120 days since….
But I’m retiring the clock. It was a passive-aggressive way to get someone who probably never reads the damned blog to pay attention to some vague promises they made and then ignored. And yeah, they used the weakest, most bullshit ridden reasons I’ve ever heard to ignore those promises.
Passive-aggressive is good…unless ain’t nobody paying attention, and in this case…ain’t nobody….
Also, I believe that, Bush’s economy and the massive recession we’ll face in 2009 and the first part of 2010 (and longer if the private jet flying auto CEOs can’t pull their collective heads out) will absolutely slam the door on what this clock was counting.
There are always writers who whine about not getting book deals. There are always writers who whine about other writers (usually referred to as hacks) getting great deals for putrid books. There are always writers who believe they are being left behind even in vibrant markets.
Truth in writing here – I am absolutely one of those writers. I’m always guilty of those sins.
But the point is that over the next couple years, I fervently believe there will be no vibrant market. There will be, in fact, damned few books deals going ’round. Sales at nearly all of the major chains and many of the independent book stores would have to rise dramatically just to be considered in the toilet. When people are concerned about losing their jobs and getting medicine for the baby, they buy fewer books and no one can tell me any differently. LuAnn and I have the same income we had a year ago and two years ago and we – bookstore owners – are buying fewer books!
It’s been ugly for a while, it’s getting uglier, and there will be lots and lots of great writers whose voices you won’t hear for a few years when it comes to novels published by a major house. But maybe that means the small press, which I’ve always loved and supported as well as I could, will take the place of the behemoth publishing houses, just as small specialty car companies will replace the dinosaur Big Three.
Anyway, this was all to say that I’m bagging the Countdown Clock.
Or maybe I’ll find something else fun to count. Hairs left on my head…length of my toenails…how many Sudoku games I’ve played….
