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the
current
Monday
Report
below!
This week's report by Tom Hendricks of Musea
"The Questions No One Asks"
Nowadays a lot of radio, tv, and newspapers do book reviews.
There's the Sunday New York Times Book Review pages, NPR
talk shows, and even Oprah's tv book club.
But no matter the format, none of those involved ask the
tough questions that I'd like to ask.
Here's my list of questions:
1. Why does this hardback cost so much? Who can afford
buying these books? Is this really a good value?
2. Why do you publishers only publish novels and non-fiction
books? Do you hate ALL plays, short story collections, poetry,
and zines?
3. Why do most non-fiction books seem like 10 page essays that
have been padded into long winded tomes?
4. Why is there so much waste, so many returned books (books
that don't sell and must be returned to the publishing company)?
5. Is the New York Times Bestseller List really accurate? The
music business has had to redo their lists to make them based less
on opinions and more on facts. Is it time for the NYT to redo how
they determine their list? And how DO they determine that list.
Is that really fair to all?
6. Why are few Indie books ever reviewed by the mainstream
(excluding a few University titles). And why are no zines ever
reviewed? There are more zines published then novels.
7. Is there publishing payola? For example when a Warner Book
is reviewed in a Warner owned magazine, and the author
featured on a Warner TV talk show - is that fair or is that
undisclosed Publishing Payola. The FCC has already fined
Warners for music payola. Is there publishing payola here
too? And what about other major book publishers?
8. My pet peeve is kids books written by celebrities. How do you
justify publishing these horrible books? And speaking of horrible
books, how do you justify all these political promote-my-career
books? Do you get political favors for printing these?
9. Here's a question about who gets reviews. Why do some
dinosaur authors ALWAYS get reviews no matter how bad their
latest books are, while other lesser known writers, doing much
better work, never get reviews?
10. Why don't you talk about the quality of writing more? Why
don't you quote more of the actual writing so us readers can
judge? Why all this personal info about the reviewer in the
review? Who cares?
11. Why don't you talk about the business of publishing, and how
the industry is not doing well at all. And why are there no new
exciting authors, just the same old authors that have been around
for decades?
12. Why don't you talk about shelving fees? Just like
manufacturers have to pay fees to get their stock on the grocery
store shelves, mainstream publishers have to pay for good display
space in some chain bookstores. But readers don't know about
that. Why?
13. Why is the cover art of your books so covered with
promotional text, and ads, that it ruins what little cover art there
is left?
14. Why are almost all mainstream books either action books
geared toward men readers, love stories geared toward
women readers, or kids books geared toward children? Why does
every book have to fit a predetermined format?
15. How did this author get his book deal? Who did he know?
16. Why are all your books so boring?
17. Why have the major literary organizations become so elitist
and so much against indie writers.
18. Why do you the book industry, refuse to respond to any of
these issues? How long do you think you can avoid all tough
questions?
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Tom Hendricks is the editor of www.Musea.us
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