Friday, March 8, 2019
Yep, Captain Marvel is da BOMB as in it is BOMBING....
IMO the 35% must be their "Low" threshold. Just look at any few pages of reviews. Most are well typed out fan reviews, like Star Wars people upset at the pure SUCK. The 5 star ones seem to be quickie one or two sentences. IMO this thing should get 17% even with the college "InterSECTIONAL" clubs having a dozen accounts each typing. They claim fan rage, male rage, hater, troll flooding. Uh, I've seen that legit. No way is it that pattern - check the reviews. Lots of long, detailed rants on why the movie SUCKS and hyper low scores - even this 36% is a high score...
Thursday, March 7, 2019
Let's keep her off Netflix, or at least keep our subscription rates down...
Let me repeat: If you subscribe to Netflix I strongly advise passing a quick note to the management via a CSR chat that you do NOT support Captain Marvel. For the sake of your pocket book. This movie will likely FLOP horribly and Disney will throttle Marvel Bart Simpson style for the $. They'll likely try to charge any and all captive audiences they have and since there's a ton of Marvel Cinematic Universe on Netflix they'll think we are victims. Myself I'm not going to watch it - even "Free" on Netflix.
I was quiet about other abominations like that "He-Ra ManBoyGirl of Power" butchery and have better things to do than tell Netlfix not to show a show I might not like.
BUT I do NOT want my rates raised to pay for someone's SJW flop because the InterSectional college club of screaming trash can throwers can't even afford lattes without working at a coffeshop. So tell them now they give Marvel a F-- you later and if anything make Marvel PAY to host their stuff!
I was quiet about other abominations like that "He-Ra ManBoyGirl of Power" butchery and have better things to do than tell Netlfix not to show a show I might not like.
BUT I do NOT want my rates raised to pay for someone's SJW flop because the InterSectional college club of screaming trash can throwers can't even afford lattes without working at a coffeshop. So tell them now they give Marvel a F-- you later and if anything make Marvel PAY to host their stuff!
Let’s head off Captain Marvel on Netflix.
Anyone subscribe? I do. Have for a long time, plan to continue.
I certainly won’t “Boycott” Netflix over Captain Marvel. And they certainly have a right to show films I might not like - lots of them or ones I’d not prefer - as long as there’s enough for me its worth subscribing.
What I fear is a desperate Marvel being breathed hot fire by a diseased Godzilla sized mouse that they had better recoup losses for a grotesque SJW flop - YESTERDAY…
So, Netflix could end up threatened to pay a lot of money or lose the Marvel Franchise and if they pay, WE pay.
But we are customers - we vote with our $.
The thing that gives SJWs (and religious lunatics) so much power is Corporate America’s reliance on “A VERY satisfied customer tells maybe a few people, a dissatisfied customer tells at least 14”. Usually it’s a good attitude to do your best to please as many as possible. BUT these corporate guys don’t get the difference between real customers and non-customers who just want someone to do something their way.
Thus - I went onto Netflix, looked for the “Contact” options towards the bottom. Got a CSR and gave a simple message. Person of course told me he could not directly talk about politics or current issues but would pass it on to management. Again, your own words but be polite, concise, to the point. They can't spend time to chat with you but can pass it on. Please thank them for their time and do not be difficult.
I advise anyone else that is in Brie Larson’s racist, sexist, age-ist inclusion who subscribes to Netflix do so. Lots of SJW’s want companies to do things their way, but they aren’t going to buy anything or be good customers.
Now, even if we get a few thousand people poking they’ll still likely get Captain Marvel on Netflix - BUT I doubt they’ll pay Marvel “Milleyuns and Milleyuns” to likewise reverse the box office flop and raise our bills to do so. It’ll just get FLUSHED like SOY-LO and Last Green Milk drinking Jedi a lot sooner than any movie supposed to be a ‘blockbuster’ ever was.
And I won’t watch it - even ‘free’ on Netflix.
Coz it's third wave Femi-NOT SJW CRUD
One Man's Opinion...
