Yes, I am ready.

You make very good points and I have to say that I see the publishing situation in a positive light, rather than a negative one. The "gatekeepers" no longer have all the power. Some might think this is bad, that anyone who pounds away on a keyboard can now put their stuff out there. I say it's wonderful. We came to expect only excellence from the major publishers, but it wasn't always the case. Sometimes very poor quality manuscripts made their way into book form, and other times literary gems were rejected and ignored. Now the power is in the hands of the consumer to a greater degree than ever before. That's not to say every great book will become a success. It IS to say that now every book has a chance to be read, and the great ones are no longer sitting in a slush pile or File 13. Authors can publish and promote their own work easier than ever, and many are doing so. It's a hopeful new world for authors. Maybe not so happy now for the big publishers, but hey, they hogged the scene for decades. They can move over now.

Distribution is the big problem for independent authors, as I see it. Writing the book, choosing a professional-looking cover, and even getting the printing done are all doable. Distribution is the biggest obstacle to overcome. You are right.

You are correct, a new model is necessary. Like many others, I do not know what that model should be. But the book industry is very exciting these days. There are more choices than ever for readers, especially the ones who are willing to take a chance on independent authors.

Oh, the editing! My least favorite part of writing a book. But SO necessary. My co-author and I spend literally hours and hours on the proofreading, editing, and revisions of our books. Generally, what she doesn't catch, I do. And vice versa. If you do not feel like you can do your own editing with a critical eye, by all means hire a good editor. But, a word of warning here, I have recently seen some edited works where the editor needed an editor. So make sure you find a good one.

One problem with doing book reviews is there is only so much time in a writer's life. Much of it is claimed by writing, editing, revising their own works. Unfortunately, reading gets pushed into the background. One thing I noticed about doing book reviews is that I really like to give a good review. Some of the books I have looked at, however, have such serious flaws that a positive review is impossible. But, the biggest problem for me with regard to doing book reviews is time. I am already committed to three books at this point and have barely started to read the first one. Time, time, time. Right now, I am supposed to be proofing and editing our next book. Did I reveal yet that I don't love editing? lol. So, I must stop procrastinating and get busy with my task. I do think once we release our next book, there might be a little space of time before the next one where I could review some books. Then again...who knows?