy!

The Harlequin Firestorm

Jane Friedman on There Are No Rules
Harlequin’s Self-Publishing Venture: Is It The Future of Publishing?
In my time in the industry, I’ve always seen Harlequin as a progressive and innovative company. I don’t think that has changed. But this latest move fundamentally questions what it means to be a publisher. And it’s a fascinating question.

Guy LeCharles Gonzalez on Loudpoet
Everything you though you knew is wrong
By almost any definition, last week was a PR disaster for Harlequin, but for authors, it was just the latest sign that everything you thought you knew about publishing is wrong.

Stacey Cochran in Online Book Review
Harlequin Horizons and the State of Publishing
I have said for years that this is a desperately needed change in how traditional publishing works because it allows the rest of us to get our books into print and then we have to sell them. And for the handful of writers who would sell well, you’d have an opportunity to rise to the next level.

Joe Konrath on A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing
You, Artist
My advice to Harlequin, and to all publishers, is to follow in the footsteps of Smashwords. But in a way that strengthens, rather than diminishes, their brand.

Mick Rooney on POD, Self-Publishing and Independent Publishing
DellArte Press (Harlequin Paid-Publishing) – Reviewed
The most intriguing part of DellArte Press is the fact they are a publisher of romance and women’s fiction, but who is filtering and deciding what goes through the DellArte imprint?

On the Kindle

Stephen Windwalker on Kindle Nation Daily Blog
21 Steps: How to Publish a Kindle Blog (And Why You Might Want To….)
(although posted 11/15, brought to our attention at Publitariat on 11/23)
But as the “installed base” of Kindle owners has continued to grow dramatically each month, and promises to keep growing, I’ve changed my mind about the usefulness of the Kindle blogging format, and I would no longer say “Don’t bother” to anyone with useful information or creative work to share.

Self-Publishing

Jane Friedman on There Are No Rules
The Three Self-Publishing Paths You Should Understand
Yes, those are wonderful services anyone can use, and I encourage writers to look into them. They’re basically turnkey services/tools. They do not assist in what is normally more confusing for the average person: creating and designing print-ready or online-ready files, and in some cases, distribution/fulfillment and eCommerce. Here are the 3 major paths to consider.

And for something completely different…

Colleen Wainwright on Communicatrix
Black (Referral) Friday: Shop yer ass off with the Communicatrix
Just because I’m decluttering, doesn’t mean I can’t shop! I just (mostly) buy consumable goods, by which I mean shit that gets used up or used a lot. I’ve collected a bunch of these favorite items for you, below.