Go buy a book--now!

Breaking news: Though lots of books were published last year, the Book Industry Study Group says the number of books sold dropped by 44 million. As an aspiring novelist, this depresses me, presenting one more reason for me to be rejected: “It just won’t sell.” But as a consumer, this irks me. I’ll concede that the reason cited for the dramatic drop—that fewer people are reading—is likely true. People reading less is a fact of modern life. But in compiling the statistics, did the research group consider other factors? First, there’s the tendency for publishers to focus on their big names at the expense of other authors. Can’t blame them, that’s how they make money, but once everyone’s bought their copy of the new Steven King or Danielle Steel, what’s out there to read? We readers are hungry for content the publishers aren’t putting out—I’ll buy any WWII-oriented fiction, particularly stories about women, but I can’t find anything like that on the shelves (or at Amazon).

Another factor is, like the TV biz (and movies/news biz), it seems the book industry has adopted a “pile-on” mentality; if something works, copy it. Again, can't blame them, it'll make money, and I'll be the first in line to pitch my WWII mystery series if Danielle Steel's latest 1940s set tome sparks a surge of interest in stories based in that era. But, this tendency to duplicate a successful work until the unique voice/spark that made the story so popular in the first place is wiped out leaves us readers with dozens of derivative, ultimately unreadable DaVinci Code wannabes.

An example of “pile-on:” I picked up a chick-lit recently that was awful—poorly edited, a trying-too-hard to be sassy heroine, choppy writing, and a plot that made no sense. I stopped reading at chapter two. Now, I try to give anything I read leeway because there but for the grace of a book contract go I… But I had to wonder if the publisher was so eager to pile on to the chick-lit bandwagon that it didn’t matter how crappy the book was. That experience left me less than eager to buy another chick lit--meaning one less future sale.

On another note, and I’m in full rant mode here, the new Star Wars movie opens tomorrow and I’ve seen far too many news stories about the people pitching tents outside movie theaters. I’ve got news for you, Jane and John Q. News Producer…those nuts camp out there with their hibachis and Darth Vader masks because they KNOW it’s sweeps month and they KNOW you’ll be there with a camera. They’re not psychos crying for attention (well, okay, thery are); this is the 00s, people, and everyone is media savvy. And while you’re at it, tell your news anchors to lay off the post-Star Wars story happy talk that goes something like, “Those people sure are nuts! What’s that guy dressed up as? Yogi or Yoga? Ha-ha, see I’m so far above the masses I’ve never even seen a Star Wars-Trek movie.” EVERYONE’s seen Star Wars—why do you think the franchise has made so damn much money? It’s not those 200 pot-bellied 40-somethings who live in their parents’ basement going to see the movies over and over that has made George Lucas so rich. So quit it with the elitist BS. Okay, my TV rant is over—for now.

Janet – No power in George Lucas’ or anyone else’s ’verse can stop me!