Reclaiming a Glorious Literary Tradition
Isn’t it obvious yet? Writers and publishers who are publishing their books online, and promoting them through the vast reach of social networks, are engaged in nothing less than a grass roots movement to reclaim art, not only for artists, but for the public at large.
New platforms such as Amazon Kindle and the Microsoft e-book reader have made it possible to publish books and magazines online at little or no cost. At present, nearly 600,000 Kindle readers have been purchased, and sales of Kindle 2 are back ordered several months. Most who own the device swear allegiance to it, and indeed it has many attributes in its favor. Not only can readers purchase books from an ever growing inventory for instant download, but they can control print size, resolution, manage their library, read many of their favorite periodicals, and store books in digital format. Just think about it: No more lifting heavy boxes filled with thirteen-year-old books that you once bought and have been meaning to read every time you move house! What’s more, writers and publishers are promoting their books online through numerous social networks like Facebook, Twitter and even Youtube, thereby reaching countless potential readers that the promotion departments of large print publishers reserve only for their best selling authors. For all too long the reading public has literally been the prisoner of what Bertlesman publishers have determined they should buy and read. But all this is coming to a rather abrupt end as books move to online formats.
Of course the argument persists that reading a book in a digital format is somehow sacreligious. Nonsense! Let us not forget that stories (literature) were once painted on cave walls, then carved upon stone tablets. Eventually scrolls were used to record the wisdom of the ages, then along came Gutenberg’s printing press. The first book ever published on a printing press was - you guessed it - The Holy Bible. Since then, books have been generated and circulated in numbers never before seen in the anals of time. Literacy increased by a factor of tens of thousands, and the press brought critical thought to the masses. But lately, a consolidation of publishers has monetized the publishing endeavor to the point where only the lowest common denominator is served. The quality of literature offered in today’s world pales in comparison with that offered only a few decades ago. Today, one conglomerate controls (more or less) the entire book trade, and that is not good for anyone dedicated to the idea of free thought. The very idea of monetizing art has never worked, and will never work, simply because art (in its purest form) is never produced with a bottom line in mind. Artists make art because they want to make it, because something inside them demands that they speak out, illuminate, symbolize and beautify for the greater good. Money is seldom their first concern. Not so with the publishing establishment. So manyy writers - most in fact - have been opted out of an audience simply because their ideas and concepts and presentations were not mainstream enough for general consumption. But all that is changing at lightning speed as writers and publishers now have an alternative venue to present their work, as well as a means by which to promote it.
Recently, I viewed a video put out by a major New York publisher - Random House - in which they showcased their effort to penetrate a new audience on the various social networks. On that video they present two young employees specifically hired to figure it all out and make Random House a player in these online communities. As a writer and as an Internet publisher myself, it was more than apparent that the two employees were in the process of re-inventing the wheel, and in essence were as naive (or more so) than many independent writers and publishers already well versed and thoroughly involved in promotion through social networks. In essence, the big guns are well behind the curve, whereas the grass roots movement of writers and publishers working everyday to publish and promote their work online leads this movement. And it is a movement that is not only inevitable, but one that will change the nature of what is published, how it is presented and distributed, and who eventually reads what! How welcome this movement is to writers, publishers, and to the reading public. Selection is everything, and a cross-section of information and approach may not lead to big profits, but certainly to the greater good of society and culture.
David Ross is an author and publisher. Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/literature–articles/reclaiming-a-glorious-literary-tradition-842656.html
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Filed under: Audio Books on March 31st, 2009
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