A Bookseller's Tale

My New Years Wish for You

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:09:00 +0000

May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.
— Neil Gaiman

The Argument for Online Literary Journals

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 20:36:00 +0000

There have been many times when I sit back and think about the shape my industry is in and just scratch my head. How did it get this bad? My answer is always the same: the industry is getting old and tired and the corporations that run it have no idea who readers are and don't seem to care to know. It is all just product to them. Therefore, it's dying.

I also always come up with the same answer to solving this crisis: the Internet and small presses. The Internet has saved us from so much disaster already. The online communities that have been built on it has saved the US politically. It has produced jobs, not enough to save everyone, but a number have been created. It has also saved a lot of people from the loneliness and isolation we've all felt during these rough emotional Bush years.

So how can the Internet save the book industry? Online literary Journals: we need lots of them. Journals akin to The Huffington Post and The Daily Beast and io9. Journals with book reviews, short stories from new and upcoming authors, commentary, op-ed pieces, columns/blogs/cross-posts by authors and editors, even insider rumors about the industry, and blogs, lots and lots of lit blogs. I tried to turn Indigocafe.com into this. Maybe I will try again. Some -- most -- don't see my vision. I'm getting used to this. Sometimes I see into the future too far for others to understand what I'm saying and it comes out sounding like crazy talk. But I know this is the future. A future where new authors are discovered by tons and tons of small online lit magazines. Maybe they will be the frontend of small presses that produce the books of these new writers -- and make a profit.

Someone will start this. That someone will make a little money, not a lot, just a little. And it will catch on. They will discover, just as the SciFi world already knows, that the way to survive in the book industry is to have a constant flow of fresh new authors. To find them you must have open submissions. The new authors are out there just waiting to be discovered.

This will bring excitement and new energy into the book industry that is now tired. The authors in the mainstream are getting old. Yes, Toni Morrison will sell books, so will John Updike, and Cormac McCarthy, but let's be serious these greats can't live forever. The whole industry can't rest on the works of people who are getting on in years. As for younger authors there is Jhumpa Lahiri and Colson Whitehead and the "Johnathan's." But does it make sense that you can count on your hand the number of young authors who can excite people into buying new books?

The corporations that currently own the publishing industry have long given up on cultivating new writers. They think of this as an expense that can be cut in lieu of producing (actually over-producing) books with a "proven market." Mistake, mistake, mistake! Those who love books should follow the lead of people like Wildside Press who produce books for the fantasy industry. Their model is an exceptional one and is forward thinking. They have online magazines that thus give them the authors who write their books and the audience who will read them. It is a smart, good business model. It is a smart good book business model.

This is my advice to the industry for the next year. I wonder if anyone will listen.

The Return of Samantha Power

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:30:00 +0000

Samantha Power is one amazing woman. In her book A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, she dared to ask the question: Why do American leaders who vow "never again" repeatedly fail to stop genocide? (Yeah, why is that?) Her work on human rights, genocide, and war is something to admire. I was thrilled when I found out that she was one of the advisers to the Obama campaign. Actually, that was one of the reasons that made me look at Obama closer during the Primaries.

Then "IT" happened. While being interviewed she made a rookie politician mistake: she spoke her mind. Thinking that she was off mike she called Hillary Clinton a "monster." Oops! Thus ended the Samantha Power connection to the Obama campaign. There is a reason that Obama has earned the nickname: "No Drama Obama." During his campaign (and it looks like during his administration as well) Obama is not very tolerant of personal theatrics. But the guy is smart. He knows a valuable individual when he sees one. So now Samantha Power is back and part of the review team for the incoming members to the State Dept. -- including Hillary Clinton. Interesting.

I'm glad to see Samantha Power back. She is a treasure, if only for her passionate resolve in making human rights a necessary consideration in American foreign policy. A former Balkan war correspondent, founding executive director of Harvard's Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize, and National Book Critics Circle Award, Samantha Power is a welcome re-addition to the Obama Team.

It looks like Simon & Schuster is in trouble, too

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:28:00 +0000

"Layoffs at Random House, Simon & Schuster" —
(From Salon by Hillel Italie)

Simon & Schuster has been helped by President-elect Barack Obama's embrace of Doris Kearns Goodwin's "Team of Rivals," but not enough to save some 35 positions, about 2 percent of the staff. CEO Carolyn Reidy said in a company memo Wednesday that "today's action is an unavoidable acknowledgment of the current book-selling marketplace and what may very well be a prolonged period of economic instability."

Video: Conversation with Toni Morrison

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:33:00 +0000

Paper Cuts, the book blog for the New York Times, has a conversation with Toni Morrison about her new novel "A Mercy" and the election of Barack Obama. This is a wonderful and rare treat.