Hey, I’m for “Freedom of Speech”. Not calling for Brie Larson’s name to be taken down. And she can make all the “Womyn” movies she wants. No “White Males over 40” allowed. Fine. Problem is that kinda limits the audience. IS there enough audience excluding these to support such a movie? Well, more power to the studio. I want to make my own non-PC stories also, but I wouldn’t expect them to be stuff to force on everyone’s saturday night, just a niche. She has a right to be in her kind of movies - I don’t have to buy them. With this I just want to send a message to the producers, the investors, etc. what the star and the writers are doing with their property. Is the “Womyn and intersectionals ONLY” exclusion going to get so much non-white men, no one over 40 to justify their loss from said groups? There are LOTS of “Chick Flicks”, “Special Interest” etc. movies that have tons of “Niche” audiences. But a mainstream ultra budget movie????
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Don’t see Marvel’s “Captain Marvel”
First and foremost, if you are an adult white male the main “Actress” Brie Larson said it’s not for you.
Drooling 3rd wave FemiNOT Misandrist. Modern fake ideals that are an insult to things people lived
and died for in the past. Tempted to make some non-PC remark about her belonging in Larry Flynt’s
publication then a few years later being found in a dumpster with a heroin needle in her eye.
But that’d be a horrible insult. A horrible insult to Larry’s Magazine, the ladies who’ve contributed to
it and even the hooker/strippers found dead in a dumpster.
and died for in the past. Tempted to make some non-PC remark about her belonging in Larry Flynt’s
publication then a few years later being found in a dumpster with a heroin needle in her eye.
But that’d be a horrible insult. A horrible insult to Larry’s Magazine, the ladies who’ve contributed to
it and even the hooker/strippers found dead in a dumpster.
Then Rotten Tomatoes fully edits and blocks its reviews now. No more “I don’t plan to see this movie”,
user reviews on hold, strong allegations of editing out 1 star, 2 star from statistics. Uh, when many
thousands of seperate people bomb the reviews it isn’t proof of “Fan rage” it means the movie
SUCKS no matter how much $ Disney dumps into it.
user reviews on hold, strong allegations of editing out 1 star, 2 star from statistics. Uh, when many
thousands of seperate people bomb the reviews it isn’t proof of “Fan rage” it means the movie
SUCKS no matter how much $ Disney dumps into it.
I feel safe to assume - one man’s opinion - that Rotten Tomatoes is sold out and no longer relevant.
Just a sock puppet owned by big corporations that if Disney decides to make Episode 10 of Star Wars
and it’s just Jar Jar doing grotesque sex on George Lucas for a few hours, mostly with his tongue
they’ll give it a 10/10 with one ‘radical’ critic an 8.5 to ‘prove’ they aren’t all muppets in human form
with Disney workers pulling the levers. And they’d savage any movie made by any ‘outsider’ no
matter how good it was. Again “One man’s Opinion”...
Just a sock puppet owned by big corporations that if Disney decides to make Episode 10 of Star Wars
and it’s just Jar Jar doing grotesque sex on George Lucas for a few hours, mostly with his tongue
they’ll give it a 10/10 with one ‘radical’ critic an 8.5 to ‘prove’ they aren’t all muppets in human form
with Disney workers pulling the levers. And they’d savage any movie made by any ‘outsider’ no
matter how good it was. Again “One man’s Opinion”...
Then again, I’ve seen this lesson and how people indeed repeat the same mistakes again and again.
In the late 70s/early 80s publishers began “Operation Shoot Self in Foot” or rather what we called
“Political Correctness” into the 90s. Rubbing off all the rough edges to smooth everything down
so it could be shoved down the largest throat. Ok if it chokes, just no rough edges. Also they put
out lots of “Token” publications - written by - place minority here- that were often near plagarist at
best blatant Mary Sue writing and added nothing to the genre.
“Political Correctness” into the 90s. Rubbing off all the rough edges to smooth everything down
so it could be shoved down the largest throat. Ok if it chokes, just no rough edges. Also they put
out lots of “Token” publications - written by - place minority here- that were often near plagarist at
best blatant Mary Sue writing and added nothing to the genre.
Too bad scifi/fantasy was always legit ‘progressive’ sneaking in women and black writers if they
were GOOD storytellers even taking risks to do so. Many stories by very comfortable “Privileged
White Males” that did indeed challenge the racism/sexism so entrenched at the time. Those classic
Weird Tales lurid covers were done by a Mexican single mother, btw. That’s when Black Mask
magazine had a proud triple K white hood cover.
were GOOD storytellers even taking risks to do so. Many stories by very comfortable “Privileged
White Males” that did indeed challenge the racism/sexism so entrenched at the time. Those classic
Weird Tales lurid covers were done by a Mexican single mother, btw. That’s when Black Mask
magazine had a proud triple K white hood cover.
