To Print or Not to Print?

I know that my partner in crime, JeKaren, posted about eBooks a while back, but I admit it. I am still a little blown away by the recent loss of mega-bookseller, Borders. The new trends in reading, publishing, and bookselling scare me. From giants like the Kindle or the Nook to their distant competitor Kobo; there are eReaders galore on the market today. (As a side note, Border’s electronic media will be in the hands of Kobo.) Downloading a book can take mere seconds. Heck, you can even download a Kindle app to your smartphone and get started reading without walking into a store or waiting on a delivery- ever. Sounds pretty great, I must admit. I also have to confess that I have read a few books on Kindle. But I felt guilty about it.

I prefer to hold a book in my hands. What I read on a screen are words put together to form a story. What I read on paper is... different... better, somehow. Holding that book in my hands; turning the pages, one at a time, each new page revealing a new surprise. The weight of a book- the sheer substance of it- makes it solid and real and meaningful. I write on my laptop, but I do it in hope of seeing my work make it to paper. Oh, there are just so many things I can say about why I love books... real, bona-fide books; hardback and paperback alike.

I love the feel of dusty pages between my fingers. I love the sound of a spine cracking just a little as I open a brand new book for the first time. I love to feel the weight of an open book lying across my chest as I drift off to sleep. There is a smell, particular to libraries and used book stores- the smell of books- that takes me back to childhood and soothes me almost as soon as I walk through the door. I would love books even if I didn’t love to write. Crisp and new, or dog-eared and ragged, I love books. Did I happen to mention that I love books? Someday relatively soon, though, if things continue in their current direction, the written word in its true form will become obsolete. Even newspapers and magazines are being delivered virtually these days.

The current trend of using bookstores as hangouts while reading novels on cell phones is threatening a piece of our culture. As a writer I have to face the question (assuming that I actually ever finish my novel-in-progress) of whether to publish on paper or not. Electronic is the new print, but I love books. As I edge closer to the completion of my book I find myself considering the previously inconceivable notion of publishing straight to Amazon and Barnes and Noble- just go electronic all the way and never see my first novel on paper. I wrote it on a computer- why not read it there as well? At the time of this posting I have still not decided whether to shop it around to various publishers in hopes of seeing my name in print or not. As painful as the thought is, I may skip to the end and cut the publisher and the book completely out of the book publishing process. Sigh.

Beach Reading

I spent the weekend at the beach and thought I would do a little light reading while I was there. I ended up reading Civil Disobedience. My daughter had the same intention starting out, but wound up with a Dean Koontz horror novel in her hand. Not exactly a copy of Cosmo, there, chic. Maybe the inability to read total crap for the sake of merely passing time is hereditary? My youngest son was spotted reading some robot adventure paperback, but what he asked for at bedtime was The Velveteen Rabbit. Maybe it really is hereditary.

Now that I think about it, though, I have my doubts about the heredity theory above. Nature versus nurture… I would like to think nurture wins this time. My kids watch me and I like to think that I have set a good example, with my nose buried at any given moment in anything from Wuthering Heights to The Time Traveler’s Wife. 

For an admitted lit geek I am not much of a book snob, really. I do not make the children read Shakespeare. I do not redline their Santa letters (well, maybe I do it in my head, but I sure don’t let them catch me) and none of them have ever been forced to read anything that a teacher did not assign. I just encourage a love of reading and try to guide them gently towards worthwhile material. I am happy no matter what they read; I smile when I see one of the kids enjoying a Harry Potter or Twilight novel. I just smile a little bigger when I see one of them crack open Animal Farm or Lord of the Flies, instead. If they choose Dean Koontz or Stephen King now and then, well, it isn’t Thoreau, but they are young. They still have time. Besides, they get the horror novels off my bookshelves, anyway.

The Borders Are Closing

Borders are about to close all over the nation. The economics behind the loss of the iconic bookstore chain are simple. Less people are buying books so the bookstores lose money and now 398 more Borders locations have to shut their doors. The how and what of it is easy enough to comprehend. The mind-boggling aspect lies in the why of it. Did people stop buying books? Did everyone stop reading? No. They just don’t buy them in person or read them on paper.

“Forget all that. What do you mean Borders is going out of business?” you may be thinking, “No, that is not possible. The stores are always so crowded.” Yes. Many of the locations are reported to have been fairly busy. This explains the shock value of Borders Group’s recent announcement. How on earth can a chain of busy stores, clearly enjoying a steady stream of customers, suddenly go broke and close up shop? Why? Because we, my fellow readers, have collectively changed our ways. As so succinctly stated by my hometown newspaper, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, “The closing of Borders, the company which launched the concept of a big box bookstore in 1971, may seem the most ominous sign of a reading revolution, one bound to deeply impact the way books are published and sold…”

Here in greater Atlanta, Borders and its giant of a competitor, Barnes and Noble, are not generally considered places to shop for books. They may be a good spot to read a book, although few people seem to do so. They are definitely a great place to grab a cup of coffee and chat with friends. Sit back, relax with a cappuccino, and get some work done on the internet… ah, Borders is the frazzled professional’s paradise. Artists converge around trade magazine displays. Writers discuss manuscripts while perusing the new release section. Couples hold hands and sip lattes. Children sit, criss-cross-applesauce in the aisles, or lie in the floor propped up on elbows, with picture books. Parents read to their children and, every once in a while, adults sit down and crack open a book of their own choosing. On the surface it looks like a profitable business. Unless you glance over at the comparatively idle cash registers. What all of those faithful patrons have been failing to do, dear readers, is to actually buy books. 

