Romance Novels on Cell Phones

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Now that I’m working with cell phones as well as writing, I’m starting to notice new things. The latest was an article about Harlequin publishing romance novels on cell phones!

Harlequin says: “We chunk down stories so you’re getting about 500 words per day. In Japan, a lot of authors actually write their stories on their mobile phones. In 2007, five of the top 10 bestselling books in Japan were written on a mobile phone.”  I don’t see how this is humanly possible, but whatever . . .

Harlequin urges all of us to get involved: “Embrace digital. There is fear of digital in publishing and in entertainment. It’s fear of the unknown. But digital is not going away. Burying your head in the sand is not a strategy. You need to embrace this and figure out how it can work for you.”

They also say that nowadays we’re always in “perpetual beta”:  “It’s the idea that nothing is ever a finished product. Technology is changing so quickly that you can call yourself finished but a technology will come along to make your site, your blog, or what have you, better. Even when you do have success, the speed at which technology changes means the success might not be sustainable for a decade like in the previous world. It can be a very short-term win. You have to move forward.”

Wow! Writing and publishing at the speed of light. And love-on-the-go!