Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

The awesome co-hosts for the July 1 posting of the IWSG are Jenni Enzor, Beth Camp, Liesbet, Tyrean Martinson, and Sandra Cox!

July 1 question – There have been many industry changes in the last decade, so what are some changes you would like to see happen in the next decade?

I like technology. I fell in love with electronic ink back when it was just a twinkle in an engineer’s eye. Now… admittedly, I was promised something that would look more like a newspaper than like a Kindle. I was promised something I could fold up and put in my beach bag, as I recall. That’s been a while. I’ve collected my share of e-readers since then. I still miss my first Sony Reader. That thing was solid. Made of metal, and had some real weight to it. Hardcover e-reader, compared to all the plastic paperbacks I’ve had since then.

I hacked the next Sony reader to play Kindle books. It wasn’t convenient, but it worked.

So, where exactly am I now?

Reading books on my android phone, believe it or not. Easier to jump between books from different places. Sony and Kobo and Kindle and Google Books… I never found an e-ink reader that would do that. And there are some places where color comes in handy.

I’d like another hardcover e-reader–something classy and meant to last– and I’d like it to read across formats.

And beyond that?

We’ve been talking about enhanced books a lot, lately.

Specifically… we’ve been talking about all the factors that make enhanced e-books impractical and expensive. The fact that they have to be re-done for every, single marketplace, and the astronomical delivery fees that are built into them. It does seem that if I can stream high-def movies 24 hours a day to every TV in my house for $8.99 and get free shipping, besides, I ought to be able to download a track of Mickey Mouse sounding out words for mykids… uhm, I mean… my cat.. for a fair price, too.

And my stretch goal? Probably something like AirBnB for writers and creatives. Rideshares, caravans, the works. Something where people can arrange events in small towns (or big ones, for that matter) and go stay in another writer’s home while they speak at the local library or high school. Something that allows writers to find and navigate towns that wouldn’t ordinarily be able to have events.

What about you? What changes are you looking forward to?