Tomorrow at the Celebration of the Book in Grand Rapids I will be on a panel to discuss how the web has changed the way we buy, read, and learn about books. Read more about the panel and the day long event featuring cool programs and authors by clicking here.

Below is an outline of my “baker’s dozen”. I won’t go into detail now but over the next few weeks on Mittenlit I will expand upon the game changers and trends. Just as a quick example it’s impossible to imagine the book world without Amazon. This default site has become our “internet” librarian for researching books and authors; buying books both new and used and exploring other book interests. The site has also become the defacto place for price setting for both new and used books. It also has helped spawn hundreds of thousands of used book sellers and created some needed order and competition in the business. Of course there is a downside. Used booksellers of long-time standing will tell you that it is killing their business. That is unless they’ve added their own books to this buyer’s dream. I keep telling people this may be the best time to start or add to a book collection. Having said all this there is an element of a buyer beware in anything sold used on Amazon. And frankly savvy booksellers will tell you that Amazon search engines  and backroom software needs to be update to compete in the marketplace better. More on this next week. Here’s my baker’s dozen. And you don’t need a Safire to tell you that’s 13.

The book baker’s dozen top game changers and trends in book publishing, reading and book selling

1.       Amazon

2.       Chain bookstores

3.       Chain stores selling books

4.       Self publishing

5.       Google search and google digitalization

6.       Printing on demand

7.       E-Readers

8.       Napsterization

9.       Decline of newspapers and book reviews

10.   Increase of social media book and author promotion

11.   Celebrity book clubs

12.   Globalization of books and authors

13.   Archival preservation of author materials