Comments for John Baker's Blog

Comment on The James Patterson Factory by Peter Clenott

Peter Clenott — Sun, 11 May 2008 01:28:08 +0000

Dear John: Regarding James Patterson, I think there can be a problem for any writer who is stuck in a genre. I enjoyed the early works of Robert Ludlum, for example. Then as I read more, I found a pattern to them. Once I saw the pattern, I found his books boring and stopped reading him. The same with Stephen King. Mystery writers using the same detective hero also become less interesting. I think this is particularly true if they are successful writers. They don’t have to work hard at their craft anymore and, so, don’t. They lose their edge. I have read one Patterson novel. I don’t remember the title. It was indeed a page-turner. But the characters were flat and the novel didn’t motivate me to buy another. I prefer writers who don’t write genre, who are eclectic. But the nature of the business is to force writers into genre writing because that seems to be what sells books. Peter

jb says: Hi Peter. Thanks for your comment. I don’t entirely agree, however, that genre writing is what sells books. I think that is the perception of most publishers, but not necessarily true. The main agent in the proliferation and distribution of books is word of mouth. One reader telling another how much they have enjoyed something.

Comment on Out-takes XXVII by peggy stone

peggy stone — Thu, 08 May 2008 23:01:25 +0000

John, thank you for your response. I didn’t think to look for one until today.
I have been “going” to Venice for the past years and this year it is happening.
I hope to find the sun-dial. It will be an emotional journey, one that started in 1990.
So thank you again and maybe I will contact the Venice Tourism Office and they may be able to pin point the site. Whatever happens I will be on the Grand Canal in July looking for it.
Regards,
Peggy

jb says: Have a great time, Peggy. I love Venice, though I haven’t been there for many years.

Comment on The post turtle by Martel

Martel — Thu, 08 May 2008 18:14:43 +0000

I’d be happy to look up the rules and articles of the declaration of war for you, Patrick…

…oh, my mistake, THERE WAS NO DECLARATION OF WAR.

Comment on Where Is Schiller? by David

David — Wed, 07 May 2008 22:04:53 +0000

Well, at least they know where Goethe lies. But isn’t this fascinating? Who is buried next to his best friend nowadays? Always wives and dogs…

jb says: Hi David. Yes, and traditionally you got to lie next to (on top of or underneath) the whole family, didn’t matter if you got on in life or not, it’s so easy to get on with each other once we’re dead.

Comment on Sylvia Plath & Tomato Soup Cake by ninchce

ninchce — Wed, 07 May 2008 14:33:53 +0000

Your recipe is so interesting and I’d like to try!

jb says: Don’t forget to tell us how it works out, ninchce

Comment on Preaching in the Desert by Yvonne DiVita

Yvonne DiVita — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:55:07 +0000

The idea that much of what gets published is ‘garbage’ or at least less than best-seller status, is not new. Traditional houses publish bad novels and non-fiction every year. New technology, such as POD, is not the culprit. The culprit still lies with the human being choosing the books.

Yes, it’s easier and faster to get a book to print today — than ever before. And, yes, there are some books which shouldn’t be printed. But, who’s to make that decision?

Some of the books likely included in your stats are books printed at places such as Lulu, where new authors publish books about family, or create a cookbook because they can. These are not books even meant for mass distribution. They are not necessarily going unread - they are being read by the small group of people for whom they were created.

Also, an area new authors who choose self-publishing and print-on-demand struggle with is marketing their book. They go into the process without a clear thought of how they are going to present their completed project to the audience it’s intended for.

Let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. Bad books are nothing new. The ‘quality’ of printing using POD is dependent upon the publisher using POD and the amount of time, effort and investment the author wishes to make to the project - we aspire to very high quality. The quality of printing using traditional houses depends on… how much they think they will make on the book. Their ‘bad’ eggs are just as bad as anything coming out of a POD house.

In the end, with the new technology today, with user-generated content like this blog, the world of publishing is wide open for success. Like any other endeavor, it takes work.

jb says: Thanks for the comment, Yvonne. I’m in no way anti-POD and intend to use the new technology myself.

Comment on Creating a Text - Clare Dudman by poetryman69

poetryman69 — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:37:46 +0000

I have seen the snails!

Comment on (L’Étranger) The Outsider by Albert Camus - a review by Alicia

Alicia — Tue, 06 May 2008 14:42:29 +0000

I’m currently in the 10th grade and have read <>. I didn’t particularly like it, but felt it was somthing to mentally chew on. I also agree that it is better read in its origional french, but I also appreciate the fact that it has been translated for those who cannot read the origional. I really feel that the origional coveys the emotional aspect (from the readers view) better than translation though.

jb says: Hi Alicia. Thanks for the comment. Something wrong with the code in your first line, but it’s been stripped out so I can only guess it’s the title of the book. I envy your ability to read French but I was raised and stunted in a country that saw anything other than English as a waste of time. Such arrogance has not been obliterated unfortunately.

Comment on Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe by AFAYEDOR ENYONAM

AFAYEDOR ENYONAM — Mon, 05 May 2008 13:48:53 +0000

THIS BOOK IS THE BEST WE COULD EVER GET IN AFRICA.IT GIVES YOU AN INSIGHT INTO THE AFRICAN CULTURE AND CLEARS YOUR MIND FROM EVERY DOUBT.

Comment on Happy-Go-Lucky by Jim Murdoch

Jim Murdoch — Sat, 03 May 2008 15:28:46 +0000

It seems longer back than 1993 when I first saw ‘Naked’ – I’ve seen all the films you listed bar the one you’ve reviewed – but I’ll never forget David Thewlis’ full-frontal, in-your-face, firing-on-all-cylinders performance. It was on the tele a couple of weeks back and I made my wife watch it. It hadn’t lost anything. The second time though I was more struck by Greg Cruttwell’s Bogartian (Dirk nor Humphrey) landlord. He’s not done much since which I think is a shame. I have a copy of Beckett’s ‘Endgame’ where Thewlis plays Clov to Michael Gambon’s Hamm – an excellent pairing that made the play almost bearable.

jb says: Hi Jim. I really hope Mike Leigh hasn’t bottomed out. Made me remember, though, that you have to know when to stop carrying on carrying on.