11 February

Contributions: The Rise Of The Blog. The Writer Evolves.

by Jon Katz
The Rise Of The Blog
The Rise Of The Blog

One month ago, I decided to accept contributions for the maintenance and upkeep of the blog, for the photographs posted here, for the time it takes to write regularly. I have also agreed to allow the first Bedlam Farm blog sponsor, Fromm Family Foods, to design and maintain a banner ad at the top of the Farm Journal Page. These are major steps for me as a writer, and for the blog. The genesis of the decision is the changing economics both of blogs and of publishing. In the age of digital publishing, more and more blogs are charging for subscriptions in the same way that magazines and newspapers once did. In many ways, blogs are the new magazines of our world, offering information, opinion, and hopefully ideas inspiration. I see my blog as a living memoir, a continuing book of my life. And just as people pay for books, I am asking people to consider supporting this blog. The difference is that it is a request, not a fee.

The backdrop of these decisions are interesting. People ask me all the time if I will be paid for the e-books they buy. The answer is yes, but in much smaller amounts than before. Books are thriving and more people than ever are reading, but e-books are much cheaper than paper books and so writer’s incomes from traditional publishing have been declining sharply. Publishers love e-books because they cannot be returned and have low production costs and no shipping fees. For writers and bookstores, it’s a different matter. Writers and bookstores have been challenged to change, but no one should think reading is in trouble. Reading is in the midst of a golden age of choice and low cost. And I welcome any publishing change that makes it so easy and inexpensive for people to buy books. That is nothing but good for readers.

The turn to subscriptions is not a lament or complaint.  It is business, not drama. Before the recession and changes in publishing, I didn’t have to worry about revenue sources. Now I do. So does everyone else. So this is not a plea for help. It is a change in the economics of writing – a reconsideration of what you pay for and what I earn. The world changes, and creative people, of all people, need to change also. So I am re-structuring my writing life. In addition to these other changes, I will be publishing a series of e-books this year and every year. The first of these, “Listening To Dogs,” will be published in March. My next paper book, “Second Chance Dog,” about Frieda and me and Maria, will be published in October by Random House.

I am, as many writers are, diversifying. Maintaining a farm and caring for animals is expensive – hay, vet bills, fences, feed. I want to keep the farm strong as well.

The blog, in which I invest a considerable amount of time and money, needs to support itself in order to be worthwhile, and also if it is to remain free of charge, which is another of my decisions. I believe that  the blog will become a regular source of income and that people will contribute in a way that is regular and comfortable for them, and that supports the blog in a way that is hopefully of mutual benefit. I have received contributions from all over the country and the world in all amounts, and I am grateful for them. I am adding some new elements to the blog as well: book reviews, short stories on Sundays and “share” buttons. I am also adding a contribution link at the bottom of blog posts so people can contribute if they choose. I am not recommending amounts. I see contributions as affirmations for me, compensation for work. It is a very healthy and sound thing for me to be doing, and I gather from your messages, many of you feel the same way. So I am once again, as I will do occasionally, announcing and explaining contributions. This is something I have to get used to and be forthright about. I can’t just mention them once, I need to be mentioning them continuously. I guess I’ve heard enough NPR pledge drives to know that.

Because the blog is read in different ways – subscriptions, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr – I need to spread the world in different ways.

My photographs are free, and I am not selling them. I hope they will be screensavers or printed out or used as backdrops on smart phones. They are my points of light sent out into the world. Contributions are the way to compensate me for them, as well as the rest of the blog. This, I believe, is the way the new writer will emerge – books, blogs, several sources of revenue related to his or her work. I have been foreseeing this for years and writing about, so now my time has come. I’ve often said that one day the blog will be as important as the books, and that day is coming. I have passed the 10,100 like mark on Facebook and thanks for that. In a way, the blog is being re-born.

My goal is to remain relevant as a writer. I do not romanticize the past or fear the future. It is my responsibility to change and evolve – that is the essence of creativity. Accepting contributions to the blog is an important step. Thanks again.

– (A reminder. Check out the Fromm Family Food site from time to time. There is nutritional information available for free and once in awhile, coupons. This is the food Frieda, Lenore and Red eat and they are thriving on it. Fromm is the oldest family-owned premium dog food company in America, another way of supporting individuality and buying local.)

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