Thursday, March 5, 2009

What Not To Read


Seems like I’m in a rant mood this week. I just checked the news, and guess what I found? Rod Blagojevich, ousted ex-governor of Illinois, is writing a book, about ‘the darker side of politics.’ I know Britney Spears is in talks for a book, Octomom Nadya Suleman reportedly has her pick of publishers...the list goes on and on.

Why does it seem like every yahoo out there has to extend their fifteen minutes of ill-begotten fame by taking shelf space away from worthwhile authors with more valuable stories to tell? Especially since the publishing industry has taken several knocks from a tumbling economy. HarperCollins is now just Harper, after closing their Collins division, and Doubleday won’t even admit how many people they’ve laid off.

Sometimes it feels like all of us writers are standing behind the velvet rope at a posh club, watching the bouncer wave all of the pretty faces ahead of us. We’ve been standing here for so long, just waiting to get in and show everyone what we can offer.

So, you know what, readers? Skip the posh clubs. All they have to offer is ten-dollar drinks and bad lighting. Come on over to our place. We’re not going to charge you thirty bucks for a life of Britney. We’re going to offer you smart, entertaining fiction that’s not going to bust your bottom line.




Beware the sound of crying children, watch out for the barmaids, and whatever you do, don't let the Pegasus spit on you.
Surviving Serendipity--http://www.sylvaniamania.com

3 comments:

Mary Cunningham said...

I'm waiting for Bob the Plumber's book! Arrrgh!

Okay, I'm not even sure his name was Bob? Is this right? It's a good thing I'm not sure because that means he's totally forgettable!

Can assure you I will NOT be reading about Blago or Octomom.

http://www.cynthiasattic.blogspot.com

Regan Black said...

Go Mary! Jackie, you can rant all you want, baby (I'm in SC y'know).

I'm proud to read great fiction rather than hyped up, overglossed quasi-non fiction.

Regan
http://www.regansrealm.blogspot.com

Iris Black said...

Amen!

The thing most people don't even realize is that practically all of these hyped-up fifteen-minutes-of-fame books aren't even written by the people themselves, but by ghost writers! So not only are valuable stories being shunted for these useless hardcovers, but valuable authors are being cheated by celebrities who have to hire someone else to write HIS/HER story!

How stupid is this?