Elyse Douglas's Blog
October 4, 2012
The eBook Alien
We are the children of a technological age. We have found streamlined ways of doing much of our routine work. Printing is no longer the only way of reproducing books. Reading them, however, has not changed.
-Lawrence Clark Powell
(1906 - 2001)
Librarian and author
Fewer people are reading more, but in more formats than ever before, according to the results of a series of telephone surveys carried out by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Once upon a time, on the edge of the Milky Way, there was a small blue planet spinning around the sun. Ubiquitous on that planet was a thing called traditional publishing. It had clear guidelines and rules that went something like this: the author finished his/her book, then submitted a query letter to a publishing house directly or through his/her agent. An editor at the house read the letter and made the decision to publish the book or not, based on whether the project “was right for them.” If the house agreed to publish the book, it purchased the rights from the writer and paid an advance on future royalties. The house invested in book design and packaging. They ordered as many copies of the book as they thought would sell, then marketed the book and distributed it the public. This process could take months or even a year and then the book finally appeared in book stores.
Then, something strange happened: rectangular electronic creatures suddenly appeared. It was as if an alien craft from a 1950’s sci fi movie had burst like a fireball across the sky, crashed into earth and released it passengers, alien creatures called eBook. Fear and loathing spread throughout the publishing world, as eBook propagated itself, spreading its viral influence globally. Publishers, proofers, editors and readers paced back and forth (picture them wearing white lab coats, scrutinizing those 1950s beeping, blinking computers) searching for some way to stop this indomitable creature that could hold more than 2000 books in its little glowing body. What was the antidote? What was to be done?
“It seems to me that anyone whose library consists of a Kindle lying on a table is some sort of bloodless nerd.”
― Penelope Lively
“There are lots of great ideas in my book, but as a cohesive unit, my book is only held together with glue at the spine. Or it would be, if it weren’t an eBook. ”
― Jarod Kintz, This Book Has No Title
Can anyone give birth to an eBook? Yes. Any manuscript in a word processing format can very quickly be transformed into an eBook, and you, as the author, control the packaging, the pricing, the proofing and editing. The book can be placed on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Apple iTunes and additional sites, where it will be available for purchase almost immediately, or certainly within a few days. Once its listed, there’s no waiting, no shipping, and no inventory storage.
There are three things to keep in mind with regard to publishing an eBook, however. First, garbage in, garbage out—even if it that garbage has a beautifully designed garbage bag. If one is a lover of the craft of writing, one should insure that the book is carefully written, edited and proofed. Secondly, a professionally designed book cover is essential. It separates the amateurs from the pros. Third, the big one. Publicity. If you do not promote your work, it will lie off in the high weeds somewhere and never be seen, even if it’s the most dazzling flower in the field.
Publishing an eBook is a great adventure. Like any adventure, it’s challenging, frustrating, rewarding and demanding. But if you love books and the process of communicating, it offers a unique and satisfying journey.
So is the eBook a good alien or a bad alien? As with any innovation, it has its detractors and admirers. People who love the feel and smell of books despair that books will disappear. They like holding a book while reading in bed or on the beach. On the other hand, some voracious readers—people who read one or more books a week— welcome the opportunity to surf the net and download as many as they want, without having to drive into a shopping mall or parking lot and spend time in a bookstore or library. For $1.99, cheaper than a movie, they can be entertained or enlightened for 8-10 hours.
As writers and avid readers, we like to think of eBooks as another option; they don’t take the place of hardback or paperback books, they are in addition to them. Sometimes we buy books in bookstores, and sometimes we download books onto our Kindle. It’s as simple as that.
As John Grisham recently said on CNN “The emergence of eBooks is phenomenal. A year ago, my last book, “The Confession” was published. It was the first time we released the digital version of the book the same day as the hardback. After one year, my total sales are 40% digital and 60% hardback and the numbers have gone up. That’s obviously good news for me because more people are reading the books.”
