Going Liquid

Around the House
I just got home from Dinner and a Movie with Katrina Rue.  These nights are always great.  It gives us the chance to talk about our lives, projects, hopes for the future, and cats.  We are big cat lovers.  While talking she got me to thinking about the state of publishing which I will get into in a minute.  We did see "I am Number Four" which looked interesting, but I did not want to see it because the author did not receive proper credit for his book.  It always upsets me when someone creates something whether it is a book, art, movie, or picture and does not get the credit.  I find it shameful that this is still a practice in the publishing industry.  It is time for authors everywhere to stand up and take credit.  No more ghost writing!  Books should be by the writer with interviews or insight by the celebrity or company that asked for the project.  Authors should not be nameless ever.

My Thoughts
Yes, since my original rant I know I have been quiet about the Borders issue.  As a shopper I never really enjoyed the Borders experience I was always a Barnes and Noble guy, but as I see the company going into bankruptcy and closing stores to try and save itself, I am sad.  Not sad they aren't surviving; I think they made lots of mistakes at the top, but sad about what it says for the future of the publishing industry.  Looking around I see that the publishing industry is now where the Music Industry was during the 1990's with Napster.  So much content is free on the Internet or pirated that it is going to make it hard for retailers and consumers to find new great books.  I hope that with the growth in ebooks we are seeing that the publishing industry heads this off before the authors become the real victims.

Also, I worry about the survival of Borders.  If they do go completely out of business leaving mass market stores and Barnes and Noble as the main company to get books I fear that voices of authors are going to become extremely censored.  You can see how this is happening right now.  Look at what Amanda Hocking has done for independent publishing via the Nook and Kindle.  As an author that couldn't get a book deal because her style or story was not what the publishing business was looking for; she ended up quiet until the rise of the ebook.  Now look at her; her books are flying off the digital shelf.  This goes to show you that what consumers are looking for are not what is being produced.  She not only found a place for her stories, but showed the publishing industry they were wrong about censoring her by not granting her agent representation and a book deal.  So with Barnes and Noble as the major book store out there will this problem get worse?  I think it might.  So I call all readers to gather up and really look at the self published/independent authors out there.  They are the voice of the consumer because they write what they love and not what the publishing industry is looking for.  If we buy more of their books we are telling the publishing industry to sit back and reevaluate what they are looking for.  It is time for a change.  So now I am going to get off my high horse and curl up with a favorite book.  I may even write a little while I smile knowing that authors like H.P. Mallory, Amanda Hocking, Jason Letts, and so many others are making a change in the publishing industry by believing in themselves when the industry doesn't.