Well, the core audience WAS 99.9% the “White male patriarchy” and if your favorite form of escape
-the latest space opera/heroic fantasy turns into a poorly written screech hating you, well you don’t
really buy it, right? And indeed said market collapsed. But this was lead by a few big publishers and
the market shrank and a friendly distributor helped choke out the smaller ones. Corporate Welfare
assured no elite with the program would go without a mansion or yacht, though they made sure Warren had huge financial troubles and Carter got cancer and died.
-the latest space opera/heroic fantasy turns into a poorly written screech hating you, well you don’t
really buy it, right? And indeed said market collapsed. But this was lead by a few big publishers and
the market shrank and a friendly distributor helped choke out the smaller ones. Corporate Welfare
assured no elite with the program would go without a mansion or yacht, though they made sure Warren had huge financial troubles and Carter got cancer and died.
We’ve had a huge vacuum in publishing of what the public wanted compared to what the publishers
decided to print. Virtually no competition till the internet opened the market. No more having to know
about it somehow despite magazines refusing to take ads, distributors refusing to ship and stores
refusing to order due to ‘exclusivity’ agreements. Then they blamed the internet when it was them
having the same generic mass appeal bland corporate stuff and less and less of it costing more and
more.
decided to print. Virtually no competition till the internet opened the market. No more having to know
about it somehow despite magazines refusing to take ads, distributors refusing to ship and stores
refusing to order due to ‘exclusivity’ agreements. Then they blamed the internet when it was them
having the same generic mass appeal bland corporate stuff and less and less of it costing more and
more.
Pretty funny - the flagship of this Failboat was Marion Zimmer Bradley - the “Sword and Sorceress
” rotten bloody tampon. But it seems (Google her name) there’s pretty horrible allegations against
her and her husband. Are the fake ideal hipster girls who shoved her in my face when I was picking
up the latest Frazetta reprint book going to burn their maybe half read copies of her books and hang
out in Barnes and Noble, running up to patrons who pick them up (they keep them in print despite
seemingly very low sales) and spraying paint on them, then when kicked out screaming outside and
throwing a trash can?
” rotten bloody tampon. But it seems (Google her name) there’s pretty horrible allegations against
her and her husband. Are the fake ideal hipster girls who shoved her in my face when I was picking
up the latest Frazetta reprint book going to burn their maybe half read copies of her books and hang
out in Barnes and Noble, running up to patrons who pick them up (they keep them in print despite
seemingly very low sales) and spraying paint on them, then when kicked out screaming outside and
throwing a trash can?
So, now comic books, movies, video games - even tabletop RPGs are doing the same SJW
pandering. Afraid of a very few “Hipster” - that’s a fake subculture created by corporate marketing
people via WIRED magazine and others - and an insult to Hippies and Beatniks and any true
Bohemians… Afraid of those vocal minorities they censor, ban, un-person, shame anything
but a bland, stupid, mass appealing and counter-sexist, counter racist against White Men who
still have most of the idle consumer buying power…
pandering. Afraid of a very few “Hipster” - that’s a fake subculture created by corporate marketing
people via WIRED magazine and others - and an insult to Hippies and Beatniks and any true
Bohemians… Afraid of those vocal minorities they censor, ban, un-person, shame anything
but a bland, stupid, mass appealing and counter-sexist, counter racist against White Men who
still have most of the idle consumer buying power…
Just DON’T buy their stuff. You support it if you do. Don’t rent it, watch it on Netflix.
Don’t even pirate it.
Don’t even pirate it.
I mean the NEW stuff.
Why not go back to where they draw the tiny sliver of any good story? The magazine rack from
the 70s, 80s. Archive org. Ebay - look for cheap reading copies not expensive "Collectors" but
dog-eared affordable copies.
the 70s, 80s. Archive org. Ebay - look for cheap reading copies not expensive "Collectors" but
dog-eared affordable copies.
You aren’t supporting them but the memory of when comics were GOOD for a while.
