If you like to read books, you've probably been called a bookworm.
But have you ever considered this - you may well be a supporter of the arts!
Well, lately there has been such a large proliferation of self-published books. First of all, i have nothing against writers who self publish. There are so many talented people out there who deserve the attention of the reading world, who has important and interesting ideas to share or have so much imagination and skill you know they deserve a try at getting published.
Then there' s the sad, sad condition of the big publishing houses that may or may not have sunk into semi-vanity publishing. If a publisher doesn't have a regular publishing schedule, nor do they actually have a plan, concept for their imprints, can you still call them a publishing house? No editors (real good ones who know how to direct and edit), no copy editors, no proper trained desktop or layout design people ... are you even a printer??!!
If you are such a publisher, then its also obvious that you do not have the know-how nor the right to tell anyone they aren't good enough to write a book. Therefore, little wonder that all those writers out there think that they are good, as good as the books being published by the big boys. They are all thinking - who are you to say i'm bad? And you know, i believe so sometimes.
And so when people self-publish, they also end up distributing their own books to bookstores - directly destroying two automatic filters, the editor/publisher and distributor/sales person. And so the person who decides what makes it to the shelves of a store is most likely the buyer, arrrghhh ...
You think that's fun? You think that's empowering or whatnot?
Let me tell you that book buyers are used to meeting professional people who sell books and know what is a well-made book. When you meet those larger than life senior citizens or the enthusiastic but naive young writer - should you say, not good enough? Everyone deserves a chance (provided they also consider that content is the most crucial decisionmaker), i do believe that even if the author is not yet a master but a promising apprentice, they should be given a tiny space on the shelf. For only by writing more and improving more, can the writer one day win a Nobel.
Still, it's quite bad for the publishing industry if this continues. Controls will be off and readers will be exposed to badly edited books, thinking that this is the way it should be written. Buyers end up having to truly scrutinize the writing of a book, without the aid of an editor who would have help prune and fine tune the contents and advise of suitability etc. Apart from selecting the book based on other merits, the buyer will also need to worry about the reliability of the research and the evil thing called plagiarism. Of course, we still do right now. But its just becomes more prominent.
On the bright side though, if books are the literary arts, then the book buyer and the book worm will slowly transform into an Art patron. (The art patron is the powerful and rich people who appreciate and support artists. Their support come in many forms and they are usually art collectors as well). With this statement - replace artists with writers and art collectors with book hoarders) There, i think that may just be me. Et tu, Brute?
SONG FOR A MOOD
In Nostalgia/Huenying Jiu Mung - Guo-Zi/Chyi Chin Ok. Why is the link not on the title? There are two versions of this song, both which i love. Guo-zi shows off his ability to sing in so many genres and this nostalgic feel suits his voice. Rock star Chyi Chin has truly mellowed over the years, but he retains his clean, bluesy and modern approach to music. Cool. Suits my mood, two points of view.
But have you ever considered this - you may well be a supporter of the arts!
Well, lately there has been such a large proliferation of self-published books. First of all, i have nothing against writers who self publish. There are so many talented people out there who deserve the attention of the reading world, who has important and interesting ideas to share or have so much imagination and skill you know they deserve a try at getting published.
Then there' s the sad, sad condition of the big publishing houses that may or may not have sunk into semi-vanity publishing. If a publisher doesn't have a regular publishing schedule, nor do they actually have a plan, concept for their imprints, can you still call them a publishing house? No editors (real good ones who know how to direct and edit), no copy editors, no proper trained desktop or layout design people ... are you even a printer??!!
If you are such a publisher, then its also obvious that you do not have the know-how nor the right to tell anyone they aren't good enough to write a book. Therefore, little wonder that all those writers out there think that they are good, as good as the books being published by the big boys. They are all thinking - who are you to say i'm bad? And you know, i believe so sometimes.
And so when people self-publish, they also end up distributing their own books to bookstores - directly destroying two automatic filters, the editor/publisher and distributor/sales person. And so the person who decides what makes it to the shelves of a store is most likely the buyer, arrrghhh ...
You think that's fun? You think that's empowering or whatnot?
Let me tell you that book buyers are used to meeting professional people who sell books and know what is a well-made book. When you meet those larger than life senior citizens or the enthusiastic but naive young writer - should you say, not good enough? Everyone deserves a chance (provided they also consider that content is the most crucial decisionmaker), i do believe that even if the author is not yet a master but a promising apprentice, they should be given a tiny space on the shelf. For only by writing more and improving more, can the writer one day win a Nobel.
Still, it's quite bad for the publishing industry if this continues. Controls will be off and readers will be exposed to badly edited books, thinking that this is the way it should be written. Buyers end up having to truly scrutinize the writing of a book, without the aid of an editor who would have help prune and fine tune the contents and advise of suitability etc. Apart from selecting the book based on other merits, the buyer will also need to worry about the reliability of the research and the evil thing called plagiarism. Of course, we still do right now. But its just becomes more prominent.
On the bright side though, if books are the literary arts, then the book buyer and the book worm will slowly transform into an Art patron. (The art patron is the powerful and rich people who appreciate and support artists. Their support come in many forms and they are usually art collectors as well). With this statement - replace artists with writers and art collectors with book hoarders) There, i think that may just be me. Et tu, Brute?
SONG FOR A MOOD
In Nostalgia/Huenying Jiu Mung - Guo-Zi/Chyi Chin Ok. Why is the link not on the title? There are two versions of this song, both which i love. Guo-zi shows off his ability to sing in so many genres and this nostalgic feel suits his voice. Rock star Chyi Chin has truly mellowed over the years, but he retains his clean, bluesy and modern approach to music. Cool. Suits my mood, two points of view.
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