Major Shake-up at Random House

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:23:00 +0000

Maud Newton blogs about a major change in the internal structure at Random House:
"What does the Random House reorg. mean?" —

... here’s a trusted friend’s analysis:

even though they say the imprints will maintain editorial independence and their own individual identities, soon enough some will disappear and others will blend into one another. More consolidation also means less competition among publishers for authors and agents. Consolidation on this scale also means big time job cuts coming in all departments - editorial, publicity, rights, etc.

Love to Mumbai

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:04:00 +0000

I, like most Americans, was away for Thanksgiving. I turned off the TV and ignored the newspaper for the weekend. So it was shocking to see what can happen in just a few days away. The images I've seen have been horrific. I still don't quite understand what happened, but it is clear that a lot of people died and were hurt in Mumbai. My heart goes of to all the people of India. God bless and be safe.

Last Minute Bush Laws Bad for America

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:24:00 +0000

Good, God, when is this man going to leave?

Houghton Mifflin Has Suspended Acquisitions of New Manuscripts

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:48:00 +0000

Bad news for all you hopeful writers out there, HM is not accepting new manuscripts for a while. As you can already guess the economic crisis is affecting even the book industry. I know, I know, I'm just as surprised as you are that the book industry is exhibiting financial problems. But it's true, writing books is not the fasted or best way to make money.

"Book Publisher Suspends New Acquisitions" —
(From New York Times by Mokoto Rich)

“There is a freeze-lite,” [Josef Blumenfeld, vice president of communications of HM] said. “There is a way in so it is not a hard freeze but for right now, there is a temporary — call it a freeze if you want.”

He added, “Every new manuscript that comes in is going to be subjected to a higher degree of scrutiny and consideration than has previously been the case.”

He said he could not be specific about what criteria would govern decisions about what manuscripts to buy, but said that editors would have to prove to an acquisitions committee that the book showed concrete evidence of “market interest.”

If you ask me this is all bullshit. Like the big presses have been giving good thought to what they have been releasing on the shelves anyway. They have always thought about the bottom line before they thought about the quality of the books they published. Which is exactly the opposite way to make money in this business long term. Perennials, perennials, my kingdom for a perennial.

But do not despair, my lovelies. There are small presses out there. (Thank God!) So Support them. Buy from them. Send your really awesome manuscripts to them. (And did I say buy from them!) While your at it, support the small independent bookstores, too. These small guys may be the last ones standing after this is all over.

Ann Coulter's Jaw Wired Shut

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:30:00 +0000

No, this is not a joke. Whomever wished for this should now wish for a million dollars. Yes, it is true, that horror of a woman has had her jaw wired shut. So we won't be hearing that "golden" voice for a while. Hmm, maybe God has finally had it with these people.

Mukasey Passes Out

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 23:07:00 +0000

They can say this wasn't a heart attack or stroke all they want, but there is something definitely wrong with this guy. The way he slurs his words before he drops is a real indicator of some kind of brain something, I don't know what. I don't wish ill on anyone, but I do wonder if it is just now settling in that they have been part of one of the biggest criminal enterprises in the country's history. They will have to live with the fear for the rest of their lives for that tap on the shoulder from a guy wearing dark glasses saying, "you have to come with me, sir."

The Maron v Seder Show

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:54:00 +0000

I looooooved the radio show Morning Sedation back when Air America was cool. I practically went in the fetal position when it went off the air. Well, Marc Maron and Sam Seder are back on the "air" together with a unique, one-of-a-kind political show broadcasted on their site. Isn't technology wonderful?!

Maron v Seder. LIVE Daily M-F @ 3pm. Tune in!

The show is really is great. I think they have a formula that actually works for the internet. Who knew? It's funny with lots of clips and bits. And Maron even had a connected to The Guardian UK with a cross country road trip covering the 2008 Election.

Lieberman Must Pay

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 02:32:00 +0000

The Senate is about to vote on the fate of Joe Lieberman. Obama has been gracious. He says that he forgives Lieberman for things said on the campaign trail. Obama can afford to be gracious. We cannot. I say take him out.

Look, I'm all for turning the other cheek, but let's face it you only have two cheeks and Lieberman has slapped both. There has to be some consequences for bad acts and nobody had acted worse than Joe, except for maybe the rest of the Republican Party. I understand the dynamic of trying to get to that almighty filibuster proof 60 number in the Senate. But there are other Senators on the Republicans side who would like to keep their seats like Collins and Snowe of Maine who can make up the difference on certain votes. They can smell the blood in the water. They know which way the wind is blowing. We need to do this. Lieberman needs to be stripped of his chairmanship. Call your Senators and tell them.

If Lieberman wants to continue to act the fool. Let him go ahead. We'll see how CT deals with him come his next election. I'm sure they're already looking up Ned Lamont's phone number.

