Yesterday I went to an antique mall with a friend to search for items that I could use in my next photographic project. After some time and several passes through the store I had to resign myself to leaving empty handed. On the way back to the car we saw a sign outside of the local library for a book sale, so with money still to spend and time on our hands we decided to go and see what they had for sale.
Once inside I made a bee line for the children's book section. Ever since I have been published I spend a lot more time looking at other authors work and especially their illustrations. I managed to find several books that I had never heard of and some wonderful illustrations that I had never seen. This got me thinking about the future of books in general. With the Kindle, the e-reader, and all those books being created as e-books only now a days will there be able to be such a thing as a book sale in the future? And those books that are created as only e-books will they be lost to cyber space over time? What about a book signing? How will you sign a Kindle? My publisher has even recently sent me information on how to do a virtual book tour. I might be being old fashioned but this technology seems to be taking the human element out of the equation.
I, like many others, love curling up in the couch on a rainy afternoon, like today, with a good book and I personally like the feel of turning the pages and even the smell of a hard cover book and the way it feels in my hands but I suppose that the future generations will have to make that decision for them selves. Whether they want to hold a book or an electronic device in their hands. Whether they want to go to a book store or down load their reading choices.
Not to sound like a hypocrite but both of my books are available as e-books as well as hard copies but that is just part of doing business in the book world today you must have your work available to all channels. I would like to think that like in Fahrenheit 451 there will always be some people that will value a cherish books the same way that I do and some day if books become rare and collectible things I am proud to know that there are copies of my books some where out there in the world today.
What do you think the future of the hard copy book is? I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Write what you love!
I have taken a brake from writing this blog for a while because I have been working on a collaboration with the talented playwright, Coni Koepfinger. The new book will be the retelling of Jack and the Bean Stalk and I have enjoyed doing the work immensely. This has had me thinking about the old adage "write what you know", but more important than that I think you need to write what you love.
Writing is work and like with all work you have to make the time to do it. In my case I have to sometimes force myself to make the time. This would be even harder if I did not like what I was doing. This also applies to what ever kind of work you are doing. If you do not enjoy it it makes it that much harder to get the work done. There will always be aspects of the job that are not my favorite things to do but still they need to be done. That is why it is called work and not fun happy time.
My second book, The Gray Garden; Aunt Nancy's Garden, was set in a place out of my childhood. That being the gardens of a building, a home really, named Adel. Some of you may have read that this house burned to the ground a few days before Thanksgiving this past year. Well my cousin has recently compiled a book about the house on the hill named Adel, and I am sure this was a labor of love for her putting this book together because she did not have to do it, she wanted to do it. For most artists I feel that is why we do what we do; because we love it.
In the perfect world I wish we could all do what we loved the best all of the time but since that is not going to happen we just need to enjoy what we have to do and if I can continue to enjoy my projects in the future as much as I have since I started this adventure two years ago, almost to the date, I will be a happy camper.
Writing is work and like with all work you have to make the time to do it. In my case I have to sometimes force myself to make the time. This would be even harder if I did not like what I was doing. This also applies to what ever kind of work you are doing. If you do not enjoy it it makes it that much harder to get the work done. There will always be aspects of the job that are not my favorite things to do but still they need to be done. That is why it is called work and not fun happy time.
My second book, The Gray Garden; Aunt Nancy's Garden, was set in a place out of my childhood. That being the gardens of a building, a home really, named Adel. Some of you may have read that this house burned to the ground a few days before Thanksgiving this past year. Well my cousin has recently compiled a book about the house on the hill named Adel, and I am sure this was a labor of love for her putting this book together because she did not have to do it, she wanted to do it. For most artists I feel that is why we do what we do; because we love it.
In the perfect world I wish we could all do what we loved the best all of the time but since that is not going to happen we just need to enjoy what we have to do and if I can continue to enjoy my projects in the future as much as I have since I started this adventure two years ago, almost to the date, I will be a happy camper.
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