Todd Shimoda's Writer's Blog

Todd Shimoda's Writer's Blog home | current | forthcoming | past | contact

ENTRY

2008 misc. (good news, bad news)
January 1, 2009

There wasn't a lot of good news in publishing in 2008. As I mentioned before, the economy tanked dragging the publishing world with it. Publisher layoffs and freezes, slowing or stopping of new book acceptances, bookstore closings or cutbacks. Really depressing. I live on a small island in the Pacific and while there's a nice independent second-hand bookstore, the only new book store is a Borders. I spend a lot of time there (and in the attached Starbucks). If it closed (and they are closing stores, both Borders and 'bucks), I'd really be in a funk.

Of course as much as the publishing world is a victim of circumstances, it occasionally shoots itself in the foot. Faked and plagiarized books get discovered with some regularity. The latest being the "true" story of the Nazi concentration camp survivor who happens to meet and marry the woman who threw food over the fence to him so he could survive. Yikes, didn't anyone think that was too good and coincidental to be true?

And there weren't many (any?) great books in '08. During the whole year I spent only about two hundred dollars on books and most of those were reference or non-fiction books, not novels. That's probably half what I usually spend. Maybe I'm getting choosier, or maybe I'm just not excited by the current crop of novels. I do admit to a rather eclectic taste in fiction.

There were a few deaths during the year, the most tragic was David Foster Wallace. The post-modern genius author of Infinite Jest committed suicide apparently after suffering depression. Michael Crichton went to the Jurassic Park in the sky or wherever writers' heaven is. As I write this entry I've just heard about the passing of Donald E. Westlake.

While the standard publisher-distributor-bookstore-consumer model of publishing was going fallow, internet sales and e-books were gaining. By internet selling I'm not referring to buying new books on Amazon, I'm talking about the consumer-consumer model of selling new, nearly-new, and used books. Selling sites like e-Bay and others, or even the lone person clearing out a closet, offer books for a few bucks or even a few cents (plus shipping). It's the wired equivalent of the garage/yard sale. And after an over-hyped initial excitement about e-books, there seems to be real momentum and acceptance of the digital book. Improved device-readers like Kindle, plus a general familiarity of reading on a screen seem to have turned the tide.

As a writer, I'm happy to see both the consumer-consumer and e-book sales increasing and reaching a critical mass of users. Yes, consumer-consumer sales don't result in any direct coin in my pocket (nor in the publishers). But to have anyone go out of their way to buy one of my books, even if it's for a quarter (plus shipping), is kind of cool. I hope it builds a deeper reader base for future sales. And e-book sales are very cool because they do put coin in my pocket. Even now I get royalty checks twice a year for e-books sales of The Fourth Treasure, long out of print. Admittedly the checks aren't huge, but for a book out of print to still be generating sales is heartening for a writer. I think e-books will replace the paperback as the secondary publication after the hardback version of a book.

Will there ever be the end of real, hold-in-the-hand, paper-based books? I doubt it. But fewer are going to be printed. That?s a fact.

Happy New Year, and happy writing and reading.

#

© 2013

COMMENTS

Number of comments: 3
click here to add a comment

Jo Reed
I didn't find a GREAT new book this year, read maybe thirty, mostly okay, not great.

Lee Witte
time to write a great one then, Jo

Jo Reed
Sure, will do

ARCHIVE

date (comments)

Review: Paprika
April 21, 2013 (3)

Review: A Straight Road With 99 Curves
March 30, 2013 (1)

Gripping writing
Feb. 28, 2013 (2)

Review: Salvation of a Saint
January 19, 2013 (2)

2012 in review
December 30, 2012 (2)

Review: Ninja
September 30, 2012 (2)

Review: My Postwar Life
August 21, 2012 (1)

New interview with Colin Marshall
July 15, 2012 (3)

Book events
April 25, 2012 (2)

Subduction
March 14, 2012 (8)

Review: A Room Where the Star Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard
January 14, 2012 (1)

Review: Plainsong
December 20, 2011 (3)

Review: The Devil's Disciple
November 29, 2011 (2)

Haruki Murakami
October 5, 2011 (2)

Busyness and demons
September 25, 2011 (2)

Characters: The Bully
July 30, 2011 (3)

Review: Manazuru
June 28, 2011 (2)

Deadlines!
June 24, 2011 (2)

Review: Butterfly's Sisters
May 18, 2011 (1)

Review: Isle of Dreams
April 20, 2011 (2)

Cades Award for Literature press release
April 12, 2011 (2)

Japan and other news
March 29, 2011 (1)

Borders bankruptcy
February 17, 2011 (2)

2010 review
December 17, 2010 (6)

Congratulations Mario Vargas Llosa
October 7, 2010 (2)

OH! wins best book award
September 23, 2010 (2)

