What’s on the iPod: Hypocritical Kiss by Jack White
Wow. What a week. What a freaking busy week. I haven’t had so many projects at once in a few months, so it was a bit of a shock. I finished one project, have another nearly finished, and can probably toss together a third in just a few hours. I hope. Then there’s the big project I haven’t been able to touch all week. Sheesh — it’s like having a “real job” or something (snark).
I’ve been getting a few requests for people who’d like to guest post here. I love that because you get a fresh perspective and I get to hear anything besides my own voice, amen. One request was from a dude who was clearly uninformed about what I do here. No, your cloud storage blog isn’t “something everyone needs to read” nor will they be reading it here. Sheesh.
However, I recently met Lisa Perez, who is a fun, creative writer with a quirk to her that I just love. I met her when she signed up for the newsletter (you can, too — just click on the link to the right). I knew I wanted to hear more from her, so I asked her to write something for us.
She delivered. Thank you, Lisa, for your post and your words of wisdom. It’s a great conversation starter. Folks, please give her some comment love.
To Book or eBook,
That Is the Question:
That Is the Question:
by Lisa Perez
No one is denying that the concept of iBooks was a
revolutionary concept. In a hoarder’s world
the dream of expansive, spacious libraries was being replaced by limited space
and pared-down lifestyles. For voracious
readers especially, the amount of square footage it takes to carry multiple
copies of War and Peace or The Holy Bible was clearly going to come to
head. Surely, it would make the
Environmentalists (i.e. hippies) happy:
“How many trees had to die to print
your book, man?” It would make the Marketing Departments (i.e. up-sellers) happy:
“The release will hit all of our target
markets and just make our deadline…Ka-ching!” It would make the Publishing
Houses (i.e. conglomonopolies) happy: “Record
sales, Mr. Schuster, sir…!” It would even make Interior Decorators (i.e. Haute
Hausers) happy: “Thank goodness…we can
scrap the shelves and go for the wall-to-wall pink shag carpeting!”
revolutionary concept. In a hoarder’s world
the dream of expansive, spacious libraries was being replaced by limited space
and pared-down lifestyles. For voracious
readers especially, the amount of square footage it takes to carry multiple
copies of War and Peace or The Holy Bible was clearly going to come to
head. Surely, it would make the
Environmentalists (i.e. hippies) happy:
“How many trees had to die to print
your book, man?” It would make the Marketing Departments (i.e. up-sellers) happy:
“The release will hit all of our target
markets and just make our deadline…Ka-ching!” It would make the Publishing
Houses (i.e. conglomonopolies) happy: “Record
sales, Mr. Schuster, sir…!” It would even make Interior Decorators (i.e. Haute
Hausers) happy: “Thank goodness…we can
scrap the shelves and go for the wall-to-wall pink shag carpeting!”
As ideas go, it seemed to fit our Digital Age: iPhones,
iPads, eBills. The idea spread and
suited our fast-paced, full-speed-ahead logic.
Instead of ordering a book and waiting or going to a *gasp* bookstore to
wait on a long line to buy the latest best-selling novel, people could
conveniently sit in their pajamas and download a book. This all seemed to be a perfect solution
which forgoes the obvious problems of housing physical books. All that is, except for one: quality.
iPads, eBills. The idea spread and
suited our fast-paced, full-speed-ahead logic.
Instead of ordering a book and waiting or going to a *gasp* bookstore to
wait on a long line to buy the latest best-selling novel, people could
conveniently sit in their pajamas and download a book. This all seemed to be a perfect solution
which forgoes the obvious problems of housing physical books. All that is, except for one: quality.
There are certain decisions that are a matter of preference.
When cornered in a supermarket, the inevitable question of “paper versus
plastic” means that the customer has the choice to kill a tree or kill wildlife. When at a bookstore (yes, some places still
have them), the question, “Would you like that in ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ cover?” was
a personal preference based on cost, cover art and longevity. But the new choice has become standard book,
eBook or Audio Book? If we opt for standard books, are we romanticizing the
printed word? Are we heartless about the
very real limitation of over-crowding and storage? Are eBooks and Audio Books just a trend? Is it faster to read or to listen to
books? Will one fall victim to its
novelty? Da-da-DAH…
When cornered in a supermarket, the inevitable question of “paper versus
plastic” means that the customer has the choice to kill a tree or kill wildlife. When at a bookstore (yes, some places still
have them), the question, “Would you like that in ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ cover?” was
a personal preference based on cost, cover art and longevity. But the new choice has become standard book,
eBook or Audio Book? If we opt for standard books, are we romanticizing the
printed word? Are we heartless about the
very real limitation of over-crowding and storage? Are eBooks and Audio Books just a trend? Is it faster to read or to listen to
books? Will one fall victim to its
novelty? Da-da-DAH…
Remember when the book’s jacket was just as important as the
book itself? Many times, when I would accidentally
lose the hard-cover jacket, I would be so miffed because the look of the
outside of the novel was so bare like the clock struck midnight and Cinderella returned
to her plain-Jane servant rags. Ugh! If a book had been re-printed, I could
also choose which jacket I had wanted (e.g. A
Clockwork Orange’s milk cover or the cog designed by David Pelham?—decisions,
decisions). Now, the only thing that
makes one cover distinctive from another is a mass-produced color or print that
is non-distinct and kind of a bummer.
book itself? Many times, when I would accidentally
lose the hard-cover jacket, I would be so miffed because the look of the
outside of the novel was so bare like the clock struck midnight and Cinderella returned
to her plain-Jane servant rags. Ugh! If a book had been re-printed, I could
also choose which jacket I had wanted (e.g. A
Clockwork Orange’s milk cover or the cog designed by David Pelham?—decisions,
decisions). Now, the only thing that
makes one cover distinctive from another is a mass-produced color or print that
is non-distinct and kind of a bummer.
