Conventional books vs. e-books

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!