I love bookstores, and the smaller the store, the better, in my book. (I admit it. The pun was intentional. Sorry.) Yes, Borders was awesome. Barnes and Noble has a lovely children’s section, but the little used bookstores are the ones I truly love. Every book seems to have two stories. The one written on its pages, and the one behind those pages wearing down and fading. There is the chance to share in an infinitesimal piece of someone else’s history when we walk out the door with our three dollar novel and two dollar cook books tucked under our arms. We all win. We get our books. We save our money. We do our part for the environment. We support our local community. Obviously, we could get that same book delivered to our door, but we would miss out on an experience- the walls stacked with the brilliant and the mundane; thoughts and dreams and fears in ink surrounding us. 

I do order books online on occasion. I typically order through Amazon, though, and I order "used" if possible, trying to find a reliable small used bookstore to buy from if the price is right. Why? Because someone has to put my eagerly anticipated dog-eared copy of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy in a box and get it mailed off to me. I, personally, like to imagine that person as being a little like Meg Ryan in You’ve Got Mail- a true booklover. 

Some of the glass-half-full-types see potential benefits from the end of Borders. With the death of a bookselling giant comes a possibility of growth for the little guy. We can only hope that the displaced Borders customers will find new safe havens among small, independent bookstores, and that they will have learned their collective lesson and actually make a few purchases.

Are Books Dead?

Thinking back to my childhood, I don’t remember a time where I did not have a book in tow. Whether it was a quick trip to the grocery store or family vacations to Savannah, my eyes were glued to the pages of a book, absorbing as much as I could possibly handle. There were more than a few times when I was told by my mother that I should pay more attention to the people in the real world than the people in the fantasy world painted by each book I read.

Star pupil, 82 years old, reading her lesson in adult class, Gee's Bend, Alabama, May 1939. Wolcott, Marion Post -- Photographer. May 1939

So much of my reading was a cover-up for my shyness and insecurities. I was teased as a kid, like most, being called fat, ugly, nerdy. My escape from the heartache I suffered was always reading, which was often paired with writing. Through my own personal growth I have found more avenues for expression, though my love of books has not wavered. Becoming a bookseller was a career path I anticipated being able to do in retirement, which often is the case for most bookstore owners, but the right opportunities aligned at the right time to make it happen now.  

The first time I held the Kindle in my hands, I knew that the game had changed. One of the most exciting parts of reading, besides getting new information, was being able to go to the library or the bookstore, browse through the titles, pick up a book, flip through the pages, feel the covers, even show off what you were reading to others. There was satisfaction after finishing a book, turning that last page. With the ebook devices, may of those things have been eliminated. You often don’t have to move anything other than your finger to buy and read a book. It can be carried with you everywhere you go, saving space, and being able to read in peace, no one asking you about your opinion on the book you are reading. You can carry an entire catalog of books with you, choosing a book to fit your mood or surroundings. 

Photo courtesy of Albert Boti. 

While I am extremely impressed with these devices, they are something I wished for as a kid, my love of physical books conflicts with my desire to still have books with me wherever I go. If  you were to take a peek into my car right now, you would find a few books on the front seat and plenty on the back. Some of them I have read, some I am anticipating reading, other I am using as teaching tools. I know that having them on one device would give me the appearance of being far more organized and functional than I actually am at the moment.

I currently use the Kindle, Nook, and Google Books on my android phone, but I still visit my local bookstore when I want to see what is available and often still purchase the physical book. I use these programs to revisit the classics or to check out the samples offered before making a purchase. As a writer, I know that more people will be able to read my work through this new method, but will I still have the same satisfaction that I would have if my work was published and bound like a traditional book?

Do you think physical books will become obsolete? Have you used this new technology, and if so, what do you think about it?

Storyteller Spotlight- Ferrol Sams

Dr. Ferrol Sams

Storytelling has long been a tradition in the South, and it shows no sign of going away. From stories passed down from elders, to urban legends shared among children,  the gift of folktales is like no other. The most impressive storyteller I have read recently is Ferrol Sams, who is the author of seven books, including The Whisper of the River (1986), The Widow's Mite (1989), Christmas Gift! (1991). 

His most recent book, Down Town (2007) is the panoramic story of the American South, as told by a man who has see it all. Through the experiences of the characters in this southern town, readers gain new perspectives on the historical events that shaped our country since 1865—
Reconstruction, the first World War, the Depression, World War II, racial integration, and economic boom.


Ferrol Sams is a physician, humorist storyteller, and best-selling novelist and is the author of seven books. Most notable is his trilogy of novels in which an eccentric and quixotic hero, Porter Osborne, Jr., mirrors Sam's own Georgia boyhood in Fayette County. All of his works are rooted in the oral traditions of Southern humor and folklore. (Author bio courtesy of Mercer University Press)

What We Are Reading

Testimonies

Who doesn't love a great love story? I certainly do, and it is as if each story, no matter where or who, always comes back to forming connections. We know that we can not exist without them.

Before the epic Aubrey-Maturin series, Patrick O'Brian wrote this sinister tale of love and death set in Wales, a dark and timeless story with echoes of Thomas Hardy and Mary Webb. Joseph Pugh, sick of Oxford and of teaching, decides to take some time off to live in a wild and beautiful Welsh farm valley. There he falls physically ill and is nursed back to health by Bronwen Vaughn, the wife of a neighboring farmer. Slowly, unwillingly, Bronwen and Pugh fall in love, and while that word is never spoken between them, their story is passionate and tragic.