Review: Kissing the Mask
August 22, 2010 (1)

Jonathan Lethem: Writing at the margins
July 12, 2010 (2)

Review: Love in Translation
June 22, 2010 (3)

Jose Saramago
June 18, 2010 (0)

Marketplace of Ideas interview
June 11, 2010 (2)

Imagining Memory
May 6, 2010 (1)

Upcoming Los Angeles events
April 7, 2010 (2)

Time and energy
March 30, 2010 (2)

Review: Botchan
February 28, 2010 (2)

J.D. Salinger
January 28, 2010 (1)

2009 Reviewed
December 31, 2009 (5)

Review: The Word Book
December 12, 2009 (1)

Chaat and Chat event with OH!
November 6, 2009 (2)

Home at last
November 2, 2009 (2)

Los Angeles events
October 17, 2009 (1)

Poets and poetry
October 7, 2009 (1)

Time + place
September 24, 2009 (1)

The future of books
September 23, 2009 (1)

October book tour
September 6, 2009 (1)

Blogging at Powell's Books
August 28, 2009 (2)

The evolution of an idea
August 3, 2009 (1)

The Poetics of Motoori Norinaga: A Hermeneutical Journey
July 9, 2009 (2)

Tour debrief
July 2, 2009 (3)

Book tour events
May 18, 2009 (3)

Simply in the mood
April 24, 2009 (2)

Book tour
April 8, 2009 (6)

The Necessary Book
March 2, 2009 (2)

"Murder Makes the Magazine"
February 7, 2009 (3)

John Updike
January 27, 2009 (2)

2008 misc. (good news, bad news)
January 1, 2009 (3)

Publishing woes and query letters
December 13, 2008 (4)

Punctuation compunction
November 16, 2008 (3)

The Fountain of Youth (and other Ideas)
October 10, 2008 (2)

David Foster Wallace
September 14, 2008 (2)

Ending it all
September 12, 2008 (2)

The mystery of plotting, the plotting of mysteries
August 29, 2008 (3)

Blocking out the block
August 20, 2008 (3)

"What kind of books do you write?"
August 8, 2008 (2)

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 4
July 21, 2008 (3)

Show and tell
July 14, 2008 (3)

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 3
July 7, 2008 (7)

Advice for first-time writers (Barry Gifford and me)
June 30, 2008 (6)

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 2
June 18, 2008 (3)

To be or not to be
June 10, 2008 (6)

Theory of Satisfaction: Part 1
June 3, 2008 (6)

Virtual unreality
May 31, 2008 (4)

The purpose of this blog
May 21, 2008 (5)