Fighting the code, skipping it in the Magazine world, crazy bizzare publications.
Captain Marvel is dead, let him rest in peace, tell Marvel to make up NEW heroes not chew up,
excrete, slurp up and regurgitate their same slime again and again only pausing to poison it with
Social Justice venom.
Fighting the code, skipping it in the Magazine world, crazy bizzare publications.
Captain Marvel is dead, let him rest in peace, tell Marvel to make up NEW heroes not chew up,
excrete, slurp up and regurgitate their same slime again and again only pausing to poison it with
Social Justice venom.
So if their paid ads into the “Groupthink” tug the heart strings of your nostalgia, including to younger
people for when they weren’t born yet, go to the past they feed from and do it on the cheap - avoid
this new insult to those memories.
people for when they weren’t born yet, go to the past they feed from and do it on the cheap - avoid
this new insult to those memories.
Labels:
alternative,
captain marvel,
comics,
fan,
industry,
justice,
magazine,
market,
movie,
nostalgia,
sjw,
social,
warrior
Saturday, February 9, 2019
Who’s afraid of the Big Bad Gay?
Tor is - that’s who.
https://www.tor.com/2019/02/05/how-to-handle-the-baron-harkonnen-in-a-modern-dune-adaptation/
Seems there’s pressure on the new cash grab with the label “Dune” on it to edit the story itself to take down aspects of one of the best all time sci-fi villains - the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen.
His “Gay” issue, “Fat” issue and an aspect of gay - that he likes ‘em young.
Seems it doesn’t pass Triggypuff’s standards for what we should be allowed to see, read and THINK. I’m not sure the novel directly said the Baron’s faults were related to - either direction - him being a villain. But today there’s tons of people ready to scream at the slightest thing - to champion any fashionably radical fake cause rather than doing the long and high personal sacrifice of pushing for a real one.
Just One Man’s opinion - but I think that the book was forward thinking - that perhaps by coincidence he was a fat queer who liked boys. They don’t fight him coz of that, they fight him coz he’s a monster tyrant and the enemy of the family of the hero of the story.
Would you diminish Paul then for some reason…
OH! Wait! The Triggypuffs are doing just exactly that -
https://www.escapistmagazine.com/v2/2019/02/08/dunes-paul-atreides-is-the-ultimate-mighty-whitey/
https://prometheanplayground.wordpress.com/tag/white-savior-trope/
So, we’ll have Baron Harkonnen be either non-sexual, not too fat, maybe THIN...Uh, what about the Suspenders - well cheaper to get some goodwill prop and spray FlexSeal on them for a quick space age rubber - he’s got LITERAL suspenders. He’s a WHITE Hick - whitey is evil! It’s ok to be racist against whitey. Then they’ll get a token black actor to play Paul. Hallp us, them Harkonnen whitey be oh-pressin’ us…
Heh, Herbert is Rolling in his grave.
They’d butcher Dune worse than the movies butchered John Norman’s “Gor” series…
The authors of Last Unicorn and Clan of the Cave-Bear will go "What WAS I thinking... Compared to what they did to Dune, they only changed a few things, nothing that big..."
I actually welcome this. The Triggypuff stupid whining.
COZ - this will get more people to BOYCOTT the movie. I think I’m going to find some way to contact investors and organize a writing campaign. IF they are going to adapt the books but butcher them, just DON’T make the movie - we’ll make sure it flops. AND - frankly, the p---y hat, triggypuff crowd will do the work and probably some vandalism too without even being asked - coz when you give them a tenth of an inch they hate you worse for not handing them a mile on an ethically sourced silver platter.
IMO there should be NO movie made of Dune, save Jodorowsky's version. Period.
See downthread, I went over this much more but here's a TL/DR...
It’d be a 14 hour nightmare that’d bankrupt the studio that made it but become a Rocky Horror Picture show with sci-fi Dune geeks having a weekend watching it in settings and costume. Worth it just to give modern illustrators the opportunity to worship Giger and Moebius - and to digitally resurrect Dali to be the Padishah Emperor!
Jodorosky or NOTHING for Dune.
