Amazon vs. Publishers
Bloomberg Businessweek Editor Brad Stone looks at Amazon’s transformation from selling books to making books.
I’m not sure what to think about this. If Amazon wins the day on publishing I think it will make it much more difficult for new talent to be discovered. Amazon has always been focused on making money and nothing else. They could care less about indy bookstores, Barnes & Noble, etc. All they care about is ruling the market - like Wal-Mart (who has put hundreds of other businesses out of business).
The reason I think new talent could get lost in all this is the very fact that Amazon is in it to make money. Therefore, they will be focused only on those writers who are already established, leaving new talent to find its own way to “make it.”
Moreover, look what happened to the music industry after Napster and Apple got through with it. New talent is much more difficult to find than it used to be, and the search has been reduced to reality television shows such as X-Factor or American Idol.
I could be wrong, and I hope I am. But this quest by Amazon makes me nervous for the book and publishing industry. Things like book signings and bookstores may, in the near future, be a thing of the past.
Early morning news - Caras Ionut
Planning to write is not writing. Outlining … researching … talking to people about what you’re doing, none of that is writing. Writing is writing.
(By: Saliha)
It’s never too late to be who you might have been.
IMG_6152 (by patgrider)
Lawrence, KS
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (by Moonbot Studios)
submitted by whimsicaljane
Farther versus Further
I was watching The Day After Tomorrow last night and Dennis Quaid’s character made a grammatical error (yes, I can be a freakin’ grammar geek sometimes. I try not to be too anal about it). He asked the question, “How much further do we have to go?” What his character should have asked is “How much farther do we have to go?”
Farther = actual distance. When father is used it means actual physical distance.
Further = definition of degree/depth, or metaphorical distance. It is a time, degree, or quantity.
Remember it this way …
Farther has the word “far” in it relating to distance, actual distance that is.
Further has the word “fur” in it as in “thick fur” or depth/degree.
I know it sounds a bit silly but it works.
- Our car drove farther than I thought it would on one tank of gas.
- I wanted to run farther, but I became too exhausted.
- Our house is farther away from the restaurant than yours.
Examples of further:
- I asked that there be further discussion on the matter.
- I need to look further into the logistics of moving farther from my office building.
- I hope that gas prices drop further for our road trip vacation.
Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.
“The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books.” -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Advice? I don’t have advice. Stop aspiring and start writing. If you’re writing, you’re a writer. Write like you’re a goddamn death row inmate and the governor is out of the country and there’s no chance for a pardon. Write like you’re clinging to the edge of a cliff, white knuckles, on your last breath, and you’ve got just one last thing to say, like you’re a bird flying over us and you can see everything, and please, for God’s sake, tell us something that will save us from ourselves. Take a deep breath and tell us your deepest, darkest secret, so we can wipe our brow and know that we’re not alone. Write like you have a message from the king. Or don’t. Who knows, maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who doesn’t have to.
- Page 162 of 637
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All the quotes on this site are marked with the author's name, except those marked with TBV; those quotes are my own.
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