Copyright © 2012 Elyse Douglas
Elyse Douglas is the pen name for the husband and wife writing team of Elyse Parmentier and Douglas Pennington. Elyse Douglas’ four novels include: The Astrologer’s Daughter, Wanting Rita, The Christmas Diary and Christmas Ever After. They live in New York City.
September 24, 2012
Do the Presidential Candidates Believe in Astrology?
Do you know your astrological Sun sign? Chances are you do, even if you don’t believe in astrology and you think people who do are unfortunate and misguided.
Polls show that there are about one hundred million Americans who “believe in astrology.” That is, they believe that the planets, to some extent, have an effect on their daily lives.
During this presidential election year, astrological predictions on the internet and print media are proliferating. Will Obama win? Does Mitt Romney have a chance? Will Joe Biden be replaced? If Obama does win, will he have a successful presidency?
Can astrology and astrologers offer us any clear view into the future? Is there any validity to astrology? Science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke said “I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical.”
Many historical figures believed in astrology, including American financier J. P. Morgan, Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, founding father Benjamin Franklin and President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy. J. P. Morgan was quoted as saying “Millionaires don’t have astrologers. Billionaires do.” Carl Jung cast horoscopes of his patients and used them to help diagnose their problems. He said, “We are born at a given moment, in a given place, and like vintage years of wine, we have qualities of the year and the season in which we are born.” Benjamin Franklin claimed that “Astrology is one of the most ancient sciences, held in high esteem, by the wise and the great.”
It is widely known that President Reagan and First Lady Nancy consulted a Vassar-educated astrologer named Joan Quigley. Ms. Quigley was the daughter of a prominent hotelier and was raised in the penthouse apartment of the family’s Drake-Wilshire Hotel. In the 1970’s, Ms. Quigley was introduced to Nancy by talk show host Merv Griffin. Thereafter, Nancy was a regular visitor at the astrologer’s Hollywood Hills mansion. This, however, was not the Reagans’ first entree into astrology. Their interest dates back to the early 1950’s.
In Hollywood during the 1940’s and 50’s, a Philadelphia lawyer by the name of Carroll Righter became the “astrologer to the stars,” whose clients included Cary Grant, Marlene Dietrich and Princess Grace. Mr. Righter is said to have predicted his own death at the age of 88.
In 1952, Ronald Reagan married Nancy and was getting career advice from Righter. According to Reagan’s autobiography, he consulted Righter to decide whether he should launch a Las Vegas act. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Reagan did perform in Vegas – with some chimps. It seems that they stole the show (one chimp reportedly drank from a bottle of Jack Daniels) and that was the end of that.
By the 1960’s, Reagan’s interests moved from Vegas to politics. Jeane Dixon, a noted astrologer who later reportedly predicted the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, was added to his astrological stable of advisers. “She was always gung ho for me to be president,” Reagan said. In 1980 Reagan mentioned this to a reporter, and a delegation from the Federation of American Scientists wrote Reagan, stating that they were “gravely disturbed” by all his stargazing.
By 1985, President Reagan’s Chief of Staff, Donald Regan, said that astrologer Joan Quigley had such an influence on Nancy Reagan that she would cancel trips and change the time and date of scheduled events, based on Quigley’s advice.
Other Presidents who had an interest in astrology include Calvin Coolidge, Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was said that George W. Bush defended the practice of astrology, but later changed his opinion when he began his run for the presidency.
Today, a sampling from some of the more popular astrologers’ websites reveals that most predict Obama will be re-elected. For you more savvy astrologers, it seems that Saturn will be transiting his 10th house of status and position. That, among other planetary positions, makes him difficult to beat.
After his second term is complete, perhaps, like Reagan, Obama should seek an astrologer’s advice about launching a Vegas act. On the other hand, after his many Washington experiences, maybe he’s been there and done that.
