Kris Rusch had another wonderful post offering some comfort to fellow authors who are trying to absorb the changes in the publishing world, and who are perhaps having a hard time adjusting to the new, unfamiliar landscape. It was a lovely post, and it made me kind of sad to read. And I had the following response, which I decided to copy here because writing it captured my clearest thoughts on the digital world for writers and other creative types. So I save it here as my own writer’s manifesto.

I believe that these days are the best ever for both readers and writers. There is a treasure trove of literature available to us at a moment’s notice, and more ways to publish and reach readers than ever existed before. To me this new world feels rich with possibility.

I am sad to read that the transition is so hard for many of the creative people who are the very heart of literature. Without you, without us, there is no publishing. There are no books, none of the great stories to make us laugh and cry and think, that transport us to other worlds and into other people.

Publishing as a business has done a great job in many ways bringing those stories to readers, and helping many of you to make a living from your creativity. But to me it seems clear that publishing as it developed over time had as many drawbacks as advantages, and left many, many wonderful stories by the wayside because they didn’t fit the marketing niches that publishing developed.

In many ways the business has been a parasite on the writers it hired. Personally I’ve always thought the business took more than it should, in terms of royalties and creative control and contractual advantages. But there were so few alternatives that the business always held the upper hand.

I believe that writers hold the upper hand now, and I hope that once creative people adjust to the transition, every one of us can use the many options now available to write more, reach more readers, make more money, and have more control of our work. I hope that every writer will come to feel glad, not sad, and empowered, not adrift. I really believe this is the best time ever to be a writer.