Is by explaining why on earth I would get sloshed and post it on YouTube.
I did it all for the love of books! Yup. BOOKS!
I love books.
I love people who can talk to me about books.
I love the book industry.
So you get that I love books, right?
If you haven't heard rumors, it's been said that the book industry isn't fairing well.
There are a multitude of reasons for this. Television has more channels than ever. You can play games with your friends without being in the same room. The iPhone has an app for everything. People have shorter attention spans these days.
Then there is this beautiful apparatus that I'm communicating with you through right now. The internet. So much information, so much fun, so much porn, so much distraction. Seriously, I'm tempted to flip open a new tab right now and search for "things that are most distracting on the internet". But I'm going to be strong. For you. I'm going to stay strong for you.
Perhaps one of the biggest culprits of the publishing and book industry struggle, is what I think consumers are under the impression is the greatest thing since the Gutenberg Press...c'mon, you know what I'm going to say. Amazon.
It's old news, so I won't go into reiterating old arguments and data. What I will say though is that when a monster sized company crushes the competition, they not only become the only game in town, they also get to set the only price in town. Anyone who thinks those great prices will be around at that time does not understand the way businesses like Amazon work.
If and when that comes to pass, the book industry will really suffer because consumers already think books are overpriced. Why? Because they can get it cheaper on Amazon. See what's happening there?
So off the soap box and back on the tracks...I was looking for a way to raise awareness about the importance of independent bookstores and why you get what you pay for.
And believe me you do.
Booksellers don't get paid by for reviews. They get paid to tell you their honest opinion about books. A bookseller that sees you face to face is only going to tell you a book is good if they believe the book is good. They don't want to lose your trust. They want you to come back and ask for another recommendation.
Booksellers read. They read a lot. They get excited about what they read if it's good. They like to tell you about it. It creates community.
One of the other likes that book industry shares with about 50% of the rest of the world is...yup, booze.
I decided to put them together.
No, seriously. I'm drinking to raise awareness. I'm drinking for the readers, the writers and the future of books.
So here is the first Drunk Book Review I did. I was really nervous as you can see. And no fluffers to help get me prepped. But the book I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga is pretty fantastic.
Oh, and by the way, I did pop open a new tab to search "what percentage of the planet drinks alcohol"
LL
