I dream of discerning readers who will explore new writers without the powerful thrust of advertising to tell them what to buy. Readers who will pick up a book, read the cover, flick through a few pages and say ‘this sounds like me – I’ll take a chance and buy it.’
I dream of a strong national culture to enhance the lives of those who live in this country, reflecting the world they live in, speaking their language. Yes, the books will still be shaped in part by overseas influences – in our international world that’s unavoidable – but our reading doesn’t have to be limited to what American and European publishers dictate for us.
There is a growing stream of excellent books being produced by independent authors and I dream that they will find good homes in the hands of delighted readers. Wouldn't it be wonderful if that process saved our local bookshops along the way?
Bev Robitai
One day, in the not too distant future, publishers and book shops will see that the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence and look to its own pastures.
ReplyDeleteAmen to that, Bev. Looks like booksellers buy books by the container load, throw them on a Remainder Table and sell them for 3 for $20. How can we compete?
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