Yeah. I know. Let’s just get to it, shall we?
The biggest publishing shocker for me last week was the news that Umberto Eco isn’t well read, and says that you don’t need to be either. Who’s worried about book sales? Not him, apparently.
And I bet his writing space doesn’t look like this either. (That’s super cute, right? via @MisaBuckley.)
But if you do like reading, and you want to do it on an eReader, the big news was Kobo’s new eInk display with touch screen and not to be outdone, Barnes & Noble released yet another eReader called the Simple Touch Reader that has the same capabilities. While Kindle is still maintaining their lead in the eReader industry, I don’t think they’ll have that hold for long, and the news is that they’re now looking to make Android devices to keep up with everyone else. Let me just say now that whoever makes a color eInk display is going to CLEAN UP.
In more Barnes & Noble news, they’ve now moved into craft sales, which is good news for this blog, as I can now get my knitting supplies and my books in one cart. Yay!
And in more eReader news, at least one university is opting for eReader texts instead of all those bulky textbooks, which is the best application for this technology.
If you want to know how much an eBook should cost, you gotta go to Mike, who breaks down the economics and the dilemma on both sides: “obviously many readers feel that the prices [of eBooks] are outrageous and unjustified. How do greedy authors sleep at night? To be honest, having unhappy readers causes us some sleepless nights. Worrying about paying the rent if ebooks were priced as low as readers want causes even more sleepless nights. So, the gentle reader may rest assured that authors are, indeed, losing sleep!”
If you’re wondering how to create a writing platform, YA Fantasy Guide has the answers because as they say, “You need to get yourself out there in your field before you submit your work. Great writing, original stories, and platforms are sure fire ways to create a successful writing career for yourself. ”
And speaking of careers, two full-time writers reveal how they do it. And yes, those fantasy advances are hysterical. Though if you can’t decide if you should jump in, you need to ask yourself if writing is a calling or a career. Your mindset may have more to do with your success or failure than you think. Author Edward Nawotka says that for writers, “The sense that writing as a calling can sustain them, but thinking of writing as a career can armor you against the vagaries of this unpredictable business.”
Finally in the writing as profession category is this Writer Unboxed post about what you can expect as a professional writer and how to separate the fantasy from the reality. “How does it look when you project the image of your professional writer self into the future five years, or ten?”
For those of us who are well on our way to super stardom, you need to beware of the contract. J.D. Sawyer ( who is not a lawyer) wants you to think about your rights over the long term on dodgy clauses. “It’s situations like this that underline the unequal bargaining muscle that publishers (of all media) bring to the table. But there is something you can do to equalize that balance: When faced with a clause like this, say “no.” Period.”
There’s a new “boyz” magazine in town. And that’s great. Unless mis-spellings bother you.
See if you live in one of the most well-read cities in the U.S. (I don’t.)
Books are still being banned. Seriously? Yes. Sadly.
What some of us think of self-published books, and how to overcome that prejudice.
Last week was also BEA, so there’s some news on that front. Like Google abandoning their ebook store. Why? Read here. And the American Booksellers Association on the fate of indie bookstores: “There is nothing like browsing in a physical bookstore. That is something you can’t replace.”
And finally, we lose the divine Ms O. and all her lovely influence on the world of books, and also, libraries. Bye Oprah!
Tracey Baptiste 
I don’t either, but many of those “well-read cities” are college towns…interesting…
Are they? Then the whole reading for necessity thing probably skews the scores. I wonder how many non-college students still read a lot. I remember I used to read 4-5 books a week during my college years. Now I’m lucky if I read 4-5 books a month. (Remember at the beginning of the year how I thought I’d read 100 books by December 31st? That was hysterical, right?)
I think passive commuting (train, bus) shoots it up too. But the smartphone thing keeps some people cycling through social media and pretending to be super-busy instead of reading.
I think that if people knew the breakdown of book costs (definitely not all paper and ink!) they might be more understanding. My husband does textbooks, and those pretty color photos and art don’t pay for themselves! Not to mention the many years of development. I used to be a grumpy used textbook person until I met him.
As a former textbook editor, I know all about the lengthy and often painful development process and the pain that is permissions for text and photos, which is why the pricing of books is a tricky subject. But then we now have other artists offering their wares at deep discounts, like the 99 cent price that Lady Gaga just offered up, albeit temporarily, to promote her new album.