Sunday 18 February 2007

We are the cheeky girls

Reposted from a comment I left on John's "Walkabout in the UK" blog:

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Aye, we blog cos we enjoy it, and someone else gets the advertising revenue from our enjoyment.

Talent shines through, and a blogger lands a book deal from the established media. I fail to see that as a breakthrough. The established media is just hoping that the blogger can sell books to her readership. Good for her.

That is not using the possibilities of the new media in a new way, but is a backward step into real life.

When wireless Net really takes off, and have access to portable readers, then, and only then will the death-nell of the old media ring. Except that they will continue to hold us in their thrall...don't believe me, just ask yourself who owns MySpace?

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Bibliography:

MySpace biography.

"I blog, therefore I am £70,000 richer": The Sunday Times, 18 February 2007

Less than six weeks after starting to write about downshifting from London to rural Northumberland, a mother of three young children has landed a £70,000 publishing deal.

Early last month Judith O’Reilly launched Wife in the North, an online chronicle of her battles with three children, two elderly parents and an absentee husband while living in a northern hamlet, with the nearest town half an hour’s drive away.

Last week, after whirlwind approaches from an agent and a publisher, she signed a deal to turn the blog, which has become a surprise hit in Britain and America, into a book to be published by Viking Penguin.

Weird Darren's commentary at Whitespider1066.

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I think the title of the article says it all, don't you? There are good, talented people out there, how they get found and what niche market they thrive in is all part of life's rich tapestry. Of course, in times gone by, people like Bain and Caselli's work in communication hit difficulties. But we live in a more dynamic age now. Don't we?

(we r in ur cd collexion, hiding the good onez)

5 comments:

John Hee said...

I'm still not happy about that blog/book article.

I cannot for the life of me see how a 6 week old blog has built any sort of decent reputation, or at least enough to be turned into a book.

I've flicked thru a books taken from blog/web sites and they are universally of limited interest, whereas on the net they shine in their own environment. Maybe the web can forgive 'amateur but entertaining', whereas in a book format - never.

AktoMan said...

Publishers seem to be doing things like that, John. I heard an interview a couple of weeks back on Radio 4, talking to young writers. for example:
http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,1665996,00.html

No such thing as bad publicity. gets people talking about the book deal, so interest in the book is raised. Not so much "rock and roll" more like "the cheeky girls".

Anonymous said...

John I agree, read my reply to George on my blog, it covers this as well (along with a lot of other things)

John Hee said...

George - now there's a thought "uk walking bloggers - the new cheeky girls"?
;-)

AktoMan said...

So long as Lembit Opik doesn't start chasing after you (cue the Benny Hill music). ugh

Dunnachadh