Whenever a group of children's book authors gather together, the conversation inevitably turns to the current state of publishing. More to the point: What exactly is a children's book these days? And — perhaps the most important question of all — Do I have to join the e-book craze?

No, you don't have to jump into the deep end of the cyber pool, but it wouldn't hurt to get your feet wet. And don't despair; you'll have lots of company in the shallow side. Authors of all levels (along with agents, publishers and bookstores alike) are trying to get a clear picture of the growing and evolving electronic publishing industry. Some embrace it and manage to weave every new development into their publishing platforms; others are content to let their publishers issue electronic versions of their current print books. But everyone can agree on one thing: e-books are here to stay.

The way I see it, authors have two choices: wring their hands and wax nostalgic about the good old days when there was one sanctioned way to get published, and an author's job was to write, period; or open their minds to e-publishing and use it to their advantage. We're on the brink of a revolution here, one that will change who's in control, how much power the gatekeepers have, and how level this new playing field really is.

This conversation's just beginning, and it won't end for a long time. But to get things started, author Laura Ruby elegantly sums up the newest e-publishing trends, statistics, pros, cons and fears of the apocalypse in her post "It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel…?" on the e is for book blog. Read her post, follow the terrific links, and then think about where you fit into the revolution.

Oh, and the writing part? Authors still have to learn their craft, polish their prose, and revise like crazy, just like in the old days. Some things, thankfully, never change.