Definitely an English Major

Marcia got an e-mail from one of our college friends the other day.  Meg was an English major, like me, and we shared a couple classes together.  Apparently she was cleaning out the basement -- isn't that where we all keep boxes that we haven't opened since college? -- and she found some old essays of mine.  Oh, my.

Just imagine:  "Joyce and the Artistic Consciousness," by Brian Freeman, January 18, 1984.  Or how about:  "The Emergence of the Hero," by Brian Freeman, February 14, 1984.  Or maybe some handwritten notes on a discussion of Ulysses?  I don't think Meg is going to get rich selling those on eBay.

Yes, I was definitely an English major.  Of course, that reminds me of the discussion I had with my favorite English teacher in high school.  We'd been reading all the greats from England, and I mentioned that I thought we were missing out on some of the great writers in American literature.  He laughed and told me:  "Take a weekend out for it some time."  Ouch!

A World Without Bookstores?

Here's a scary thought for authors and readers alike.  What if there were no more bookstores?

If you don't think that could ever happen, think back on a few names from the past:  Musicland.  Wherehouse.  Tower.  Virgin.  These were all huge music superstores, and with few exceptions, they're long gone.  The concept of a music-only store has all but disappeared from retail.  If consumers want music, they go to places like Best Buy, Target, or Wal-Mart, or to online sources like Amazon and iTunes.

It's not hard to imagine bookstores going the same way.  Hundreds of wonderful independent bookstores have shut their doors in the past decade.  Mall favorites like Waldenbooks and B.Dalton have largely given way to Barnes & Noble and Borders -- and those chains now struggle with flat or declining sales.  In another decade, readers -- like music lovers -- may find themselves restricted to small selections at big box retailers or wind up doing their shopping online.

Is that a problem?  After all, musicians haven't disappeared, despite the evolving retail environment.  But I do think it's a worrisome trend for writers and readers.  First, large retailers don't devote much real estate to books, so their selection is extremely limited.  If your name isn't James Patterson or Nora Roberts, you may never wind up on their shelves, which means readers will find it harder to browse and discover new writers.  Second, musicians have additional channels for reaching an audience that authors don't enjoy.  Newspapers and magazines still devote ample page space to music.  Concerts and merchandise are still big business -- and big sources of publicity and revenue.  Songs are easy to spread virally through iTunes and YouTube, unlike books, which require a much larger bloc of time to enjoy.  You could "find" Susan Boyle, for example, with a three-minute performance online that attracted millions of viewers in a few days.  Books don't generally work that way.

Authors and publishers already face turbulent economic times.  Readers don't generally stop reading in a recession -- but their behavior changes in ways that mean authors derive little or no compensation from the people who enjoy their boks.  If 50 readers buy a new hardcover, for example, the total compensation to the author is approximately $125.  If 50 readers buy a new paperback, the compensation drops to about $35.  If 50 readers check out the book from the library, the compensation drops to about $2.50.  If 50 readers go to used book stores like eBay, the compensation drops to zero.  It's easy to do the math.

The trend suggests an uncertain future in the book biz.  For those of us who love books, we need to pay close attention to the next steps in how books are bought and sold.  How will e-books change the equation, for example?  Will other retailers pick up the slack if traditional retailers disappear?  Will independent sellers make a comeback?  I don't have the answers, but one thing is true:  The industry will look very different ten years from now than it does today.  The question is whether authors and readers will like what they see.

Librarians and Speech

My letter to the editor about the American Library Association's Banned Books Week was printed in the Wall Street Journal today.  Here's what the letter said:

Mitchell Muncy thinks that the American Library Association is overreacting to attempts by “law-abiding parents” to ban books in their local libraries (Taste, September 25).  I think it’s more accurate to suggest that we don’t face a serious threat to our free speech rights today because of the vigilance among librarians in resisting such pressure.

A small example:  When I spoke at a local library last year about my novels, the librarian subsequently informed me that a resident had called to demand I be “disinvited,” because one of my books included “a reference to male genitalia.”  Egad!  Amusing?  Sure.  Harmless?  I don’t think so.  Such people hide behind “free speech,” but their real agenda is to dictate to their neighbors what they may choose to read and hear.

Fortunately, our librarians are a buffer against those would try to substitute their values and standards for our own.  For that, we owe them thanks.

So to you librarians out there -- Thanks!