R.W.A. is the largest organization of writers in the world, and it is wielding increasing clout in publishing circles; however, romance writers—and indeed writers of most genres of commercial fiction—have long been viewed as somewhat interchangeable commodities—at least until one hits the New York Times bestseller list. As keynote speaker Madeline Hunter, a New York Times bestselling author, put it: Fear has been an undercurrent in every romance writer’s professional life for a long time.

What are writers so afraid of? We fear that the stories we open a vein to write will be judged “unmarketable” for reasons out of our control, thus languishing unpublished and—even worse—unread by the very people we wrote them for.

In the past year, however, Ms. Hunter says she has heard a long collective exhale of relief from the writing community. Romance writers—indeed writers in every genre—are beginning to feel the stirrings of a new sense of power.

Opening session panelists and bestselling authors Tess Gerritsen and Steve Berry agreed that the publishing industry is in a transitional period which can be nervewracking, but that when the dust settles, it’s going to be good for the writer. Mr. Berry pointed out that every time the technology of book production has changed—from stone carving to clay scratching to papyrus painting, etc.—the demand for books has increased.

Matthew Shear, SVP and Publisher at St. Martin’s Press, called this “the most exciting moment in the history of publishing.” Dominque Raccah, founder and president of Sourcebooks, concurred, saying this is “not a time to be afraid. There have never been more opportunities for authors and publishers to work together.” She feels we can change the face of literacy by offering books on any platform available anywhere in the world.

All this excitement occurred amidst widespread discussions of lower print runs, lower royalty payments, Borders’ bankruptcy, and the demise of the independent bookseller. The “legacy” publishers aren’t renewing midlist authors’ contracts, and landing an agent is as difficult as locating a needle in a haystack.

So why were all these speakers so energized? The digital revolution has finally arrived in the book world. The writer now has the power to get her work into the hands of her readers entirely on her own. She can design her own covers, use her own original titles, set her own prices, and define her own release schedules. At last, the writer can control the way her work is packaged and make sure it is delivered to the reader in the way she meant it to be.

Bestselling author and digital publishing panelist Mary Jo Putney pointed out this new world is part of the “long tail” where good books that aren’t perceived as commercial can still find their way to the reader. Authors who started trilogies but whose publishers declined to buy the third book can give their loyal fans the final installment in the story.

As well, writers in markets that aren’t currently “hot” in the established publishers’ eyes can still serve their reading public’s niche.

Authors with a solid but not list-hitting readership no longer have to disappear from the publishing landscape when their contracts aren’t renewed.

In addition, previously languishing backlists have suddenly become valuable commodities. Out-of-print titles can easily be made available once again, a plus for both readers and writers. The reader can enjoy the entire body of an author’s work, and the writer benefits from the additional royalty income.

Of course, no one is minimizing the challenges of this brave new world. With the removal of the “professional gatekeepers”—editors and agents—the book-buying reader can be overwhelmed by the sheer volume of material from which to choose.

As Jon Fine, Director of Author and Publisher Relations at Amazon.com, put it, an author must make her book “discoverable,” using cover art, keywords, social media, etc., to make it stand out from the mass of self-published work. (Romance writers are ahead of the curve on this front since traditional publishers have long expected them to do much of the marketing and reader interaction themselves.) In addition, online-only, review sites using vetted reviewers with specific expertise in their genres—such as the New York Journal of Books—will become increasingly valuable to help book lovers parse out the good from amid the pile of new offerings.

Writers are banding together to embrace the new challenges. For example, author Patricia McLinn created AWritersWork.com, a website where multi-published print authors can sell all of their work in ebook form, and where “writers run the show.” Participating authors promote the website; as the number of writers has grown, so has the visibility and popularity of the site. Other writers have started small independent presses, both print and digital, to serve niche markets they understand and can market to.

Even comfortably established print authors are excited about the possibilities offered by digital books. Now they can publish work outside their normal genre; they can offer shorter work between releases of their full-length novels; they can add epilogues to previously published work, to the delight of their loyal fans; and they can create excitement about their upcoming print releases by including excerpts in ebooks.

While this is all good news for writers, it should be even more thrilling for readers. Terrific books will no longer be required to sell millions of print copies in order to remain available to the reading public. Books that push the edges of the envelope can be put into a reader’s hands so writers will feel freer to take chances on writing something new, original, and fresh.

Readers will know that continuing characters will not have their story arcs cut short by the non-renewal of a publishing contract. When a reader discovers a wonderful new author, the writer’s entire body of work will still be accessible, no matter how long ago it was originally published.

When writers win, readers win. All hail the digital revolution!

Reviewer Nancy Herkness is an awarding-winning author of romance novels. Her articles have appeared in Romantic Times BookClub Magazine. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Novelists, Inc.