Todd Shimoda's Writer's Blog home \| current \| forthcoming \| past \| contact
ENTRY 2008 misc. (good news, bad news) January 1, 2009 There wasn't a lot of good news in publishing in 2008. As I mentioned before, the economy tanked dragging the publishing world with it. Publisher layoffs and freezes, slowing or stopping of new book acceptances, bookstore closings or cutbacks. Really depressing. I live on a small island in the Pacific and while there's a nice independent second-hand bookstore, the only new book store is a Borders. I spend a lot of time there (and in the attached Starbucks). If it closed (and they are closing stores, both Borders and 'bucks), I'd really be in a funk. Of course as much as the publishing world is a victim of circumstances, it occasionally shoots itself in the foot. Faked and plagiarized books get discovered with some regularity. The latest being the "true" story of the Nazi concentration camp survivor who happens to meet and marry the woman who threw food over the fence to him so he could survive. Yikes, didn't anyone think that was too good and coincidental to be true? And there weren't many (any?) great books in '08. During the whole year I spent only about two hundred dollars on books and most of those were reference or non-fiction books, not novels. That's probably half what I usually spend. Maybe I'm getting choosier, or maybe I'm just not excited by the current crop of novels. I do admit to a rather eclectic taste in fiction. There were a few deaths during the year, the most tragic was David Foster Wallace. The post-modern genius author of Infinite Jest committed suicide apparently after suffering depression. Michael Crichton went to the Jurassic Park in the sky or wherever writers' heaven is. As I write this entry I've just heard about the passing of Donald E. Westlake. While the standard publisher-distributor-bookstore-consumer model of publishing was going fallow, internet sales and e-books were gaining. By internet selling I'm not referring to buying new books on Amazon, I'm talking about the consumer-consumer model of selling new, nearly-new, and used books. Selling sites like e-Bay and others, or even the lone person clearing out a closet, offer books for a few bucks or even a few cents (plus shipping). It's the wired equivalent of the garage/yard sale. And after an over-hyped initial excitement about e-books, there seems to be real momentum and acceptance of the digital book. Improved device-readers like Kindle, plus a general familiarity of reading on a screen seem to have turned the tide. As a writer, I'm happy to see both the consumer-consumer and e-book sales increasing and reaching a critical mass of users. Yes, consumer-consumer sales don't result in any direct coin in my pocket (nor in the publishers). But to have anyone go out of their way to buy one of my books, even if it's for a quarter (plus shipping), is kind of cool. I hope it builds a deeper reader base for future sales. And e-book sales are very cool because they do put coin in my pocket. Even now I get royalty checks twice a year for e-books sales of The Fourth Treasure, long out of print. Admittedly the checks aren't huge, but for a book out of print to still be generating sales is heartening for a writer. I think e-books will replace the paperback as the secondary publication after the hardback version of a book. Will there ever be the end of real, hold-in-the-hand, paper-based books? I doubt it. But fewer are going to be printed. That?s a fact. Happy New Year, and happy writing and reading. # © 2013	COMMENTS Number of comments: 3 click here to add a comment Jo Reed I didn't find a GREAT new book this year, read maybe thirty, mostly okay, not great. Lee Witte time to write a great one then, Jo Jo Reed Sure, will do	ARCHIVE date (comments) Review: Paprika April 21, 2013 (3) Review: A Straight Road With 99 Curves March 30, 2013 (1) Gripping writing Feb. 28, 2013 (2) Review: Salvation of a Saint January 19, 2013 (2) 2012 in review December 30, 2012 (2) Review: Ninja September 30, 2012 (2) Review: My Postwar Life August 21, 2012 (1) New interview with Colin Marshall July 15, 2012 (3) Book events April 25, 2012 (2) Subduction March 14, 2012 (8) Review: A Room Where the Star Spangled Banner Cannot Be Heard January 14, 2012 (1) Review: Plainsong December 20, 2011 (3) Review: The Devil's Disciple November 29, 2011 (2) Haruki Murakami October 5, 2011 (2) Busyness and demons September 25, 2011 (2) Characters: The Bully July 30, 2011 (3) Review: Manazuru June 28, 2011 (2) Deadlines! June 24, 2011 (2) Review: Butterfly's Sisters May 18, 2011 (1) Review: Isle of Dreams April 20, 2011 (2) Cades Award for Literature press release April 12, 2011 (2) Japan and other news March 29, 2011 (1) Borders bankruptcy February 17, 2011 (2) 2010 review December 17, 2010 (6) Congratulations Mario Vargas Llosa October 7, 2010 (2) OH! wins best book award September 23, 2010 (2) Review: Kissing the Mask August 22, 2010 (1) Jonathan Lethem: Writing at the margins July 12, 2010 (2) Review: Love in Translation June 22, 2010 (3) Jose Saramago June 18, 2010 (0) Marketplace of Ideas interview June 11, 2010 (2) Imagining Memory May 6, 2010 (1) Upcoming Los Angeles events April 7, 2010 (2) Time and energy March 30, 2010 (2) Review: Botchan February 28, 2010 (2) J.D. Salinger January 28, 2010 (1) 2009 Reviewed December 31, 2009 (5) Review: The Word Book December 12, 2009 (1) Chaat and Chat event with OH! November 6, 2009 (2) Home at last November 2, 2009 (2) Los Angeles events October 17, 2009 (1) Poets and poetry October 7, 2009 (1) Time + place September 24, 2009 (1) The future of books September 23, 2009 (1) October book tour September 6, 2009 (1) Blogging at Powell's Books August 28, 2009 (2) The evolution of an idea August 3, 2009 (1) The Poetics of Motoori Norinaga: A Hermeneutical Journey July 9, 2009 (2) Tour debrief July 2, 2009 (3) Book tour events May 18, 2009 (3) Simply in the mood April 24, 2009 (2) Book tour April 8, 2009 (6) The Necessary Book March 2, 2009 (2) "Murder Makes the Magazine" February 7, 2009 (3) John Updike January 27, 2009 (2) 2008 misc. (good news, bad news) January 1, 2009 (3) Publishing woes and query letters December 13, 2008 (4) Punctuation compunction November 16, 2008 (3) The Fountain of Youth (and other Ideas) October 10, 2008 (2) David Foster Wallace September 14, 2008 (2) Ending it all September 12, 2008 (2) The mystery of plotting, the plotting of mysteries August 29, 2008 (3) Blocking out the block August 20, 2008 (3) "What kind of books do you write?" August 8, 2008 (2) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 4 July 21, 2008 (3) Show and tell July 14, 2008 (3) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 3 July 7, 2008 (7) Advice for first-time writers (Barry Gifford and me) June 30, 2008 (6) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 2 June 18, 2008 (3) To be or not to be June 10, 2008 (6) Theory of Satisfaction: Part 1 June 3, 2008 (6) Virtual unreality May 31, 2008 (4) The purpose of this blog May 21, 2008 (5)