Dear All,

There's a chill in the air as I write this—early whispers of fall. And, if you're inclined to to be all doomy-gloomy in your choice of clumsy metaphors, maybe a hint of cold times ahead for publishing. Borders has closed! E-books are outselling hardcovers and—very soon—paperbacks, too! Oh, Post-Literate World, the End is Nigh!

But I don't really believe that, and neither should you.

E-books show every sign of doing something that publishing desperately needed: They're making books digitally relevant in an age in which everything is consumed via thin portable screens (whether on a laptop, an iPad, or increasingly, on a smartphone). Suddenly books have a digital presence and are again a vital entertainment option. It turns out that reading isn't unpopular, but only its old school format.

Maybe I'm just indulging in a Panglossian sort of sunny view of the future. Because to me? It looks like books—and the joy of reading—aren't going anywhere.

No doom and gloom here. Just hard work and many manuscripts to work through. No wonder I'm cheery.

May you feel similarly, Michael Stearns Upstart Crow Literary