The Book Empire

By Sarah Wendel on July 5, 2012

Photo from Flickr.com, uploaded by somegeekintn.

Books, books, books. They have documented civilization since scribes began meticulously copying manuscripts in cold stone abbeys and have continued to shape modern culture. There is no denying the importance of books; they convey wisdom, shape thought, immortalize people (King Arthur, Oliver Twist, Anne Frank), places (Camelot, Notre Dame, the Wild West), and events (the American Revolution, the Holocaust, and the rip-roaring Twenties). But books seem to be acquiring a new power in modern culture; though they are reaching more and more people and bringing in more and more money, are they truly conveying wisdom and shaping thought as effectively as they were? Despite its immense popularity, Twilight will not be required reading in high school English classes.

So what power do books hold? Nowadays, their power is based in the ever-important dollar. It has not been until recent times that books were a profitable venture. Not until their ability to be mass marketed have authors been able to enjoy the success of J.K. Rowling and Stephen King. Even old names, such William Shakespeare and Victor Hugo are getting in on the success, bringing in more money than their work originally procured thanks to republishing (not to mention movie adaptations).

But this presents a problem. Books are becoming more and more about money. Money makes books a pit fall in several different ways, affecting everyone from students to authors.

Everyone is affected by book prices—the newest juicy teen novel is most likely selling for around $20 at Barnes and Nobles, maybe a bit less at Amazon. And why are they this much money? Because the publishing companies can charge this much, knowing the public will buy it anyhow. There are many good messages tucked away in these books; however, their main attribute is sensationalism. Rather than focusing on content, publishing companies are looking for a certain manuscript with certain sensational qualifications.

An example of this would be the wildly popular Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James ($22.48 for hardcover at B&N). A story that started out as Twilight fan-fiction hit it big when buzz began over this sensational novel. But is the message and story as good as the scandalous content in the book? Would you yourself read it because it seemed like a good story, or because everyone was talking about it?

This is the exact reason it has become hard for so many authors. The possibility for sensationalism, buzz, and juicy drama is of greater value than the actual story, plot, and message to the big name publishing world of Harper Collins, Random House, and Avon. (Why do you think everything has a love triangle?) This is a fantastically hard sphere to break in to as an upstart author—I know firsthand.

It is becoming harder and harder to be different and to write something of intellectual value. Many authors, myself included, want to be remembered for the story, characters, and message included in our books, not for how much conventional drama we can immerse our conventionally beautiful (flawed, but beautiful) characters in. It’s enough to make an author want to bang their head against their keyboard.

It takes great effort to produce any sort of book; dedication, time, support, endurance, and an idea. All of this goes into creating a book and I am not looking to disrespect the time and effort any author has put in to their book. However, I think it is critical that the book-reading (and, more importantly, book-buying) general public realize what sort of sensational messages the publishing companies are surrounding them with.

Take a chance on an unknown, perhaps upstart author. Support someone you know just breaking into the business. Try reading eBooks, as this is becoming an increasingly popular option for non-mainstream (or formerly reject) authors. Break your reading habits—ask yourself what this book is truly about without the sensationalism, drama, and love triangles. There are so many good authors, stories, and books just waiting for you to find them. Don’t get bogged down in the one with the sexiest model on the front.

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