The
Republicans and Democrats recently had their conventions and speeches were
given, rallies were held, and party platforms were issued. The process left us with Trump vs.
Clinton. What if the book industry
gathered in a similar fashion and declared its platform? What would such a document include – or
exclude?
There
are different interests involved here, including published authors, publishers,
editors, promoters, marketers, salesmen, bookstores, libraries, printers,
digital device producers, book shepherds and packagers, and cover
designers. There are also book collectors, teachers, bibliophiles, linguists, and many others with a stake in the book world. Everyone is all in on
certain issues, especially where it involves expanding book availability, free
speech protection, and helping others obtain literacy. But there will be disagreements over things
like author royalties and the rights of writers.
Perhaps
we should start with the things there is a consensus for. The book industry hereby pledges:
·
To
publish quality books with great accuracy and honesty.
·
To
publish books in all genres in order to meet the reading tastes of all people,
from erotica, true-crime, and LGBTQ, to poetry and short essays, to politics,
business, health, women’s studies, self-help and scores of other genres and
sub-categories.
·
To
publish books in all formats – audio, e-book, vook, paperback, hardcover and
mass market – and to vary the cover prices to ensure both affordability to the
reader and profit to the publisher.
·
To
promote the value of the written word and to encourage more people to acquire
the ability to read by supporting literacy programs with money, time, and
books.
·
To
defend the First Amendment whenever there’s a challenge and to educate the youngest
to our oldest on tolerance for free speech, even when the level of speech seems
questionable or undeniably racist, sexist, anti-American, and unethical.
·
To
preserve and promote the long history of books and publishing.
·
To
help people develop into writers and to encourage all writers to improve the
practice of their craft.
·
To
ensure the existence and expansion of bookstores.
To create a better way to catalog, summarize, and locate books.
To create a better way to catalog, summarize, and locate books.
·
To
increase the number of non-book stores that sell books.
·
To
fully support our libraries with the goals of expanding hours, building new
locations and increasing the quality and size of existing collections and
services.
·
To
speak out against author hoaxes, plagiarism, book piracy, and copyright
violations.
·
To
speak out against those who seek to punish or bully writers who want to tell
the truth or challenge the status quo.
·
To
protect, save, and refurbish historical buildings, documents, books, maps, and
other treasures related to writing, publishing and reading.
To help those with a disability such as blindness, or a learning disorder such as dyslexia or ADHD, to gain access to books.
·
To
educate people to be fulfilled readers who not only engage in a book but come
out of the experience smarter, happier, inspired or more deeply moved.
·
To
educate people to be savvy readers, where they can read between the lines and
know when to question their views as well as those of the writer.
·
To
make sure there is a balance in book retail, that conglomerates are tempered by
indies, and an alternate means of purchasing books exists.
·
To
make sure the voices of what and who is published remains diverse.
·
To
promote self-publishing as a viable option but to insure that self-publishing
holds high standards for every aspect related to producing a book.
·
To
promote honesty in book reviews and to increase the number of book reviewing
outlets.
To preserve our world against Netspeak, Ebonics, Spanglish, and the bastardization of the language and lazy grammarians.
To preserve our world against Netspeak, Ebonics, Spanglish, and the bastardization of the language and lazy grammarians.
·
To
embolden readers to live out the words they read, and to act in accordance with
their values and the ideas presented in books.
·
To
shun calls for book bans, boycotts, book burnings or censorship – and instead
to encourage the peaceful protest of a book’s content, and in certain cases, to
feel obligate to demand that others speak out against harmful or hate-filled
writings.
My
fellow Americans, it is with great honor and pleasure that I ask you to adopt
this platform in your home and heart. Honor these principles by living them and
espousing them to others. Grow a mind,
share a book. Read. Write.
Teach. Our world’s future is
inextricably linked to books. Open a
book and you turn the page to a new world.
To learn
more on how to promote books, read my greatest blog posts from the past five years
and 2,000 posts:
2016 Book Marketing & Book Publicity Toolkit
2015 Book Marketing
& PR Toolkit
2014 Book Marketing
& PR Toolkit
Book
Marketing & Book PR Toolkit: 2013
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.