Unfortunately I haven’t been present at the panel at this
year’s "Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival" at Harrogate that later
became known to many attendees as „Tossergate“ but I have talked to many
writers and readers about the general matter afterwards.
I learned that a
certain Mr. L freely admitted to having created countless bots that
shamelessly help advertise his books. The fact that he himself is actually
creating the buzz and praise about his own writing made me quite sick and it
also made me want to hit him in the face.
I think lots of very talented authors tend to not do enough
self advertisement mostly because there is always this insecurity that they
don’t think of themselves as good enough but it’s 'nice' to learn that some
people think they are the cream!
I’ve also read and heard about people being paid for giving great
reviews - that is a fucking disgrace and shows how much the author is really
worth – not good enough for an honest review of one fan who hasn’t been bought!
No matter how you ever try to put it – it’s fucking cheating
and there you have it!
I think it’s time a reader like me should have her say in
the discussion about that.
First of all, yes, I am one of the readers that check out
reviews of books on blogs and also a lot on amazon websites, so if some readers
give five star reviews I surely tend to believe them. I also tend to give a
five star review when I’ve found a great read as I always want others to read
it and I am always hoping that it will help the author to get a much deserved boost
in sales for the book.
If I ordered a book that has been reviewed as great by three
or four people and then find out the book is utter shite then I might be so
mad to just go and give it a one star review just for revenge. Usually I tend
only to review books that I really liked because I'd rather not give someone a
bad review but in that case I’d really make an exception! I also
find it terrible that some people give authors very bad reviews just because of a
personal dislike or feud with that author – fucking unfair and shows a very
gutless and despicable person!
Then there was the ever present „conventional“ books against
e-books discussion... I grew up loving books and comics and I am really a fan of
new technology, loving my laptop, my iPhone and the internet in general.
However, I just can’t get myself to embrace this Kindle thingy nor do I think
I’ll ever own one (My usual quote for Kindle is „Kindle sucks cocks in hell“
and that’s it...) But I understand there is a ever growing community of readers
that embrace their Kindles as their new best friend and I can accept that.
Talking about e-publishing in general, the thing that makes
many (if not most) published writers so angry is that it gives every wannabe
writer ’anal’phabet the chance to hack down some bullshit and to publish it
with just a few clicks and to simply advertise themselves as the next big thing
in writing. Also, if you offer
something for only 0,99 or 1,99 cents/pence there’ll always be enough
compulsive buyers just clicking to buy it just because of the sake of clicking
it, just giving in to a reflex and not a conscious decision and certainly not
because it’s an especially good book! And I think a lot of those e-books
will just land in a library, will be forgotten a moment later and will never be read at all.
I am not saying that all of the writers that embrace e-publishing are crap, there was even quite some praise for some authors that
had gone down that path that were present at Harrogate where nobody understood
why they hadn’t landed a book publishing deal yet.
On the website of a certain Mr. L it shows that there are 34
titles that Mr. L has coughed up so far, sorry, I meant written, and the fact
that he only started writing when he was at university and that he is not 92
years yet makes me question how much heart, time and research he really invests
into his work... Maybe I am just mistaken and he is much much better than all
my favourite writers who haven’t produced such an impressive catalogue of work
yet... (yeah, sure!)
Then there’s the matter of e-book piracy that I think is
really the worst kind of piracy. Why? Well, think about it: If a music label
thinks they should pay Robbie Williams 60 Million for three albums then that is
their problem and surely not worth it! When the film industry is planning 150
Millions for a blockbuster and happily pays Tom Cruise 20 or even more Millions
for the movie they are just arseholes!
No movie would ever get made without an idea from an
author/writer and let’s face it, those creative minds are the most needed
pieces in the puzzle (everybody can do a producer’s job and snort coke and shag
wannabe actresses) but unfortunately those creators of dreams are also the most
underpaid category.
Tom Cruise has to work for his pay for about 2-3 months and
afterwards has to do some flying around the world for advertising his movie,
phew, poor man, what a demanding job, an ounce of pity for him all the way!
An author has to come up with the idea for a book out of
thin air (no, there isn’t actually a section at a department store where you
can just buy ideas for stories from a shelf) and of course the readers want the
story to be gripping, chilling, funny, spectacular, great, believable,
conclusive, gruesome – and that takes time, a whole lot of bloody time! The
manuscripts get worked over many times by the authors themselves, editors and
lots of more people involved in the process of bringing a novel to life.
And for all that work people don’t want to pay more? Just
1,99 or if it has to be maybe 2,99? A new Blu-Ray DVD costs up to 19,99 and a new music album around 14,99. Where’s the fucking fairness in that? Would
you work a fucking year or even more and get paid so less for so much work?
You’d shoot your fucking boss - that’s what most would do!
And a book is a companion that takes you by the hand and
leads you to strange and most wonderful places! Compared to watching movies
(and I really do love movies) it is the reader’s mind and their fantasy that
makes the characters in written stories come to life and the events in the book
unfold. Stories lift you up through sad times and sickness, they take you on an
adventurous trip when you’re in desperate need of distraction and they lift
your mood when you desperately need a laugh.
So, tell me, isn’t all of this worth paying some extra
bucks!?
Books should be treasured and loved and be rewarded with a
special place on a shelf. And there is nothing better than owning a hardcover
edition signed by the author.
Like John Waters once said: If you go home with somebody,
and they don’t have books, don’t fuck ’em!“ A wise man indeed!
