A Christmas Present From Writer Jean Shepherd

Most of you will know him only from the much-repeated A Christmas Story movie.

And that is a real shame too.

The Invisibles

Moriah Jovan wrote The unsung hero earlier this week.

And now one of those unsung heroes — the first wife of writer Raymond Carver — zoomed onto the Internet to Comment on a review of a biography of her husband.

I must quote:

I wish Brad Gooch would have to sell his home in order for his spouse to attend his last two treatment centers, and the treatment center before–three courses of treatment–all paid from house money, in order for his spouse’s life, and in my case’s, my spouse’s brilliant writing career, to both be saved. It might eliminate some of the facile, arrogant appraisals of other people’s efforts and lives. Added to that, he should have to find those treatment venues and stand in pay phones and beg for a bed for his spouse. Then he should have to transport the spouse there, and hold the spouse’s hand and dry the spouse’s tears until the spouse is stable enough to stay. “Then he should do without a home for many, many years after that first owned house was sold.

Then the illustrious Mr. Gooch ought to sit right down and write the equivalent of WILL YOU PLEASE BE QUIET, PLEASE, FURIOUS SEASONS, BEGINNERS/WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT LOVE, CATHEDRAL, WHEN WATER COMES TOGETHER WITH OTHER WATER, WHERE I’M CALLING FROM, AND MORE.

I DOUBT, HOWEVER, THAT MR. GOOCH COULD OR WOULD DO THAT, AS MOST WANNABEES ARE INCAPABLE OF DOING WHAT THE OBJECT OF THEIR ANALYSIS DOES, WITH BOTH GREAT ARTISTRY AND BASIC, INBORN TALENT.

We see the starring artist. The supporting cast are always invisible.

— via Twitter from @DonLinn

Follow The Reader: Twitter Chat With Jane Friedman

This is Jane Friedman.

She has a track record of dragging print book publishing into the modern world with several innovations.

She was thanked for her service by being kicked to the curb.

She is out for revenge with a new venture, Open Road Integrated Media, in which she will probably drag book publishing into the twenty-first century.

Tomorrow, she will be in a Twitter chat with the Follow The Reader crew. To join in, Follow The Reader recommends using TweetChat and the hashtag #followreader. The chat will run from 4PM to 5PM EST. A transcript will appear sometime later at the Follow the Reader blog.

Sometimes I can attend these, sometimes I can’t.

In the event I can’t, here is my question for Jane Friedman: What makes you think you have any place in the future of publishing given you’ve come from dying and suicidal print?

She could reply in a Comment, should she wish.

Two Down, One To Go…

“Let’s go to the record store.”

“Let’s go to the video store.”

Up next:

“Let’s go to the bookstore.”

They’re Beginning To Drop Like …

Nielsen folds Editor & Publisher and Kirkus Reviews

This is a real shock. A Kirkus blurb was money in the bank for a book.

It will be interesting to see which book now has the odd distinction of having gotten the final blurb from Kirkus.

Wikipedia entry: Kirkus Reviews

Book Publishing Thinks It’s A Darwin Exception!

HarperCollins Joins Ranks Of Those Delaying E-Books

The third major publishing house in two days has decided to delay the electronic-book publication of some titles next year, as the debate over the timing and pricing of e-books heats up.

In an interview, Brian Murray, chief executive of News Corp.’s HarperCollins Publishers, said that beginning in January or February, HarperCollins will delay the e-book publication of five to 10 new hardcover titles each month. The delays are expected to range from four weeks to six months, depending on the book.

Never in the history of book publishing has reality avoidance been this high.