Suddenly, the media everywhere are talking about the self-publishing craze that’s sweeping the States and starting to trend in other countries, such as Canada. You can attribute it to whatever you like — the rise of the Kindle and ebooks in general, the death of bookstores, the ability of writers to leverage social media relationships into book sales. It doesn’t matter. It’s not a fad — it’s the new Gutenberg revolution. Some writers and publishers will figure out a way to make it work for them. Others won’t. And some people will treat it like they treat blogs now: a creative venture they do in their spare time that may make them a little money, but not much. But it’s not money they’re after.

One of the stars of the self-pub movement is Amanda Hocking, who writes paranormals. She’s getting tons of press and making tons of money. As is the case with traditional publishing, self-published writers benefit greatly from media attention. There’s a lively Metafilter thread about her and she’s often mentioned at Kindleboards, where she sometimes posts.

If you’re interested in learning more about the brave new world of self-publishing, check out Joe Konrath’s blog, A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing. It’s got a mystery fiction bent, but it’s not exclusive that way. And Konrath’s focus is talking about the business side of self-publishing, with plenty of guest posts. Follow the links from there.

In my own self-pubbing adventure with Please, I’ve got a nod over at Spalding’s Racket, and I’ll have some more news soon. I’ll keep you posted.