Dead Men Still Telling Tales

Unless you're of a certain age, you have never heard the term "out of print." In the technological dark ages (twenty-five years ago or so), books were printed on paper. When a title stopped selling and reached the end of its shelf life, the publisher stopped printing it. It literally went out of print. At such times, the rights to the work reverted back to the author who was free to do with it as he pleased.  Now, manuscripts are digital so they never go out of print. They are always available, either through print-on-demand or as an ebook. 

This is a huge boon for dead authors. Read more about it here in a CNN article. As the anonymous agent said, dead authors never leave the marketplace. Their backlist is always available. That maintains name recognition and allows new work to be published under an old name. Ian Fleming died in 1964 but James Bond books bearing his name continue to appear. Same with Robert Ludlum who died in 2001. Another writer pens the Bourne novels but who can name him?

As we know, there is precious little opportunity for new writers to get picked up by the publishing establishment unless one is writing soft porn or the latest tell-all book about a celebrity.  In the article, an agent laments that as long as old writers take up shelf space, there is no room for new ones.  In the past, the old guard made way for the new.  That is no longer the case. It makes getting noticed that much harder for newbies.

There is another side to this however. Some books are never printed on paper at all. I recently had to make that decision when the second edition of Dollars and Sense for Writers was released. Most of my sales in 2012 were ebooks. Therefore, did it make sense to publish the book on paper in 2013? 
Ultimately my fans will decide. If they want a print version, they will tell me.  In the meantime, Dollars and Sense is an ebook. 

It is true that there is no room for me on a bookstore shelf. It is also true that there are fewer shelves available to me as bookstores continue to disappear. However, in this digital age, I, and others like me, are on the shelves that count. Our work is available to readers throughout the world. Doesn't that beat being on a local shelf?

CNN and its Boston Backdrop

CNN stands for Cable News Network. When Ted Turner started it way back in 1980, it was amazing and new. Reporters went everywhere and covered all the major stories, providing such thorough coverage that military operations adjusted to allow for its presence. It was unique and it was the only 24-7 news source. It could be replied upon. How things change.

By now, most people are aware of the reporting errors made by CNN, Fox and several others. That was bothersome for sure but it has been addressed and assessed extensively. What troubles me in addition to its inaccuracies is that CNN remained in Boston well after all the other networks had pulled out. It was as if they had nowhere else to go.  The network used Boston and Watertown as backdrops for their anchors for an extra week.  Why? What was the network communicating to its viewers by staying so long?

I can think of only one thing - CNN wanted to milk the bombing story for all it was worth.  Never mind that there was little additional news to report. Never mind that the viewers had seen all the footage hundreds of times before. Never mind that the constant repetition might have been hard on the local citizens and the victims. Boston in the background meant money in the bank.

I don't blame the anchors. They were working where their producers and editors put them. It just seems to me that someone should have figured out that enough was enough.

I know CNN got a ratings bump during the event. I also know that our household was surprised and disappointed by CNN's staying in the area so long. Add that to the inaccuracies and we decided to get our news elsewhere in the future.

There is news and then there is salaciousness. Apparently CNN can't tell the difference anymore. How sad for it and for all of us - especially at this time when accurate and timely communication is so important.