Furthermore - well here’s an example to show how pathetic the Triggypuff outrage is - now starting to feel mature on the way to getting old - there are plenty of people now who have no idea the era it was written in. I hadn’t been born or was in tye-died-diaper covers. BUT I read a lot of scifi written in that era via the library/used bookstore and saw lots of the “Grindhouse” movies thanks to them being dumped to VHS.
One of my favs - “Women in Cages” - early Pam Grier before her “Blaxploitation” superstardom.
Best/worst of the “Women in Prison” films though that’s up for debate. Pam plays an expatriate American who due to the very real racism at the time leaves America and somehow manages to become warden at some 3rd world country prison. There she soaks in reverse racism, especially against white American prisoners “Don’ this make yew jus pin foh th’ cotton fields back home?” and takes her lesbian pick of the female prisoners, torturing them in a dungeon when the are naughty or refuse her.
Want a ‘Destructive, negative gay stereotype’ to shriek about when its re-made? Well since they’ve scrubbed out anything respectable and Tarantino’s “Grindhouse” revival is still legendary perhaps they’ll re-do this movie… Then the SJW’s can stand and hold signs and scream and scream and scream all they want, at least with some issue.
Saturday, January 5, 2019
2024 and the upcoming CopyWRONG fight.
2019 is here. Amazingly there was no post Bono/Mickey Mouse extension snuck in at the last second. One good thing of the Legitimate Ape predenting to be Presi-DON’T and his adult baby cry-fest.
I posted - check earlier history - on my favorite work - “The Prophet by Khalil Gibran” being in public domain in the USA now. I’ll make time to do some adaptations from the chapters in between my more “Pulpy” normal work somehow.
But the real fight will be for 2024.
In 2025 Jan 1 a lot of new works will enter - of particular note is Disney’s “Steamboat Willie” then year after year most of Disney’s foundational works will enter the public domain. Ones they still make a LOT of money on.
Oh, and ones that if the Copyright laws existed then as they did now we wouldn’t have had a Disneyland or really that much Disney - the people claiming to hold the rights to the properties would have demanded too much money. Or people claiming (Falsely) to hold the copyright would have extorted money forcing a lawsuit that would have bankrupted the early Disney even if he won.
I also bet if Shakespeare had had to deal with copyright as in today’s laws, we’d have never heard of him. First, he’d have been ruined paying royalties for “Punch and Judy”. Then the lack of copyright let others do his plays allowing him to grow more and more popular even after his death.
Now, I don’t really want to use “Snow White” as Walt’s slaves aka employees painted her. Uh, Shah-Azir (one of my characters) would probably (not fit for public post) and walk away. Then again, that’d be like the real fairy tale… But we need a “Public Domain” that includes stuff relative to our lifetime. And companies need to risk $ on NEW ideas, hire NEW writers.
So I’m going to be supporting and gearing up for a big Copyright fight coming in a few years. The outline will hopefully be an article I’ll include in a non-fiction book in the future.
Hey, I like Disney - as it was in the 50s/60s. Someday want to go to Disneyland (if I’m not banned for my activism) and visit the Enchanted Tiki lounge and get an authentic Dole whip… And I’m for them selling their products forever and making money off of them. Well I hate what they did to Star Wars, but I simply do NOT buy Star Wars products anymore. And I don’t “Steal” them, don’t worry, nor will I advocate it. Simply put I’ll buy used, nothing beyond Expanded Universe/Clone wars - so no $ to Disney that way.
If Disney does try to sneak in another extension there will be a huge fight this time.
And there are a lot of precedents that will help fight them. I’ve already set aside some examples and plans, but won’t tell about those.
So I’ll use one that’s been in the news and I bet made their lawyers sh-t bricks: Sherlock Holmes. The “Heirs” got their arses handed to them legally in court recently. Same thing, late Penny Dreadful era character they want to keep ownership to in perpetuity abusing “Trademark”. Got taken to court by people not feeling like throwing them money. And they lost big time with a precedent. Other characters, like the original Buck Rogers and Fu-Manchu will soon follow.
It’s widely agreed on that if the internet existed in the late 90s as it did today the Bono/Disney thing would not have passed. By the time 2024 rolls around there will be strong precedent and massive public outrage that would follow any official the rest of their lives with no privacy anymore. Also charges of bribery filed by political rivals to get votes. Unless their dream is to retire to a tiny apartment in Disneyland/Disney world and walk around in costume as a non-actively working mascot its not certain even Disney can dump enough money to overcome it this time.
