All The Brains Have Fallen Out

by Anita Higman

Best-selling and award-winning author, Anita Higman, has forty books published. She’s been a Barnes & Noble “Author of the Month” for Houston and has a BA in the combined fields of speech communication, psychology, and art. Anita loves good movies, traveling to exotic places, and brunch with her friends.

Well, the book biz has turned itself on its head, and it appears that all the brains have fallen out. What’s an author to do with thirty years in the business when suddenly faced with a digital revolution, closings, cutbacks, mergers, the new age of indie publishing, and book sales as stable as uranium? Well, I’ve decided to venture out into the meadow, hoping not to get shot like Bambi’s Mom.

You can find Anita on her website or her Facebook Reader Page.

Bottom line. I couldn’t keep running my business the same way anymore. I can no longer play it safe. I am choosing to do something fresh and creative—something that I hope will remind me why it is that I fell in love with writing all those years ago.

So, I came up with a five-point plan for my career to help deal with this madly fluctuating state of the book industry.

1. I have decided to stop writing in my genre—inspirational romance—at least for now. I will be coauthoring novels for young adults with my daughter, Hillary. This YA genre has been calling my name for many years, but I never had the courage to switch over. Until now. We’re hoping these stories of the heart will resonate with a wide audience of readers.
2. I have gone hybrid—meaning that I will have books coming out through traditional publishers as well as books released through other means. I decided to get the rights back to some of my out-of-print books and give them over to an entrepreneur extraordinaire named Cynthia Hickey. She has republished some of my older books as well as released a few newer works through Forget Me Not Romances, which is the inspirational line through her new company, Winged Publications. Here’s the link: www.forgetmenotromances.com. With Cynthia’s help, I have come to know the joys of being on multiple Amazon best-seller lists.
3. Prayer. There are many more questions than answers in the publishing industry right now, which can either send you out screaming in the night or bring you to your knees in prayer. I choose the latter. It’s the only sane choice.
4. I am staying connected to writers and editors through conferences and writer’s loops. I think this is more important than ever—for networking, updates, and support.
5. Do I still need an agent? Yes. I decided to continue working with an agent for many reasons—career advice, accountability, and of course, because I still needed someone to pitch my work to editors. By the way, I’m happy to say that my agent, Chip MacGregor, is hard-working, business savvy, and he’s supportive of my need to go hybrid.

Through my decades of writing, I have known plenty of failure and changes and dire predictions, but I keep on writing no matter what, because that is what God called me to do. So while the book industry gets its brains back together, you’ll find me faithful at the computer—with perhaps a newer vision—but still very much in love with the art of storytelling.

Summer’s List

A dying wish alters the course of a young woman's life.

Life hadn't been easy for Summer Snow. In acts of selflessness-caring for her ailing parents and running her grandmother's bookstore-she had forfeited her youth and dreams for the needs of others. And the only tries she had at love... didn't turn out. She had the bookstore, she had her beloved granny, but she was missing something-or someone.  

Opportunity strikes when Granny sends Summer on an unexpected adventure with one Martin Langtree, a kind but gangly young man from Summer's past. A childhood friendship is rekindled, a romance is sparked, and mysteries are solved in one magical Texas summer. Will Summer strike out on love again, or will things finally go her way?