Prop 8 and Gay/Black Relations

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:15:00 +0000

I'm glad that the rhetoric has cooled a bit. I for one was getting quite sick of being blamed for something I didn't do. I can't read fast enough or care hard enough to follow all the threads that are sewing there way through the internet right now on this topic. I just find it incredible interesting that somehow every one of the country's woes somehow or another ends up being black folks fault. But guess what, it turns out it was all a myth after all --

At the end of the day, Prop 8's passage was more a generational matter than a racial one. If nobody over the age of 65 had voted, Prop 8 would have failed by a point or two.
[From FiveThirtyEight.com]

This is also assuming that there are no such thing as a gay Black person. The ABW posted about this topic (based off of a comment by little ol' me no less, WoooHooo!) that goes into the reaction from the other side of the fence.

And speaking of fence, I find it really fascinating that the reasonable guy in this Colbert clip is the same Dan Savage who said --

—are a bigger problem for African Americans, gay and straight, than the huge numbers of homophobic African Americans are for gay Americans, whatever their color. [From the Stranger]

He has been playing both sides of this issue. First, let's blame the blacks for all their homophobia. Then, let's be all reasonable.

And huge number, huh? So a small population of a small population in California are equal to all Black people, huh? Maybe this was a knee jerk reaction on Savages's part after the initial shock of the passage of Prop 8. But it also was a racist knee jerk reaction. (I'm not calling him a racist, I'm saying what he said was racist. There is a difference. One is about who you are, another is about what you did. See this for an explanation of the difference.) It strikes me that his Colbert appearance was some kind of spin control. (BTW, Dan Savage, thanks for getting this nasty business going, you careless jerk.)

This situation is a little bit of the chickens coming home to roost. Black feminists have been screaming about the racism in the gay community for years with no one paying even lip service to the issue. Now, that lack of interest, the lack of organization, the lack education, and the lack community bonding between the two groups has come back to bite everyone in the butt.

Which Books Are Worth Reading Twice?

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:51:00 +0000

SF Signal dares to present this question to several authors and editors. A great question I might add. There are only a few books that I've personally read more than once: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin, There Eyes Were Watching God by Zorn Neale Hurston, and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy By J.R.R. Tolkien. Actually, I've read all of these three times. Weird. Anyway, here is what the authors on SF Signal said.

Funny: What an Obama Presidency Will Be Like

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:19:00 +0000

Be calm people. This is just a joke!

Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children to be Filmed

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:07:00 +0000

From The Guardian by Denis Seguin:
"Rushdie's 'unfilmable' Midnight's Children heads for silver screen" —

Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie's panoramic 1981 allegory of the birth of modern India, is heading for the big screen. Deepa Mehta is to direct and co-write the adaptation with the author, and the film is expected to start production in 2010, it was announced in New York yesterday.

America The Blue

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:21:00 +0000

Hot Damn!

* Map provided by the NYTimes

Obama's Acceptance Speech

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:30:00 +0000

Birds flying high you know how I feel
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Reeds driftin' on by you know how I feel

It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good

Fish in the sea you know how I feel
River running free you know how I feel
Blossom in the tree you know how I feel

It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good

Dragonfly out in the sun you know what I mean, don't you know
Butterflies all havin' fun you know what I mean
Sleep in peace when day is done
That's what I mean

And this old world is a new world
And a bold world
For me

Stars when you shine you know how I feel
Scent of the pine you know how I feel
Oh freedom is mine
And I know how I feel

It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good

— Nina Simone

Reactions to the Obama Win

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:23:00 +0000

Jesse Jackson's reaction says it all ...

My Voice is Still Hoarse!!!!

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 13:45:00 +0000

Fort Greene, Brooklyn, my neighborhood, last night!

HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:02:00 +0000

Good God Almighty We Won!!!!!

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:05:00 +0000

Good God Almighty We Won!!!!!
Good God Almighty We Won!!!!!
Good God Almighty We Won!!!!!
Good God Almighty We Won!!!!!
Good God Almighty We Won!!!!!
Good God Almighty We Won!!!!!
Good God Almighty We Won!!!!!
Good God Almighty We Won!!!!!
Good God Almighty We Won!!!!!
Good God Almighty We Won!!!!!
Good God Almighty We Won!!!!!
Good God Almighty We Won!!!!!
Good God Almighty We Won!!!!!

Election Night 2008!!

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:29:00 +0000

I just got back from a phone bank that I've been volunteering at. I'm totally exhausted and exillerated at the same time. Let's elect Obama tonight! This is history in the making! Yay!!!

Are you skard?

info@indigocafe.com (jenn) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:55:00 +0000

Are you good 'n skard? Yeah, me too. Tomorrow is the big day. Get out and vote. Be counted. Let's make this thing happen. America has the unique opportunity to do something great here. Don't be skard! Vote!