Another Perspective
I admit it; I fall behind on my TV shows, which is why there wasn’t a blog last week (not really) and why I am a faithful worshiper of the Church of Digital Video Recorders. My biggest sin: I am behind on The Colbert Report.
Watching the show from December 1st, I was stunned to see Stephen interview Sherman Alexie, the author of ‘War Dances.’ Alexie was great, a Native American poking fun at the white guys. But this blog entry is not about Native Americans or white guys.
As you have seen, I am proud that Oilspill dotcom is now available as an e-book, available in all formats that exist today. I am doing my bit to save the planet. Even if I can’t afford a Prius, I am taking bold steps to save the trees, energy in production and distribution, and able to help provide free copies of my e-books for our soldiers.
So I was kind of taken aback when Alexie advocated against the e-book revolution (my embellishment, not his). He will not publish his book in electronic form because:
– He fears that we are giving the government the ability to control what we read, write, see and listen to.
– It makes our work vulnerable to piracy
– It prevents any physical contact between author and reader, a relationship that he sees as essential for both sides
– It takes away revenue from independent bookstores already on the brink of extinction
– It prevents any celebration of books within the community
I want to take issue with Alexie, but I have two problems: he is correct, and he is very cool.
So I will take a week for rebuttal, and if I can’t build a case, will catch up on outstanding Colbert Reports.
Good Writing,
Alon
Left Coast Voices 