Hmmm....

So I was checking out Etsy the other day, and I ran across a site that makes and sells book purses.  Have you guys seen these?  You take a hardcover book and re-purpose it as a handbag.

www.123rf.com

My first reaction was delight.  I love books, I love purses--the perfect marriage, yes?  But then I got to thinking about it. How are those purses made?  Oh, that's right.  The books are destroyed.  Their pages cut out and discarded (or recycled), leaving the shell behind.

Now, a book is more than it's physical presence.  The story lives beyond the printed word, and no amount of physical manipulation will truly destroy the book.  It's just...  It's a book.  Something that is, dare I say, almost sacred to me?  Destroying a book like that feels awfully close to book burning, even though my rational mind knows they're nothing alike.

On the other hand, a book purse is an unusual thing.  I'm sure it would inspire a lot of comments.  Is that such a bad thing?  Maybe someone sees your book purse and is intrigued.  Why did you pick that book? What is it about that story that made you want to carry the book around all the time, advertising your literary taste?  Maybe they get inspired to pick up the book and get lost in the story.  Maybe you bring another reader into the fold....

I still haven't decided what I think about these bags.  Unusual? Undoubtedly.  A good thing?  I just don't know.

What do you think?  Am I being irrational?  Would you buy a book purse (or do you have one already)?

Are we too nice?

www.123rf.com

There's a very interesting piece on Slate regarding the current literary culture.  Have you read it yet?

I think the author makes some good points--given the ubiquitous nature of social networking, authors are increasingly interacting with readers and each other.  This is not always a bad thing--I know that as a reader, I have enjoyed talking with authors about my favorite books, and as a writer, I really appreciate hearing them talk about their process and strategy.

However.

I have noticed on some author websites that any opinions or reviews that are less than glowing praise are shouted down by other fans.  There are countless accounts of authors behaving badly on GoodReads, Amazon, or other review websites.  As the author of this piece notes, this culture of love makes it difficult for critical reviews to come to light, because it's very easy to conflate the work under review with the person who just tweeted the adorable picture of her puppy.

Should authors step back from social media, in order to keep themselves separate from their work?  I don't think so.  Nowadays, publishers practically demand that authors perform some type of self-promotion, be it a Facebook page, Twitter account, blog, or other type of social media.  This is even more true for self-published authors, who must promote themselves loudly and often to have a chance of being heard in this crowded market.

I think it's important to differentiate the one-star drive-by reviews (the ones where the writer clearly hasn't read the book) from those that articulate an opinion and provide examples to back it up.  The latter are the type of reviews that are most helpful, both to authors and readers, and we as a literary community should encourage them.  Personally, when I review a book I try to provide examples from the text that support my argument as to whether it's a good book or not.

This is an interesting issue, to be sure, and I'm wondering what you all think about it.  Are we too friendly?  Do we stifle critical opinion because we don't want to hurt the author's feelings?  Or do we have the right balance of criticism and praise?  Let me know your thoughts!