There seems to be a major article on the e-publishing revolution in the NY Times, Washington Post, and other newspapers every other day. Not surprising. This is a big deal.
I have a more than passing interest in these stories. As I prepare to leap into the void and launch "Virtually Yours, Jonathan Newman", there are huge, confusing questions I'd love to have answered. How does a new and unknown author find his audience? If you spend hours each day Tweeting, Blogging, Facebooking(?), and trying anything else you can think of to publicize your newborn, when do you write Book II? Should I create a really good video trailer? When I look at the trailers out there, even the ones people say are really good, they mostly fall somewhere between dreadful and worse. But does it matter? Do people use video trailers when deciding what they want to read? How about cover art? Some people say that's critical because when you're looking at options on Amazon, that's the first thing you see. Sounds reasonable, but when I look at the best-selling book lists, most of the covers are not very appealing - at least not to me.

Conclusion: we are entering a brave new world of unknowns and answers to these questions will take time to emerge. So what’s a new author to do? Jump and start swimming!

I attended the launch event for Andrew Himes' new book "The Sword of the Lord". The book will be available on Amazon tomorrow and I highly recommend it. Here's why...

American Protestant Fundamentalism was rooted in the migration of thousands of Calvinist Protestants to the British colonies before the American Revolution. The “Scotch-Irish”, French, Germans and others escaping religious persecution in their homelands flocked to the relative freedom of America and brought a strong aversion to state-supported religion with them. From these beginnings grew a commitment to the separation of church and state that was eventually enshrined in the US Constitution. 

The Fundamentalist churches have, like most social movements, been characterized by contradictions and controversy. Conflict has been at the heart of religious history everywhere in the world, and the United States has been no exception. Conflict also makes for great story-telling, and Andrew Himes’ “The Sword of the Lord” is great story-telling.

Himes’ family has been central to the evolution (if you’ll pardon the term) of American Fundamentalism, particularly the Southern Baptist variety, and his personal history makes him uniquely qualified to tell this story. He comes from a long line of Fundamentalist preachers who battled liberalism, modernism, sin, Catholicism, Darwinism and the established Protestant churches to win souls for Christ through massive revival meetings and by building a conservative religious infrastructure across the American south.

It’s a sweeping tale that follows the family’s early days as farmers and slave-holders, through the traumas and dislocations of the Civil War and the internecine struggles for control of evangelical Christianity, right up to the present day. Along the way Himes explores the explosion of religious revival meetings during the Great Depression, the birth and rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan, his grandfather’s launch of the widely influential “Sword of the Lord” newspaper, and the trajectory of his own life and spiritual views.

Remarkably, it’s a story that will appeal to sinner and saved alike. Non-believers, liberals and religious moderates will better understand what motivates people they find hard to comprehend. How can someone be both theologically dedicated to love and a militant racist? Where did the Moral Majority find its ideological roots? Why is religion in general, and specifically Fundamentalist Christianity, so central to American politics?  Evangelical Christians will gain remarkable insights into the history of their theology, the schisms and fractures that have shaped the modern Fundamentalist landscape. They will also be introduced to the personalities behind the institutions that have become central to their world.

Perhaps the most powerful elements in “The Sword of the Lord” are those that are deeply personal. Andrew Himes shares his painful rejection of his family’s “business”, the saving of souls. His adolescent rebellion, his embrace of Maoism as an alternate religion and his return to his family with heart and mind wide open provide a human narrative that interweaves with the historic landscape against which his story is told. In the final chapters he projects an alternate path for American Fundamentalists with the passion of an old-time preacher. The circle is closed. Read the book.

The National Journal today estimated that Osama bin Laden cost the US $3 Trillion over the past 15 years. Even if that's grossly exaggerated, you have to wonder at the scale of America’s loss - in lives, productivity, focus, infrastructure and time.

That a small band of dedicated zealots could accomplish this in the 21st century against the only global superpower speaks to the ease with which we, meaning people living in what are supposed to be "advanced" countries, can be diverted from all things important and led down a narrow path that is ultimately self-defeating. We cut spending on education while boosting what we call “homeland security”.  How shortsighted is that? Where do we think “security” comes from? 

Should we ignore threats from ideologues, bigots and fanatics who see us as a threat to all they hold dear? Of course not. Do we need to better understand what motivates their hatred, learn the history of that region and the role western powers have played over the last hundred years or so? That would be a huge step in the right direction. Ultimately, once we’re done rejoicing at the death of bin Laden we need to take a good look at what this war of conflicting values has cost and soberly assess what has been won – and what has been lost. Our leaders have said the death of the man has not meant the death of his ideology. Others will likely follow. The experience of the British, Russians and Americans has been that the more we bomb the “bad guys”, the more bad guys there are to bomb.  Perhaps we can develop a more rational and effective strategy?

Just had the privilege of hearing author Aaron Elkins speak about his latest book, "The Worst Thing". Here's a successful and experienced writer with over 25 works of fiction published by major publishing houses (Penguin, Berkley), his stories well reviewed in the NY Times and other publications, who is considering self-publishing his next book. It's clear the old publishing model, run by agents and editors focused mostly in New York, is in rapid decline.

All of which makes me more confident and excited as we move closer to the publication of "Virtually Yours, Jonathan Newman". Our small imprint, Trailhead Press, has started working with Amazon.com subsidiary CreateSpace for a summer release.