An interesting short piece on the use of social media by authors. The article argues that users of social media should ensure that the focus of their posts is not solely on “me”, rather the focus should be on building a community and providing space for your followers to express themselves and participate. For the piece please visit http://www.authorsonline.co.uk/newsletter/nov13-using-social-media.php
“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It would be better to live under robber barons
than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment
us for our own good will torment us without end for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.”
I came across the above while browsing the blog Economics for Morons http://economicsformorons.wordpress.com/ and on using trusty old Google discovered that C S Lewis is it’s author. Thought provoking …
Yesterday I discovered a new poetry blog which I recommend http://emilyspoetryblog.com/. The blogger quotes poems and goes on to provide her own analysis. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Emily Bronte’s The Night Wind and W H Auden’s Time Will Say nothing.
Kevin
Among the arguments advanced by those who believe prostitution should be prohibited is that it constitutes the exploitation of women and men by those who purchase sex. According to this perspective no one would voluntarily choose to sell their body,consequently prostitution is conflated with sex slavery. In some countries this has given rise to a ban on the selling of sexual services (although of course prostitution still persists) while in other nations, for example Sweden the selling of sex remains legal while the purchasers are subject to a fine and/or imprisonment. Underlying the Swedish Law on Prostitution is the view that those who purchase sex have no right to buy the bodies of prostituted persons. The prostitute is the victim so should not be punished while the sex buyer who is fueling the industry must be deterred by criminal sanctions.
As a writer I am interested in the subject of prostitution. My latest book, Samantha (http://www.amazon.com/Samantha-ebook/dp/B00BL3CNHI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364109422&sr=8-2&keywords=samantha+k+morris) tells the story of a young girl forced into the sex industry in Liverpool (a city in the north-west of England). Sam is drugged, compelled to participate in sex acts and then blackmailed into becoming a sex worker. Consequently Sam’s experience fits into the view of prostitution as the exploitation of the prostitute by selfish pimps and sex buyers. Sam’s experience is horrendous and her pimp, Barry richly deserves his grizly end, however Samantha’s experience of prostitution should not be taken as constituting the experiences of all sex workers.
In my story, The First Time (http://www.amazon.com/The-First-Time-ebook/dp/B00AIK0DD6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1364111659&sr=8-2&keywords=the+first+time+kevin+morris) we meet Becky a young graduate with a degree in English literature who enters the world of prostitution, as a professional escort in order to clear a credit card debt. Unlike Sam Becky’s entry into prostitution is a choice (there is no pimp to use and abuse her, only her fellow escort and friend, Julie who tries to discourage Becky from becoming a prostitute). Is Becky exploited by her clients? Becky visits her client’s of her own free will. She doesn’t want to have sex with her first customer, Mike. She wants to return the money and leave. However Becky chooses not to do so due to her need for cash. At no point during her encounter with Mike is Becky threatened in any way, indeed Mike offers her wine and knowing that it is her first time does his best to put Becky at ease.
The First Time does not gloss over the emotional and psychological effects of prostitution. Becky gets drunk in order to cope with her first encounter with a client. After the appointment she is violently ill from a combination of over indulgence in alcohol but, more importantly as a result of her feeling of worthlessness. She feels that she is “not a mere receptacle for men to pour themselves into”, but despite this she is minded to continue as a prostitute until her debts are cleared.
Becky is a free agent who chooses her path in life. One may (and certainly should) have sympathy for Becky however, in the final analysis responsibility for her situation (unlike with Samantha) rests with Becky. Mike does not exploit her. Becky is an adult and makes a conscious decision to enter sex work. Her dire financial position places great pressure on Becky to obtain money fast, however other people in similar positions do not make the same choices as Becky.
In my short story, Rent (http://newauthoronline.com/2013/03/15/rent/) Leah becomes the mistress of a wealthy stockbroker in order to escape from her life of poverty on a rough council estate in East London’s Tower Hamlets. On one level Leah’s rich partner is exploiting her as he knows that she only stays with him due to the financial stability which he can provide. He feeds Leah money as a drug pusher feeds an addict drugs. On the other hand Leah is an adult and relishes the luxurious lifestyle which her relationship with Ian allows her to lead. She exploits Ian as she stays with him not out of love but due to her liking for the expensive gifts he showers on her. Both Leah and Ian are exploiting one another, they are mutually dependent, each gaining something from the connection however unpleasant that may appear to some people.
The issue of prostitution is highly complex. While exploitation does take place this is by no means the whole story. Of course to acknowledge that not all prostitution is, necessarily based on exploitation is not the same as saying that sex work is desirable or the same as any other job.
