Change is Coming, Whether We Like It or Not, by Jennifer Hudson Taylor

Soon we won't even be using keyboards. It will be a laser beam on a flat surface wherever we go.

The old idea of projecting something up on a wall with a projector plugged into a computer will be history. We won't be giving presentations on PowerPoint, since we'll be showing 3D holograhics projected right from our computers, ipads/tablets, and phones, much like the old pop-up story books for children. Remember those?

Yep, you guessed it. We went from landline phones, to cell phones, conference calls with multiple lines, to video conference calls using Skype and Google + Hangout, and now by 2015 we'll be able to do 3D hologram video conference calls. Remember the 3D hologram images that were projected in the 1970's in Star Wars? Guess what? It's here. Check out the video below. This is what ipad will do for you NOW.



Bear with me, I have an upcoming birthday this weekend where I'll be hitting a new decade. It's enough to give me pause and moments of reflection about the past, where I am now, and where I'm heading. When I think back to how different my childhood was from my parents, and then to my daughter today--it's staggering to think how far we've come. Yet, we're now seeing glimpses into the near future. I believe more change will be taking place in the next 10 to 20 years than many of us can imagine.

Just this morning they announced on the radio that shoes with GPS are now available for $300 for those of us with parents and grandparents who might tend to wander off and get lost, such as those with Alzheimer's and dementia. Next, will be children's shoes with GPS in case they get lost.

I'm sure my daughter doesn't remember a handwritten prescription. Our doctors forward our prescriptions directly to our pharmacist.

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”  (Daniel 12:4)

This verse is talking about a vision that the Lord gave Daniel regarding the end of time. I believe we and our children and grandchildren are the generations that will witness much of this increase in knowledge. Much of it is taking place so rapidly that many of us aren't seeing or realizing the significance of it. Some are fighting against it to no avail. The Bible has prophesied this and it WILL happen.

I worry about some of the older generations who are fighting this progress. They argue, "What do I need to know that for?" I'm retired, "I don't need all those gadgets. That stuff is for the young people." But then they get frustrated because they don't understand how things work and everything around them is constantly changing. They won't buy anything online because they are frightened of the security and they don't know how to protect themselves. Faith and knowledge will protect you, so don't be afraid. LEARN, so no one can take advantage of you.

This includes the changes taking place in the publishing industry. Brick and mortar stores are struggling to survive in this digital age where ebooks are growing and evolving and the process of producing books is changing. I visited with a Barnes & Noble Manager a few weeks ago, and he said that the entire section of the CD/DVD area will soon be gone. In the next 5 years when you walk into a store, the whole front section will be all digital.  If you want a printed book, they will be printed right there in the store, not stocked on the shelves as they are today.

Change is coming whether we like it or not. The best thing we can do about it, is embrace it rather than fighting it and pretending it won't affect us. How do we do that? We embrace it by learning as much about the new technology as possible.

The other day Agent Rachelle Gardiner posted an excellent blog (Book Marketing Disappointment) about how authors are whining about their publisher not doing enough promotion and publicity for their book and how all the promotion is now lying on the author's shoulder. Granted, some of these complaints may be legitimate, especially for authors who have been around for a while and they remember the good old days when they used to get a little more promotion support from their publisher.

Here's the deal. Those days are gone. They won't come back anymore than $0.99/gal gas prices. If you want to be or remain a published author, you will have to learn how to build your platform and promote your work simultaneously while learning the craft of writing. You must change your way of thinking. Writing/promotion is now your new job. You can't do one without the other.  

Balance is the key. You will have to figure out how much of your time goes to writing and research verses how much of your time goes to promotion and platform building. Don't compare yourselves to other authors. What is right for you, isn't right for someone else. Just like you have to find your unique writing voice, you will have to find the right balance for you.

I'd like to leave you with one more video to show you how our children and grandchildren will soon be learning in school--simultaneously with other children around the world. This is awesome! By the way, this is Microsoft's vision for 2019. Many of us will still be around. It isn't that far away.