Yes I did see this, and it ticked me off because it’s insipid. There’s too much poetry! The good stuff gets lost! MFA programs are cranking out too many writers! This is the sort of non-news, non-thinking blathering that pontificators of every generation seem to spout.

[CORRECTION: David Alpaugh himself has helpfully pointed out that the italicized portion of the preceding paragraph, which was originally placed in quotation marks, is not in fact a direct quote. He's absolutely correct; it's my characterization of the tone and main point of his op-ed. I hope the five other readers of my blog are not too disappointed in my lapse in rigor.]

Look a the final paragraph:

“Every now and then someone asks me, ‘Who are the best poets writing today?’ My answer? ‘I have no idea.’ Nor do I believe that anyone else does. I do have an uneasy feeling that a Blake and a Dickinson may be buried in the overgrowth, and I fear that neither current nor future readers may get to enjoy their art. That would be the most devastating result of the new math of poetry. The loss would be incalculable.”

No one has EVER had ANY idea who the best poets of their own times were. It is unknowable. Blake and Dickinson are perfect examples – they were both “buried in the overgrowth” IN THEIR OWN TIMES. Why should our time be any different? And why blame changes in media and publishing for it?

And why have an uneasy feeling about it? Relax, read the stuff you love, look around for more stuff that you might love, acknowledge the unalterable nature of Sturgeon’s Law, recognize the 95% of everything that is crud for what it is (fertilizer for the other 5%), and enjoy life.

That is all for now.

I’m confident that I’ll still get my fair share from each e-book sold. But as an author, I’m not after your money. Well, not only your money. I have my sights on a much more precious commodity: your time. We enter into an unspoken pact, you and I: Give me a few hours, stolen moments on the subway or after the kids are asleep, and I promise to inform and entertain you. Frankly, that’s always been a tough sell, given the sundry ways you can spend your time, but at least I had a fighting chance. Curled up with a pinot noir and my book, your attention was mine to lose. Not anymore. The new generation of e-books will, in essence, merge the laptop and the book. Now if my narrative starts to drag, or I digress, readers can click onto their favorite news site to see what’s up with health care, or click onto TMZ to see what’s up with Brangelina. How do I compete with that?

Is this a reasonable worry? How much time do most normal people spend curled up with a pinot noir (or in my case, decaf coffee or  maybe a good pale ale) and a book these days?

Well, as a matter of fact, I read a whole book uninterrupted just last night, a debut YA fantasy novel from a cracking good writer and storyteller, Malinda Lo (the book is Ash, and I highly recommend it). I read it in print, a hard copy edition that I borrowed from the library.

I’m also in the middle of reading SHE by H. Rider Haggard on my iPod touch. It’s a bit of a pain to keep flipping “pages” on that tiny screen, but when I’m waiting in a doctor’s office or yes, even when I’m in bed before I turn the light out, it’s very convenient. I got that book free, too, from Project Gutenberg.

Here’s the thing: I read at least one or two books every week, and I live in a two bedroom apartment with three large bookcases that are already full. Up to this point, I’ve had what amounts to a one-in, one-out rule for book purchases. (Ash is quite possibly good enough to qualify for a purchase–but I have to decide what I’m getting rid of. Back issues of Tin House, I’m looking at you.) With this fun new device and a downloaded app or two, however, I can exponentially expand my collection of books without running the risk of being featured on that hoarders show.

Here’s what that means to those in the publishing industry: I’m the customer you can get back with e-books, if you play your cards right. Also, an e-book (like that pale ale?) is not a purchase for me, it’s a rental, so please price it accordingly. If I have the choice between paying a buck or two to get instant access to a book I’m interested in reading, or waiting a few weeks (or months) to get it through the local library, that’s something I’d be willing to pay for. If the e-book in question is $10 or $20, well…there are plenty of fish in the sea, and a lot of other books I can get right now and read while I wait for the library’s copy.

Here’s what it means to authors: if you want me to buy your book in hard copy, it has to be one I will fall head over heels in love with and want to live with at least as long as a typical marriage lasts these days. But even if I don’t want to marry your book, I might not mind a fling (electronic, of course). Your chances are better if you make the first few chapters of your book available online, free. Consider it a first date. (Herman Melville, you had me at “Call me Ismael.”)

Let me tell you, publishing on the web is really different.

In less than 24 hours, two readers came and posted responses to the story on this blog.

Within 48 hours, there was a blog post about the story, pointing out that it was the first one they recall with a main character who self-identifies as an asexual person, and doing some thoughtful analysis.

Within one week, somebody added a link to the story into TVTropes.org, a wiki that indexes story elements used in TV, movies, literature, comics, and games. It’s filed under the heading “Screw Yourself” (!) and is in the very good company of the story “–All You Zombies–,” one of my favorites from Robert Heinlein.

Since then, Kelley Eskridge has given the story a mention in her blog, which is wunderbar (thanks, Kelley!), and I’ve had a few people zip me a message via Facebook to tell me what they thought of the story.

With a print publication, I might just now, a few weeks after publication, hear something from someone about it – and likely only from people I already know. Or I might hear nothing, ever.

Of course, there’s plenty of stuff that languishes unread on the web, and stuff in print that causes a great buzz. I feel very lucky to have Strange Horizons publish the story; it’s a strong magazine with strong readership, and that makes a huge difference. But the medium definitely plays a role in how readers can respond, and how soon.

Anyway, I dig it.

* Carrie Fisher, Postcards from the Edge

www.strangehorizons.com/2008/20080818/sexghosts-f.shtml

It’s going to ruin my wholesome midwesterner reputation completely, but I’m very happy with it. I mean, a robot sex worker quoting Yeats while she makes tea? It was a lot of fun to write, anyway, and I hope others will like reading it.

For those interested in the origins of stories, this one came about because I read a brief article about a guy who wrote a whole book about how people will sooner or later be having intimate relations with sentient robots (Love and Sex with Robots: The Evolution of Human-Robot Relationships by David Levy). Since the porn market seems to be at the cutting edge of every technological trend, I thought, sex bot brothel: what would that be like? And here ya go…