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How to Revive a Reader

This morning I remonstrated with a woman who has long practiced a book-besotted lifestyle. She even refuses to apologize for it, and as we all know, getting people to admit that they have a problem is half the battle. I fear she is irredeemable since she resists all of my efforts to improve her. (It's their job to improve us, you know.)

In contrast to this sad story I'd like to report a small success in the book world. I am in the habit of downloading classic books as text files from sites online, and then editing the crap out of them. Basically that means deletion, but it wouldn't have to.

There is a profound and exciting difference between editing a book and merely reading it, since the latter is mechanical tedium more than anything else. It's high time that we did something fundamental and truly revolutionary with all this information technology. I am currently finishing the second iteration of abridging Boswell's Life of Johnson. It will be difficult to bring it in smaller than 125 pages.

Here is a business idea for somebody like iBooks or Amazon. Gadgets like Kindle are a great innovation, but they are underutilized if they merely reproduce or imitate the dead tree book experience. These gadgets and their software should be smart enough to offer Lite (abridged) versions of classic lumber.

Just think of all the good stuff that is neglected because it is too wordy or contains sections that are irrelevant to the modern reader. The eBook gadget owner should merely have to push one button to download the abridged version, produced by... well... somebody like me, who is paid a six figure salary to edit the classic books.

Old books are dead books commercially. They are available for free in libraries or for a small fee at musty ol' used bookstores. How can the publishing industry make money off of them other than by putting them in collections with dignified hard covers, and then sell them as furniture for people's living rooms? A customer is getting something for his money if he buys the abridgments from a company that has developed a good reputation. The abridgment is a differentiated product. It is high value-added.


Comments

TomInBellaVista said…
I read today that a Judge threw a monkey wrench into Google's massive book project. I wonder if you have any thoughts about that?

Tom in Orlando
It's been awhile since I looked into Google books. Do I remember right: that they are NOT downloadable. I don't want to read the book as much as edit the crap out of it.
Anonymous said…
Boonie, I think you are right, google books are just like all other ereader books, downloadble, but not editable as you would like.

What I thought might be of interest is the judge throwing out the negotiated settlement between google and organizations representing authors. the Judge took exception to them copying "dead" books, where the author may be unknown. This would leave out millions of books from their project. The judge was sympathetic to the idea of being able to resuscitate otherwise moldy volumes, she thought it would be unfair competitive advantage for Google to have those books on offer.

tom in orlando

p.s. If I ever refer to you as Bonnie rather than Boonie, I apologize. It was my Grandmother's name, and I can't count the number of times I have had to go back and make a correction. If one slips through, I apologize in advance.
Unknown said…
So if the world of readers want the abridged version of books, how come the Readers Digest Condensed Books are not a big seller.

When you speak of your editing of the books, would your deletions be the same as another person assigned the abridgement.

As a non-fiction reader, I wonder whether non-fiction can be abridged. Assuming the author had a good editor, the extraneous "words" had already been removed before it went to the presses.

And finally... My name is Wandrin and I have a problem. I am addicted to reading books.
Wandrin, perhaps Readers Digest Condensed Books aren't that popular, but their magazine was THE most popular magazine, for decades, if I recall right. Readers Digest might turn some people off because they think Readers Digest will bowdlerize books to be compatible with Sunday School or a political point of view.

Would MY deletions be the same as somebody else's? Of course not; it would be true value-added if my deletions were better. That's called a differentiated product.

Editors no doubt improve the rough drafts submitted by authors. For instance, they might shorten it from 500 pages to 425. That's a small step in the right direction.

Abridging non-fiction? Have you forgotten that Toynbee's lumber was shortened to two volumes, and that Toynbee wrote an introduction that authorized and endorsed the idea?

Yes, you have an addiction and will remain unregenerate. (grin) But my post wasn't against reading; it was about why information technology didn't radically transform and improve the experience of reading.