Thank you, self-publishers

I'm a little choked up today. Thanksgiving is a good moment to reflect on the good things in life. 

The economic news has been so bad this year for middle and low-income families that you may be wondering, What's there to be thankful for? We're experiencing a recession, although some would call it a depression. Unemployment and foreclosure rates are unacceptably high. Many of us writers have no health care. A mere 2% of the population controls the resources and vast wealth of the world.

Like many of you, I've gone through my share of hard times. It may seem counter-intuitive, but still I'm thankful.

I'm thankful for my supportive family, friends, and self-publishing stars. 

I'm thankful for continuously evolving technologies that allow us to publish easily and cheaply.

I'm thankful for the self-publishing industry. 

A staggering 764,448 titles were produced in 2009 by self-publishers and micro-niche publishers, according to statistics released this morning by R.R. Bowker. The number of "nontraditional" titles dwarfed that of traditional books whose output slipped to 288,355 last year from 289,729 in 2008. Taken together, total book output rose 87% last year, to over 1 million books. Source: Publisher's Weekly

Despite haterism from various sectors, we're publishing our books our way. I love that can-do, I'll-do-it-myself spirit. 

What are you thankful for? This is not a cliche question. When you become grateful for everything that happens to you – the good and the challenging – your perspective begins to change, and you become empowered. Opportunities to prosper that have been hiding in plain sight begin to reveal themselves to you. 

Gratitude is so powerful that if we practiced saying "thank you" on a daily basis, we would be much better off.

So be thankful for everything and everybody. Happy Thanksgiving!

Donna Marie