The Selfish Giant...

I thought Nathan Bransford's post on the Goodreads acquirement by Amazon was interesting. He might be a little optimistic about Amazon and it's intentions but he seems more rational than some other folk who believe this signals the end of the world as we know it. We are all selfish creatures at heart and if Amazon's ownership of Goodreads might affect your business bottom line then I guess you might spit the dummy somewhat. Those people however who suggest that readers and/or authors are somehow stupid, responsible or likely to suffer horribly as a result aren't necessarily thinking about the interests or welfare of authors or readers at all. Hugh Howey of Wool fame had this to say. He's biased I guess but I don't think any commentator isn't, one way or another.   Either way you see it, fighting against it seems futile. Authors have been finding ways to work within systems not of their making for years (centuries even) - and we will keep doing so. As writing is not a choice but a compulsion, being able to adapt seems wise.

I had another nice review for A Winter's Day in 1939 here which made me happy. And there was this one in the Magpies Magazine a few weeks back which was also rather nice.

And in less than two weeks I will be launching the book in Wellington at The Children's Bookshop Saturday April 13th at 3pm. I'm feeling pretty excited about this. Love Wellington. Love the Wellington Children's Book crowd. Love The Children's Bookshop.

Grate expectations...

So Amazon bought Goodreads. Of course that big shopping trolley should have been the clue. Kindle Content VP, Russ Grandinetti said, "Together we intend to build many new ways to delight readers and authors alike." Delight wasn't my first reaction. Knopf's Paul Bogaards tweeted, "That's what all you morons get for sharing your books online" - I bet that delighted readers as well. I'm wondering if his next sentence was reminding those moron's to still keep buying Knopf books? 


So what do I think? Usually I think that the delight of authors and readers aren't uppermost in the business folks minds. It's about the market and the product and the profit. These new book leviathans are somewhat like Star Trek's Borg - resistance is futile. I prefer to be like a germ or pathogen - adapting to a new environs to ensure survival and growth and hopefully when the conditions are moist and warm, going viral. Persistence is, as it has always been, an essential requirement for any author. I am the cork on the ocean - still bob, bob, bobbing along.

NZ Book Month is nearly at an end. We went to dismantle the 'What Lies Beneath' exhibits at the National Library in Parnell on Thursday and I was chuffed that the National Library decided to retain the Auckland authors' and illustrators' work for the upcoming school holiday period in April. I thought the exhibition was a great idea (thank you to author Maria Gill for this) and a real asset for not only NZ Book Month but as something that should continue throughout the year providing insight in to the creative work of NZers and hopefully promoting their work to teachers, librarians and young readers.  Our gala opening was enjoyed by a good crowd and my library event at Blockhouse Bay with students from the local Primary school also went well I think. 

Sadly I don't think NZ Book Month's reach has been as wide as we would hope. Apart from the $5 token to be used at booksellers, most mainstream media didn't seem to cover it. The emphasis wasn't on NZ authors and illustrators. National Radio did review New Zealand titles which was terrific but the air of celebration seemed to be confined to existing fans. Am I expecting too much or is New Zealand literature for young and old being generally ignored and neglected? Should we expect the general population to know who we are? What can we do about it? I'm proud to be a New Zealand Children's author but is New Zealand proud to have me as one of theirs?   

The international water cooler of the book reader's world.

I have been having great fun recently with goodreads. What an amazing community it is. A place where book-lovers from all over the world can hang out and talk about the books they've loved and loved not so much. I am cementing local friendships and meeting new people. I am talking about books and some people are even talking about mine. If you have read a book that blew your mind or changed it, that you are keen to share with other people who have also read it, then goodreads is for you. It is the international watercooler of the book readers world. If you were concerned that people might not be reading books anymore, at goodreads you can see them in their thousands consuming books like 2012 was gonna be the end of the world. And oh the books. Many more than you can hope to discover on your own, and reviews you can read to help you choose. Happy sigh - my faith is restored.

On goodreads I have discovered some new book review blogs here and here (feeling very curious about Amanda Hocking's upcoming series) and checked out a blog post arguing in defense of negative reviews here (save the fluffy pink unicorns?) . Over the weekend I taught a two day workshop on writing for children at the University of Auckland's Centre for Continuing Education. If any participants are reading this I just want to thank you for being a fantastic group. You made my task a real pleasure and I am looking forward to seeing your names on the front of books for children in the future. It is always a revelation to examine your own process to share the nuts and bolts of it with others. Writing is an inexact science underpinned by highly individualistic philosophical, cultural and psychological beliefs. None of it is gospel - it is a starting place from which you can develop your own opinions, beliefs and strategies. During the course of the afternoon session of the second day we were discussing the necessity and merits of having an online presence as an author. There was some concern about attracting negative reviews or comments online so Shiloh Walker's post defending negative press is timely. We live in an age where communities flourish online. It makes up a significant proportion of many people's social interactions. People hang out, chill out, and shop online. They make decisions based on what they see and hear online (no licking or sniffing the screen yet folks). It is a part of the social fabric of the world we live in. We can't prevent people from drawing a negative opinion about what we say, do, write or publish. And reactions to the products of creativity are highly personal. We all have different tastes. I know what I like and I assume you know what you like. Truth be told  negative reviews do hurt. My books are my babies that I want to protect from unpleasant comments. But it would be foolish to think everyone is going to like/love my book or even this blog. I figure by having a presence online I can let people know who I am, and what I believe in and value. Then others can read my words, read the words of others and form their own opinions. As people much more famous than I have said, (and I paraphrase), "there's no such thing as bad publicity" and "it's better to be talked about negatively, then not talked about at all". I'll take my lumps, and then I can express my own opinion in my turn.