7 Harry Potter Movies in 7 Minutes (for those who need to catch up)

So, a good friend of mine (who will be seeing HP7P2 with us this Friday) said this today: "I've only seen the first Harry Potter film, but I'm sure you can fill me in over dinner."

For all you fellow HP fans, I'm sure you can join me in my muffled guffaws at said friend.

Hi, Cara! :)

It's not that we're making fun. It's just that Harry Potter becomes such a different beast after book 1. The story transforms from fun-children's-magical-mystery to the EPIC of EPICDOM that is the entire series. To summarize it all over dinner would be fun, but sadly lacking. A summary could never do it justice. There are too many details and characters, too many underlying threads that run much deeper than the general storyline.

But knowing my friends and I, we'll tackle the task willingly and stoutheartedly.

Over dinner.

Meanwhile, here's a video I found summing up all 7 films in less than 7 minutes, ending with the trailer for Deathly Hallows Part 2. I thought it was *really* well done. For those of you needing to catch up before Friday, this is for you.

And for all those seasoned HP veterans wanting to revel in the series again, feel goosebumps on your arms, and squeal in delicious anticipation, this is for you, too.

Enjoy.

Food For Thought: The Stigma of Self-Publishing

Self-publishing has been on my mind a lot lately. I've worked with many self-published authors over the past year on yabookscentral.com. I've come across dozens of articles like this one: eBook Sales Growth Over Time, and this one: 2010: The Year Self-Publishing Lost Its Stigma, and this one: How Self-Publishing Came of Age. Even several of my friends have decided to go the self-pub route. 

Why? Because it's harder than ever to get a book traditionally published right now, and with a click of a button, you could start selling your ebook on Amazon today. 

But as much as I want to believe the self-pub stigma is fading, I'm not yet convinced. 

In fact, I'm so unconvinced that the other night I actually dreamed a horde of traditionally published authors locked me inside a huge warehouse...where they banished the self-pubbed writers of the world to keep their work from the reading masses.

Obviously, in my subconscious, the stigma is still there, alive and well. (Even if J.K. Rowling did jump on the bandwagon.) But maybe that's just me. 

What do you think? Is the stigma still there? Is it fading? Is it already gone? 

Would you ever consider self-publishing? Have you self-published? 

If you're not an author, would you ever consider buying a self-published ebook? Have you already?

I'm curious to know your thoughts.