That’s why I’ve been extra glum the last few days, even before the news was official. HMH is my publisher. Ripples are expected to reach across the larger publishing world. Find the details reported locally here thanks to Deb’s keen eye, or the Publishers Weekly coverage by Sara Nelson here. Enough said, I guess.
Each evening, I’ve been listening to George Orwell’s DOWN AND OUT IN PARIS AND LONDON. A little economic gloom never stopped him.
Have I mentioned that books make great holiday presents?
Oh, and if you’re on Facebook, consider joining this group, now 600+-members strong, called “Buy a Book, Save the World.”
And, in case you forgot, the ReadAlaska Book Fair is this weekend at the Anchorage Museum. Buy books, read books, give books…
So the question for me is: do I base my decisions on what could happen financially in the publishing world in the next year or so, or do I proceed with new plans/goals as if none of this is happening? Of course, I could start a project today and in a year or two the market will have changed. If I have a good story, it will sell. That’s what I keep telling myself.
Thanks for that, bikegirl — I did forget about the ReadAlaska Book Fair!
As for what to do (and this is easier said than done) yes, I do think you — we — just need to move ahead. Who knows what the next 6 months to 2 years will bring? Who knows what America will want to read next? Who knows if the (temporary?) decline of some large publishers may give some smaller publishers a boost? Who knows?
But still, a little grief or worry is in order. I gotta let myself moan. The rest of the country knows about the trouble with the auto industry, but they probably won’t know or care about this crisis, and I doubt anyone will help bail out publishing.