Friday Loves the Library

When I was a child, the public library was a haven. I knew where to find the books I wanted by memorizing their relative location on the shelves in the basement (the kid's section). With glee, I took the "secret entrance" hidden behind bushes in the front of the building. The haunted second floor called to me with its dark woodwork, high ceilings and creaking floors.

School libraries were always special places, especially during junior high after we found all the "dirty words" in the urban dictionary.

When I was in college, I'd walk through the stacks just to be surrounded by books. I studied in the stacks, finding the quietest corner I could: a desk tucked in an out-of-the-way niche. The library was safe. Peaceful. Alive.

I love the public library now. Its a place to find books to feed my ravenous second grader, new authors to explore, comedy DVDs to watch with my wife and prove I'm not all "ghosts and cobwebs".

Libraries are our friends. As a writer, I can think of no better monument to the written word. (Used bookstores are pretty awesome, too, but that's another post).

So here's the call to action:

This holiday season, think about a "gift" donation to a library (public or school). Libraries (almost always) take cash donations, and most won't turn away a book. Think about buying a copy of your favorite novel, collection, or biography (if the library doesn't already have one). Better yet, introduce them to something from the small press and help support writers who might not be on the "radar".

Our school library is running a campaign through Book-Boosters to raise money (www.book-boosters.com/bulldogbooks). I think its a great idea.

On Monday, I'll mention a few "gift ideas". Let me know if you have a book you'd like me to include (aaron.polson(at)gmail.com).

Have a safe weekend.

No, I Will Not Work for Free

Let me clear something up from yesterday's post: I have no desire to be a starving artist. I believe in paying a "content creator" or writer or illustrator or (fill in the blank here) for their work. I believe being paid is a sign of work well done.

But I also believe pay comes in many forms: a good review, a prestigious (if not well-paying) publication credit, the respect of colleagues. This example from Norman Partridge. (How bad ass would it be to get a letter like that?) Money is nice, too. Feel free to send some.

This is the point I was trying to make: I'm not in a place where I want to yield too much creative control for money. If a story I write doesn't sell, so be it. It goes in the "junk" folder. The junk folder is not in danger of starvation. What about "some day maybe" when an agent/publisher tells me to change a key element in a novel so I can get the book on the shelves of Wal-Mart? That would be a nice problem to have, but I'm not in a place to make that decision (nor do I foresee myself there any time soon). What is "too much"? Each artist/writer/what-have-you must make his/her own decision about how far they're willing to go. I won't pretend to make the choice for anyone else.

I can only make my own decisions. For example:

1. I will keep writing.
2. I will support markets which publish short fiction I respect/enjoy. Any writer who loves short fiction is obligated, in my opinion, to do so. Realms of Fantasy collapsed again, folks. Don't let this happen to your favorite pub. When every paying, well-respected venue for short fiction goes the way of RoF, what kind of "pay the author" conversation will we be having?
3. I'm going to offer any book with my name on it (as primary author or editor) to libraries in the U.S. for free because a good library has always been an author's friend. I plan on hitting some librarian hangouts online and sending a few postcards. (or, if a librarian happens to read this...drop me a line aaron.polson (at) gmail.com).
   

Go forth an be awesome, dear readers.

Libraries vs. Bookstores & Honorable Insight

Because I needed something to do while sick this weekend, I broke down the honorable mentions from 2008's Best Horror as selected by Ellen Datlow. My copy of the book should be somewhere between Delaware and my house (according to Amazon), but the full list of honorable mentions is available here.

If anyone is curious like I am, you can download the list of all markets receiving 5 or more mentions in PDF here. I listed everything periodical as a "magazine" (even though some consider themselves quarterly anthologies), anything available online as "online", and multi-author collections..."anthologies". These numbers don't reflect stories actually reprinted in the anthology. Black Static was the big winner with 20 mentions. Gives one some idea of the markets receiving notice.

On Sunday afternoon, after watching the Cheifs lose (again...but hey, overtime baby), I took a trip to the library. Lovely thing, libraries. I picked up a few books to read (great display of horror/dark fiction for the Halloween season), and even placed a hold on a book not yet on the shelf (a scholarly work about monster mythology).

Then I went to the book store (Borders, in this case). Blah.

The library always fills me with hope and wonder...so many books...so quiet.

The books store? So many stacks of Glenn Beck books (ugh. How did he get away with posing in a pseudo-nazi uniform anyway?)...so few books I actually wanted to find. Can I help you? the employee asked. Yes--show me the door.

I've expressed my love of used book stores before (more like the library, really). I feel much the same way about independents, but it will be some time before you find me in a "big box" chain again.