My idea - for a sane compromise is for them to use “Trademark” not as a stick to try to extort CopyRight to perpetuity but to -as intended- preserve brand recognition. Something they are kind of doing, but too overblown - I read the fine print on a “Disney Fairies” calendar - Tinkerbell and extended stuff - and it seemed they’d sue a teenage girl for cutting out the pages/figures and sticking them on her locker - even if she didn’t “Re-Sell” or copy them.
I think Disney was really horrible over their legal attack on a classic underground comic - “Air Pirates Funnies” which should have been covered by parody. They should ALLOW such garbage - even if they hate it - also people selling blatant parody t-shirts, etc.
But - they could trademark “Authentic Disney Product” and use that to make sure parents know they are buying a Mickey Mouse product, not a XXX scat gore bizzaro parody meant to trick them for Lulz… Then encourage “Parody use of Disney Character” label on product using such sources, at least for things with covers that might confuse people. Re-Publish AirPirates Funnies, make sequels even far more horrible - but logo on the front warning parody/non authentic coz really you want a parent to buy it and kids get scarred for life seeing Mickey killing Minnie and (bleep) in her Jack the Ripper removed (bleep)? Uh, that's for -chan boards, people...not a book printed and in the bookstore.
That’d be a sane compromise and just as in Japan the amount a product gets 'parody' argues how socially relevant it is.
Monday, December 3, 2018
Worried about Barnes and Noble
Got a gift card from Barnes and Noble...
It's good I guess, I like that bookstore/coffeshop.
Problem is - its better competitor, Borders did that a lot before closing. They also did all the same mistakes that Hastings did and now B&N does also.
Mostly - KIDS...
Really we have 1/3 of the store walled off into some kind of Kindergarten PAYground. Only see kids there as part of school planned events. But 1/3 of the store where an adult can not go unless accompanied by a child or at least an employee. Really, let's say I got the gumption to read Peter Pan, Pinocchio or Winnie the Pooh as an adult, maybe buy a good quality hardbound deluxe book... And even later at night when its empty dare to sneak in to look for it - "Can I HELP YOU!?!?" suddenly an employee with a forced sh-t eating grin bothering you like you are Chester the Molester ready to put a bunch of kids into a burlap sack and take them away like Krampus should the rotten brats...
On that note, 'rotten brats' well another few isles beyond the kids section is devoted to TOYS. That's so adults can buy them as gifts I guess. Some neat toys, "Why didn't they have toys like this when I was a kid!?" Also stuff like gak and slime that kids love to THROW. I've found Gak/Slime all over books. But most are too juvenile so you only buy them if as a gift for a kid.
I also like the "Vinyl" section. Why spend 1 second on Youtube or at worst subscribe to GooglePlay when you can spend $20-$40 and load a plastic record? But Hipsters - the modern fake beatniks, fake hippies are programmed to like it, maybe it does sell, I sure hope so.
I do like the board game/rpg section but little time to play them.
Now, not being pessimistic - I hope B&N finds a way to keep in business. I'll go there but still support my local bookstore when they open up again and they might.
BUT - here's my advice/suggestion/plea
1 - unless it is doing REAL GOOD please DITCH the kids stuff. Really, I'm hardcore "Bohemian" who likes to occasionally sit at a bookstore/coffeshop with my latte going over notes on my latest novel - really fun having "Gak" thrown in there by a screaming brat and the staff is so dumb they don't even give me another one without me buying it, too busy talking to their friends.
2 - Get more Magazines. Different distributors. You stores use the same distributor now, and lots of stuff save places like Seattle are excluded. Work out sane deals so they can be in different regions. In my town we used to have a store that almost specialized in periodicals and it was nearly as big as a Barnes and Noble, tons of different and mostly short-lived magazines - they did pretty good but the owners retired and kids weren't interested in continuing. But I know you could get thrice the selection if you wanted to, like really all those 'arts and crafts' magazines that DON'T sell, all the "Christian" and Agitprop "Mann Coulter" piles of books gathering dust... You got the room even without messing with #1...
3 - more books. Don't bloat the sections, go for different books. Social, political in a radical sense, better tech section for the MAKE/STEM crowd. More scifi/fantasy that isn't excreted in the SHi-TOR - on that note... see next.
