Month: July 2017

You Do NOT Need To Write That Book

John Guillen1 Comment

How many times have you read online that “everyone has at least one book in them”? Honestly. Probably more times than you dare to admit. I know it’s plastered all over writing blogs like no tomorrow. I just stumbled across an article on Quartz that says precisely the opposite. Finally.

Only in the digital age would this be a reality. Can you imagine Hemingway telling some random guy in the street that everyone has at least one book in them? Or Jane Austen? Bradbury? Agatha Christie? I can’t. Because it’s ridiculous.

What’s worse is this mindset is embraced by so many people who really have no reason to write a book. Not talking about quality here, I’m talking about people who have never had an interest in writing until discovering this notion online that everyone with Microsoft Word should be writing a book.

I wrote one. But it had nothing to do with anyone besides myself and my reading. I had no idea this was something people blog about when I first started my writing. Four years later and writing another book couldn’t be further from my mind. My entire focus is on my career. My actual career. I’m fortunate to work for a company with nearly endless opportunity. I plan on taking full advantage of it.

Whoops.

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Yesterday I wrote about Amazon largely ignoring readers during its annual Prime Day. I may have been mistaken.

There’s a new book I’m interested in coming out next week. I happened to see a tweet from its author stating that the book was 70% off on Amazon. I checked. It was. A brand new release was $8.40. I decided to buy it. Then noticed that Amazon was (and still is) running a promo on books. $5 off $15. Not exactly the mountain of savings you could have from other items, but it is something. The promo code is primebooks17.

Also, this week is coupon week at my local HPB.

Readers Largely Ignored On Prime Day

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Today is Prime Day on Amazon. The site’s Black Friday type day in July. All Amazon devices are marked down, including Kindles. But I already have a Fire tablet. I’m in no need of an ereader.

Last night once I settled in after work I decided to take a look at the deals. There are many. But very few on anything I’d want. Largely absent from the deals? Books.

I understand that books may not be as sexy as other items, but why not I Clyde them when other media is included? There are a few books included, but hardly enough to write about.

I’d like to see $1, $2, and $3 paperback categories. Hardcovers for $5 or $10. That’s my idea of real deals on Prime Day. I’ll be sitting this one out for the third straight year.

Bill O’Reilly Lost More Than A Job

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By now you’re aware that Bill O’Reilly is no longer on Fox News. I imagine you’re also aware that he’s one of the most prolific authors writing today. That may soon be changing.

Publishing is like anything else, a business. It’s about money. While at Fox News he had millions of people to promote his books to. He was able to sell a great number of books this way. But that could be changing. After it became publicly known that his employer had paid out millions of dollars to settle sexual harassment allegations made against O’Reilly he was taken off the air.

His book sales saw an immediate downturn. His forthcoming book has not been pulled, though one can only wonder how much longer his publisher will be willing to release new books written by him if the financial numbers are no longer there.

The topic of his publisher standing behind him after the allegations came to light may surprise some, but not me. It’s all about the money.

The Problem With Some Literary Criticism

John Guillen3 Comments

Have you ever heard someone mutter, “How could someone give _____ a book deal?” I know you have. Or they’ll question why anyone would read a book by ______. But those criticisms all miss the mark.

I have no issue with disagreeing with the views of someone. I have no issue with disagreeing with the content of a book. But once we get into this discussion as to who deserves to have their name on a book we delve into a discussion that really boils down to censorship.

Don’t like Bill O’Reilly? Don’t read his books. Don’t care for Bill Cosby? No one is forcing you to read his work. And this is the same in every case. Politicians, celebrities, whomever. If you feel so strongly about someone having a book, then speak out about it. Tell why you feel the way you do. Heck, write a book of your own. But we tend to criticize countries and governments and societies that censor their books, let’s not mistakenly aim to do the same because we have negative feelings toward someone.

Am I Rich Yet?

John Guillen4 Comments

Y’all know I hate every kind of book list. Every kind. I just came across one that may take the top spot in the worst kind of way. “7 Books You Should Read If You Want To Get Rich”.

Let’s say I read the books. Then take whatever advice or guidance they supply. That obviously guarantees riches are coming to me, right? Nothing unreasonable there.

Book lists rarely do much more than play on our desires and/or fears. Books do this on their own. Do we really need reputable news sources or websites throwing g together a list to do exactly the same? I don’t think so.

Am I Bad?

John Guillen6 Comments

Guys, I just realized I never buy new books. I know people sometimes have issues with buying anything used because they claim the rightful copyright owner is not compensated. But then that means that there would NO sellers of anything pre-owned. No pawn shops. No GameStop. No Half Price Books.

So no, I’m not bad. I’m deciding. 

What July 4 Means To Me

John Guillen2 Comments

Probably not what it means to you. July 4 has a simple meaning in my book. It marks the day our founding fathers aimed to create a more perfect union by branching away from the crown. It symbolizes the day we, as Americans sought to be better. Our founders were highly imperfect people, just like we are. Their vision for this country greatly differs from mine, but I won’t sit here and simply criticize for the sake of doing so. Women belonged in the home. Slavery was the norm. Very few men could actually vote. All counter to what I believe, but over just a couple of short centuries we’ve pushed forward through long odds. Why? Because those founders gave us the framework to do so.

We’re still aiming to be a more perfect union, though it may not always seem so. Our leaders are more black and brown and female than ever before. Our society grows more inclusive with each passing day. Sure, there are lots of issues that should have been settled long ago. But things rarely happen as we think they should.

Happy birthday, America! I know you’ll be even better next year.

Remember When…

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Remember when Amazon launched as a bookstore? Remember when Amazon was simply an online retailer? Remember when there was no such thing as ebooks until Amazon launched the Kindle?

Amazon gets criticized for everything it does. The company just recently agreed to buy Whole Foods, which may bring changes to the grocer once the deal is finalized.

What I don’t understand is that there are numerous companies in different aspects of our lives. But Amazon can never escape blame for anything. The company doesn’t need me or anyone else to defend it, but I think it’s time we acknowledge that Amazon’s offerings are aren’t so bad. So it isn’t just a bookstore anymore, and that’s a good thing.

Summer Reading? People Do That?

John Guillen5 Comments

I wasn’t a give reader when I was in school. I read more in college than I’ve read during the rest of my life. Seriously.

I can think of one summer reading assignment I completed. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. It was assigned the summer before my freshman year in college. I thought it was a great book, but I’ve not gone back to read any of his other books.

What’s your take on summer reading?