Good morning, writers and readers! Some interesting things I’ve picked up as I wandered the Internet recently.

• Would you pay $5900 to appear on Lifetime TV network and discuss your book? Buyer beware! A new business strategy targets self-published authors.

• Sophia Martin has an in-depth look at ebook formatting, with specifics on handling various HTML sticking points.

• Two stories by authors following the independent, self-publishing path. Horror writer Peter Labrow shares his self-publishing journey, and he links to fantasy writer Katie M. Johns, who has described her own experience as an indie. Both were determined to create a product that could meet the professional standards of the traditional publishing world. You may find their stories daunting or inspirational, but they clearly describe the process as these two writers experienced it.

• Dean Wesley Smith talks about his initial experiences with POD (print on demand) publishing for bookstores.

• Mike Shatzkin gave a talk in Montreal explaining why he believes public libraries as we know them today will not exist in the future. He followed up in detail on his blog. Linda Leith at the Globe and Mail wrote this report on the talk. The most remarkable statement she mentions:

Publishers who have perfected the art of publishing books and getting them on to book shelves across the country are going to be in trouble, because in five to 10 years “there will be no shelves anymore.”