Diary of a Mad Editor

Archive for the ‘Current Events’ Category

For Those Who Like Being Right All the Time

I often like to tell people that I’m not the type of guy who likes to start arguments — I’m the type of guy who finishes them. Well, whether you’re the type who likes to start arguments or finish them, there’s a new, unmoderated, no-holds-barred discussion forum live on the Internet dedicated to political debate you might be interested in. It’s called Argue with Everyone, and you will find plenty of discussion thread on a variety of subjects. So check it out, pick a side and fire away. Free speech rocks!

Amazon Wants to Eat Your Brains

You gotta hand it to Amazon — they just can’t stay out of the news. If you think their move to control on-demand publishing through Booksurge was the stuff of evil empires, you’ll just love what they’re up to now. According to WebMonkey Amazon wants to expand it’s Amazon wishlists with a Universal Wish List to add bookmarks outside it’s own website. That’s right — if you choose to add bookmarks from outside Amazon.com, Amazon will know a lit bit more about your habits. What that means is if you add a page to your wishlist about Orovo detox, Viagra or dildos, Amazon and everyone else will know about it. Sure it’s voluntary — but that’s the point:

Because when I think of this little innovation, it makes me think of the Patriot Act. Seriously. We cry foul over the very idea that the government can invade our privacy yet we surrender our right to privacy every time we go online. We hand it over to companies like Amazon and think nothing of it. Think of it: why would the government need to check with the public library when they can just visit Amazon and view our wishlists? The government doesn’t even need the Patriot Act — all they have to do is point and click. On the other hand, maybe I’m being paranoid. What do you think?

If You’re a Publisher Life Can Only Get More Demanding

While the battle continues over Amazon’s antitrust case, their on-demand printing unit, Booksurge, just dodged a bullet in an unrelated defamation suit. Big John Law has reaffirmed what I’m always telling young wannabe writers who use POD printing services — that such services are not real publishers. Publishers share liability with an author in such cases, but printers don’t. While this is good news for POD providers, it’s food for thought for novice writers looking for short-cuts. In fact, anyone who considers POD should weigh the pros and cons.

Yet, despite the negative aspects of POD, the subject has been in the news a lot lately. Why? Because Print-On-Demand technology is becoming part of the mainstream. Both the reputable and disreputable alike are joining the POD bandwagon. What was once just for amateur authors and vanity operations is now an acceptable means of producing a book. Now we’re seeing Independant booksellers getting in on the action as is Carnegie-Mellon University. POD is even being used to print periodicals. Scammers are taking work from the public domain and selling overpriced POD copies on Ebay. Now, I’m a voracious reader, but even I’m not so desperate for literature that I’d pay $128 for a POD knock-off of Wuthering Heights. That’s kind of like an anorexic trying to buy Phentermine without a prescription (okay, that’s a lame analogy, but still, who’s stupid enough to pay $128 for a book you could get for a couple of dollars at a used book store?). I even read on a forum a while back where a guy suggested it would be a good idea to print back issues of comic using POD (something I don’t think comic book collectors would necessarily be in favor of as that would devalue the market).

On-demand printing is a marvel and has opened-up all kinds of possibilities, but it also poses a lot of questions and problems for the future that we are going to have to deal with. Are we ready for it?