STRANGE NEW WORLD

With this world living in fear of corona virus, we all wonder what the future will bring. We've seen national restrictions on travel and limits on how many people can get together in one place. Our whole lifestyles have changer; we can't go to restaurants, movies, bars, concerts, sports games or anything else for that matter. As an author who meets the public on a regular basis, this year has been devastating to me as well as other authors who make their sales from public appearances.

This is why the last weekend, the authors of the CNY Writers Marketplace and I created a virtual showcase this past weekend. We didn't organize it just to help ourselves, however. We did it so that readers out there would see the best the CNY has to offer in literature during this time of isolation. In this new age where physical book stores have dwindled, there has been a gradual surge in online sales, until recently, when eBooks have surged and online orders for paperbacks have rose 35% just in the last week. It was a pleasure to host the event, where we offered workshop videos on self publishing and marketing, interviews with seven local talented authors, and book trailers and readings.     

So, support your local authors, if you can financially, for most eBooks cost less than  $4 , and paperbacks about $10-$15. it might help get you through time time of frustration and uncertainty, and take you to a brave new world where you've never been before.