You might not have noticed, but the world is shrinking. Along with it, the gap between the almighty, worshipped writer and his/her adoring fans. (Or in my case, the fictional minions in my mind. Quiet, you! I’m writing.)
All joking aside, this is a serious issue on par with intermittent high-speed internet and trichinosis (whatever that is). With big publishers fading and book stores going belly up, more writers are pushing their wares directly to readers and more readers are getting their proverbial milk from the literary teat.