2.) The Manifesto on the Rising Cost of Words

"To oppose chains, many [independent bookstores] have formed regional or statewide groups to plan survival tactics."

But wait. Yes, books are awesome, and yes, they can take you to places and times that you’re not very likely to go to – like the 60s – but I want to point something out from the last post. The fact that four books cost me seventy dollars. And those weren’t even expensive books. They were in the normal book price range of between fifteen and seventeen dollars, plus tax. Four average-priced books cost me more than twice what I can buy a GameCube plus accessories for at GameStop. That’s not right. Yes, you can generally buy eBooks for less than a physical copy, but how do you sign an eBook? If you honestly don’t know, I’ll tell you. You can’t. It’s not possible. Not unless you take a pen to the screen, which wouldn’t be a lot of fun for reading any other book. The rising cost of print material has gone beyond annoying. Can you imaging telling someone from the 1930s that you can’t believe you paid two dollars for a used hardcover at a library book sale? He’ll think you’re saying you paid way too much. No. You paid next to nothing. It’s. Not. Fair. I am beginning to see why some people don’t read. Maybe I can market illiteracy as the new money-saver. “Hey, I skipped school, and now I make infinitely more than I spend on reading material.” That’ll show em’. Manifesto, OUT.

Media has converged here.

(Photo: Bill Gates after he bought the Codex Leicester, the most expensive book ever sold. Courtesy of http://www.worldinterestingfacts.com/lifestyle/the-most-expensive-book-ever-sold-codex-leicester.html)

1.) The Manifesto on the Importance of Being Nice to People who are Looking to Buy Your Books

"Reporters are responsible only for adhering to the tradition of the trade - 'getting the facts.'"

I have spent the past three days working at and attending the 6^th Annual Burlington Book Festival, most of which was held at Main Street Landing - distractingly pictured directly above. At the moment, I am worn out, burned out, and hungry. The only food I’ve had today was an Oreo, a handful of Goldfish, and a small, unfinished lunch. I missed dinner, am down about seventy bucks from buying books, and can’t wait to go to bed. And yet, this has been one of the best weekends of my life. I met and spoke in depth to numerous respected writers in several genres. One of them wants me to call him. Another told me I asked a question that he has always wanted to be asked, but has never, over the course of countless interviews, been asked. And a third even remembered my name. Just speaking to writers who have won awards from obscure, genre-specific commendations, to the Pulitzer Prize has blown me away. One of them had three movies made from his books. Another followed the cartooning path I sometimes wish I could have taken. A widely published comedy writer asked me to sit next to him while he was signing books. How awesome is that? We talked about linguistics – a mutual interest – and the importance of reading. We even discovered we have a favorite author in common – Steven Pinker. And every writer was very friendly.

As an aspiring writer, I was so touched that these busy people would take time out of their lives to answer a couple questions from someone they had never met, nor ever would again. I will always cherish the books they signed. And, even though I am beyond frazzled right now, I am overjoyed that I had this rare opportunity. I even had a brownie inside a crêpe. That was a food experience that could only have been better had the fact that it took forty minutes to arrive not prevented me from seeing a talk I’d been looking forward to since I first heard about it. Mais, c’est la vie, en?

Media has converged here.

(Photo: Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, where most of the festivities took place. Courtesy of http://www.burlingtonbookfestival.com/)