Why I Drink

Finally, drinking has a purpose! And you know you need a good excuse to drink, right? (nevermind, don’t answer that)

The other day on Twitter, @EvilWylie posed a question to the twitterverse, to wit:

“What publishing stories made you drink in 2010? Snooki’s book deal? Send me your suggestions, along with your drink of choice!”

Some of the answers have been selected and posted on HuffPo in a slideshow on Andrew Shaffer’s blog for your enjoyment and edification. And my answer is one of ’em! HAHAHA! But go read them all, because misery loves company. There will be much wailing and gnashing of teeth, I can hear those molars already.

Chokehold on Publishing

Huffington Post has a sobering article on the state of publishing today:

What looks like a simple price war between Amazon, Target, and Walmart over a handful of bestsellers is symptomatic of a much deeper problem in the book business. The larger fight is really over what you get to read.

…
One of the dirty little secrets of the book business is that publishers often check in advance with the buyers for the chain stores and mass merchandisers before agreeing to publish a book. If the answer they get is no, the book may never see the light of day.

I have to admit I had no idea the situation was THIS bad. When Target decides what I can and cannot read, it surely is a sign of the Apocalypse. We’ve got three of the Horsemen: Let’s call Walmart Pestilence, Amazon can be War, and Target can be Famine. All we need now is Death. Can’t be far behind.