Do the presidential candidates believe in astrology? According to Albert Einstein, maybe they should. He said, “Astrology is a science in itself and contains an illuminating body of knowledge. It taught me many things and I am greatly indebted to it.”
-Elyse Douglas
www.elysedouglas.com
Polls show that there are about one hundred million Americans who “believe in astrology.” That is, they believe that the planets, to some extent, have an effect on their daily lives.
During this presidential election year, astrological predictions on the internet and print media are proliferating. Will Obama win? Does Mitt Romney have a chance? Will Joe Biden be replaced? If Obama does win, will he have a successful presidency?
Can astrology and astrologers offer us any clear view into the future? Is there any validity to astrology? Science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke said “I don’t believe in astrology; I’m a Sagittarius and we’re skeptical.”
Many historical figures believed in astrology, including American financier J. P. Morgan, Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, founding father Benjamin Franklin and President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy. J. P. Morgan was quoted as saying “Millionaires don’t have astrologers. Billionaires do.” Carl Jung cast horoscopes of his patients and used them to help diagnose their problems. He said, “We are born at a given moment, in a given place, and like vintage years of wine, we have qualities of the year and the season in which we are born.” Benjamin Franklin claimed that “Astrology is one of the most ancient sciences, held in high esteem, by the wise and the great.”
It is widely known that President Reagan and First Lady Nancy consulted a Vassar-educated astrologer named Joan Quigley. Ms. Quigley was the daughter of a prominent hotelier and was raised in the penthouse apartment of the family’s Drake-Wilshire Hotel. In the 1970’s, Ms. Quigley was introduced to Nancy by talk show host Merv Griffin. Thereafter, Nancy was a regular visitor at the astrologer’s Hollywood Hills mansion. This, however, was not the Reagans’ first entree into astrology. Their interest dates back to the early 1950’s.
In Hollywood during the 1940’s and 50’s, a Philadelphia lawyer by the name of Carroll Righter became the “astrologer to the stars,” whose clients included Cary Grant, Marlene Dietrich and Princess Grace. Mr. Righter is said to have predicted his own death at the age of 88.
In 1952, Ronald Reagan married Nancy and was getting career advice from Righter. According to Reagan’s autobiography, he consulted Righter to decide whether he should launch a Las Vegas act. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that Reagan did perform in Vegas – with some chimps. It seems that they stole the show (one chimp reportedly drank from a bottle of Jack Daniels) and that was the end of that.
By the 1960’s, Reagan’s interests moved from Vegas to politics. Jeane Dixon, a noted astrologer who later reportedly predicted the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, was added to his astrological stable of advisers. “She was always gung ho for me to be president,” Reagan said. In 1980 Reagan mentioned this to a reporter, and a delegation from the Federation of American Scientists wrote Reagan, stating that they were “gravely disturbed” by all his stargazing.
By 1985, President Reagan’s Chief of Staff, Donald Regan, said that astrologer Joan Quigley had such an influence on Nancy Reagan that she would cancel trips and change the time and date of scheduled events, based on Quigley’s advice.
Other Presidents who had an interest in astrology include Calvin Coolidge, Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt. It was said that George W. Bush defended the practice of astrology, but later changed his opinion when he began his run for the presidency.
Today, a sampling from some of the more popular astrologers’ websites reveals that most predict Obama will be re-elected. For you more savvy astrologers, it seems that Saturn will be transiting his 10th house of status and position. That, among other planetary positions, makes him difficult to beat.
After his second term is complete, perhaps, like Reagan, Obama should seek an astrologer’s advice about launching a Vegas act. On the other hand, after his many Washington experiences, maybe he’s been there and done that.
Do the presidential candidates believe in astrology? According to Albert Einstein, maybe they should. He said, “Astrology is a science in itself and contains an illuminating body of knowledge. It taught me many things and I am greatly indebted to it.”
-Elyse Douglas
www.elysedouglas.com
