What
if a coming event was so devastating that only a handful of books could
survive? Never mind what the cataclysmic
event is – whether war, disease, alien invasion, asteroid, energy void, famine,
drought, robot takeover (take your pick) – all that you need to know is some
kind of mass destruction disrupts or destroys people, property, and life as we
know it. You have the resources to
safely store and preserve only a thousand books. Which ones would you choose?
Before
you answer, think about why you’d choose such books. Remember, by choosing
these 1,000 books you will never again see the millions of books that exist
today – unless future generations start to write them.
Maybe
it would be a good thing to start over.
Sure, we’d lose so much knowledge, history and aspects of the known and
imagined world, but we’d also get a chance to dream new, to start fresh, and
to build on a new body of language. What
seems unimaginable may actually be refreshing.
Would
we save only non-fiction books, as they teach us how to function, from science
and construction to health and governance?
Would we seek to preserve history – or let it go? Would we use precious books on things we
could potentially recreate, such as novels?
How many books do we really wish we could have that would minimally
satisfy society’s needs?
We’d
have to consider saving books that we never read or knew existed. We’d have to consider books in different
languages and those that concern the people of 200 countries and various
cultures and faiths. We’d need to
consider books that address every phase of life – from infants to seniors. We’d need books to teach our youth all that
they’d need to go on to make their imprint on this world. Certainly, a thousand books is an impossible
amount to work with, but that is what you have to work with.
Before
we go on further exploring this science-fiction scenario, let’s apply it to our
world today. Though there are millions
of books in existence, there are gaps in what’s needed and in what today’s
reader wants. Take the same approach to
the world-is-coming-to-an-end scenario and apply it to today’s real world. Which books should be written now and which
ones would fill a void? Which ones would
replace or add to existing books?
Are
your thinking caps going? Do you see the
books not yet written that you could pen?
Can you see books that exist but are outdated or insufficient and need
replacing?
See
the world as it could be.
Now
make it so.
Writers
have a vision for society. Let’s use
that ability to survey the market landscape and produce the books that people
really need or want.
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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this
blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter
@theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more
important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by
BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2015
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