An interesting article in The Daily Mail caught my attention, “Read it and weep! Modern day books contain 14% less emotional content than books published 100 years ago”, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2296585/Read-weep-Modern-day-books-contain-14-emotional-content-books-published-100-years-ago.html
Yesterday evening as I browsed through the books on my bookshelves I was struck by the beauty of the hard back titles. The Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) used to provide books either in soft paper covers or, alternatively in what they described as cloth . boards. I am of the view that books are long term friends so purchased the hard back versions. Sadly RNIB no longer offer cloth bound volumes so the blind person wishing to purchase titles has Hobsons choice (they must like or lump the soft cover books sold by the Institute).
The hard cover books feel permanent and possess a wonderful scent wholly lacking in their soft bound alternatives. It is a real pleasure to take down Wuthering Heights in it’s cloth boards not only because it is a marvellous story but also due to the volumes being a pleasure to handle. They feel as though they where made to last and the braille protected as it is by the robust covers remains easy to read unlike some of my paper bound books. Where I to be a sighted person I would purchase hard backs in preference to paperbacks as they exude a sense of permanence and dare one say it stability.
As I browsed my books my mind wandered and I began to ponder the issue of permanence more generally. On occasions it seems as though we are, as a society obsessed with the ephemeral. Next time you are on public transport witness the number of people who are engrossed in madly texting rather than reading a book. Some of these texts are no doubt important, however especially with teenagers one suspects that many are wholly inane and are being sent to people whom the teen has only just left. Again the constant checking of Facebook fosters a view of the world in which nothing is permanent, things change constantly and one must always be moving forward on a roller coaster from one exciting post to another.
To sit down with a book is in contrast an experience to be savoured. With a good book one must concentrate and yes sometimes struggle. However the pleasure to be derived from comprehending a complicated plot or a difficult subject does (in my view) outweigh the shallow pleasures which eminate from the obsessive use of social media. In time (a very short time) most of the posts on Facebook will be forgotten, however Emily Brontae, Charles Dickens and other great writers will remain as proof that there is more to the world than a vapid ever shifting obsession with change for change’s sake.
I hope that I am not turning into an old fogey before my time!
Kevin
I have been thinking a good deal recently about book marketing and, in particular how best to market my forthcoming book, Samantha. It is often remarked of the English that we are self deprecating, that we have an aversion to blowing our own trumpet. Obviously this is a stereotypical observation, however it does, in the case of myself contain a kernel of truth. I find it incredibly difficult to tell people in a face-to-face context about my published collection of short stories, The First Time and my forthcoming book, Samantha. When I open my mouth to talk about my writing I can feel my face turning red and yours truly suddenly becomes rather reticent. The perception that self-publicising is not the done thing, dies hard in me.
I do not feel the same disinclination to promote my work on the internet. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I have never met any of the people who read my blog. I don’t have to face my blog’s readers, the computer comes between you and I. Distance helps communication. Ironically where I to meet any of my blog’s readers face-to-face the fact that a relationship of sorts (as regards my writing) had developed over the internet would make talking about my books relatively easy (at least I think this would be the case, it hasn’t happened as yet so I have no way of knowing for sure)!
Still on the subject of marketing, I have read a number of posts which suggest that authors should listen to their readers to ascertain what they like about their work and then go on to employ this knowledge to improve their craft. Obviously it is good to learn what one’s readers think of one’s writing and writers can learn from constructive criticism. However I can’t agree with the view that authors should ascertain what readers appreciate in order to provide them with more of the same. As a writer I write about those issues which interest me and about which I feel strongly. If readers disagree with my perspective then, of course I respect their views, however I am not prepared to tailor my writing in order to gain fans and/or sell more books. Naturally I hope that people will buy (and more importantly like) my books, however there is no value in selling books in large quantities only to sacrifice one’s integrity.
Sorry for a somewhat rambling post.
Kevin
I’m considering employing the services of an editor/proof reader to go through my forthcoming book, Samantha which is currently in draft (unfinished) form on my blog. Once finished I will make further changes to the manuscript and then (very possibly) use the services of an editor. I’d be grateful for any suggestions regarding editors and/or proof readers. Please either comment on this post or, if you prefer send an email to newauthoronline@gmail.com.
Many thanks,
Kevin
A piece in today’s Guardian (9 January) observes that the decline in print book sales slowed in 2012. While ebooks and ebook readers proliferate the love of traditional books dies hard.
The article points to the huge discounts offered by ebook retailers such as Sony and Amazon in order to enhance ebook sales. For example some best selling authors have had their ebooks sold for as little as £0.20. The two authors interviewed by The Guardian admit to having mixed feelings concerning the discounting of their work. On the one hand they welcome the increased exposure which discounting provides (more people buy their work) while, on the other hand the writers feel that such discounting devalues books as it fails to take into account the great effort in terms of time and money expended in producing works of literature.
For this interesting article please visit http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2013/jan/09/printed-book-sales-2012
I have recently signed up with Goodreads. I’ve just updated my profile which is, however very much a work in progress. I’m still getting to grips with the site, however you can find my admittedly limited profile (as of today) by going to http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/15615537-kevin. Over the coming weeks I will update and add to my site on Goodreads.
K Morris - Poet 