I also used to enjoy the new-book smell; the pages were
crisp and you could touch it and get a sense that something cool was going to
happen. Try smelling a Nook. Thought so.
crisp and you could touch it and get a sense that something cool was going to
happen. Try smelling a Nook. Thought so.
Are iBooks Innovative?
No one can doubt this fact.
It is attempting to solve mass production, waste and space problems.
It’s a shiny new toy that we love, love, love until we find fault in it. Ways to annoy? Here are just a few in the Con Camp:
It is attempting to solve mass production, waste and space problems.
It’s a shiny new toy that we love, love, love until we find fault in it. Ways to annoy? Here are just a few in the Con Camp:
- Memory – How much information can these babies hold and when
they fail, how annoying is it than just having a hard-copy version? - Font Size – Can I read all those little words that start to reduce until I can hardly read them?
I don’t want to have to read with a magnifying glass—even
the cute monocle type. - Glare – I can only speak about the original Kindles because I
caved and bought one and didn’t realize that the model that I had was
prone to glare, making it difficult to read in direct sunlight or under
the fluorescent lights of my office space.
Not. Cool. - Navigation / Browsing – There is nothing more annoying that
having trouble with the control buttons of these slim earlier-model
Kindles. It made me feel as though
I had gigantic hands too big to navigate.
In addition, the screens were confusing despite my
tech-spertise. I would have definitely
been annoyed if I was a layperson with no technical knowledge. - Cross-Referencing – This is a feature they still have yet to
figure out. With a regular book, I
didn’t have to buy a whole new device to reference a different book. I could just lay it open simultaneously
and cross-reference at will and highlight and sticky-note it for later
viewing. - Internet Connection / WiFi capable – These days, most people
require a “service provider” for everything: phone, cable, internet, cup
of coffee in the morning, shopping at your favorite retail store…Does
anyone really need WiFi when it comes to wanting to read? I mean, last time I checked, you could
do it for free at a place called a library (yes, children!) which didn’t
require a monthly fee. - Sharing – In an already fast-paced world, book-reading has
become a sort of social competition to be better read that your
cohorts. That way, you could report
how much more knowledgeable you have become…but wait, do you even recall
all of the novels you raced through?
Eh, what does it matter? You
got a lot of “hits” on Goodreads this month so…all good…Back in the day,
Book Clubs were about the gathering of a select group who genuinely wished
to absorb the material. It wasn’t a
contest; it was a discussion.
But it’s not all bad, is it kiddies? Well, there are some cool new features that
is an improvement:
is an improvement:
- Access to Internet – This is a double-edged sword. The information is there, but how
accurate is that information? You
have to rely on some sketchy sources, but it’s still cool that you could
connect and view commentary from other readers all around the globe. - Notes – I’m a traditionalist and
will miss the sticky-notes and extensive handwritten notes (yes, in cursive) but these notes are
sleeker and easy to access and can be viewed in list-format on most of the
devices now. - Sharper Images – Font size aside,
the clarity of the words is something that is cool. Modern downloads are
also including images in their digital versions. For a purist like me though, it still
falls short from the printed word. - Color vs Black & White – Just
like televisions of old, people have a choice of going with the more
colorful typesets and visual imagery or stay with the standard black and
white. As these devices become more
complex, I’m sure the problems with the technology will work themselves
out as a new age of readers come along. - The Writers – With everyone moving
with the speed of technology, we’re sacrificing good writing. Everything has been replaced by the
technology-at-large: Auto-correct, Auto-text, Dragon software, emoticons
bypass sound skills with a short-hand you need a manual just to follow
<= ;-)…brb…smilez!
Right now, I can download the latest eBook from some writer
I’ve never heard of who uploaded it on Amazon to build a customer base.
I’ve never heard of who uploaded it on Amazon to build a customer base.
With all of these fancy-schmancy titles like: Kindle, Nook,
iBook, Audible—are we destined to see mediocrity lauded while the more labored
traditional writer spends years as a hermit in their house to create The Great
American Novel? Or, is that just a
pipe-dream?
iBook, Audible—are we destined to see mediocrity lauded while the more labored
traditional writer spends years as a hermit in their house to create The Great
American Novel? Or, is that just a
pipe-dream?
Lisa Perez blogs at MeMa’s Musings.
So what’s your take on books versus ebooks? Which do you prefer?
How does that differ from how you sell your own books?
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