4 - Indie books - work with places like Lulu to make print on demand limited releases and direct to bookstore order. NO "Deal" required with any major publisher. There's lots of neat fantasy, scifi, literature that's written by people who were just turned down for no good reason or didn't bother to try after the 30th rejection but then sell a lot of books online. Give the tired, boring big publishers a run for their money. I'm not saying break the bank making someone's "Look mommy I maded my fiwst novel!" project go nationwide... But a few random printings, different ones different bookstores, perhaps print extra if a title starts selling, and if people miss it they can ask another one be printed...? Leave some "reading copies" marked as such that if ditched get sold cheap. Likewise books give royalties if sold but if stolen, dumped no royalty just issues with printing cost I'm sure can work with Lulu or other Print On Demand operations to make manageable.
5 - on the "Indie" please do be nice to "local authors" even if they don't sign up with major chains. Never asked at B&N but the other guys Borders refused due to not being part of a chain. I love "By local author" but only if signed with Tor or whatever - NOT.
It's good I guess, I like that bookstore/coffeshop.
Problem is - its better competitor, Borders did that a lot before closing. They also did all the same mistakes that Hastings did and now B&N does also.
Mostly - KIDS...
Really we have 1/3 of the store walled off into some kind of Kindergarten PAYground. Only see kids there as part of school planned events. But 1/3 of the store where an adult can not go unless accompanied by a child or at least an employee. Really, let's say I got the gumption to read Peter Pan, Pinocchio or Winnie the Pooh as an adult, maybe buy a good quality hardbound deluxe book... And even later at night when its empty dare to sneak in to look for it - "Can I HELP YOU!?!?" suddenly an employee with a forced sh-t eating grin bothering you like you are Chester the Molester ready to put a bunch of kids into a burlap sack and take them away like Krampus should the rotten brats...
On that note, 'rotten brats' well another few isles beyond the kids section is devoted to TOYS. That's so adults can buy them as gifts I guess. Some neat toys, "Why didn't they have toys like this when I was a kid!?" Also stuff like gak and slime that kids love to THROW. I've found Gak/Slime all over books. But most are too juvenile so you only buy them if as a gift for a kid.
I also like the "Vinyl" section. Why spend 1 second on Youtube or at worst subscribe to GooglePlay when you can spend $20-$40 and load a plastic record? But Hipsters - the modern fake beatniks, fake hippies are programmed to like it, maybe it does sell, I sure hope so.
I do like the board game/rpg section but little time to play them.
Now, not being pessimistic - I hope B&N finds a way to keep in business. I'll go there but still support my local bookstore when they open up again and they might.
BUT - here's my advice/suggestion/plea
1 - unless it is doing REAL GOOD please DITCH the kids stuff. Really, I'm hardcore "Bohemian" who likes to occasionally sit at a bookstore/coffeshop with my latte going over notes on my latest novel - really fun having "Gak" thrown in there by a screaming brat and the staff is so dumb they don't even give me another one without me buying it, too busy talking to their friends.
2 - Get more Magazines. Different distributors. You stores use the same distributor now, and lots of stuff save places like Seattle are excluded. Work out sane deals so they can be in different regions. In my town we used to have a store that almost specialized in periodicals and it was nearly as big as a Barnes and Noble, tons of different and mostly short-lived magazines - they did pretty good but the owners retired and kids weren't interested in continuing. But I know you could get thrice the selection if you wanted to, like really all those 'arts and crafts' magazines that DON'T sell, all the "Christian" and Agitprop "Mann Coulter" piles of books gathering dust... You got the room even without messing with #1...
3 - more books. Don't bloat the sections, go for different books. Social, political in a radical sense, better tech section for the MAKE/STEM crowd. More scifi/fantasy that isn't excreted in the SHi-TOR - on that note... see next.
4 - Indie books - work with places like Lulu to make print on demand limited releases and direct to bookstore order. NO "Deal" required with any major publisher. There's lots of neat fantasy, scifi, literature that's written by people who were just turned down for no good reason or didn't bother to try after the 30th rejection but then sell a lot of books online. Give the tired, boring big publishers a run for their money. I'm not saying break the bank making someone's "Look mommy I maded my fiwst novel!" project go nationwide... But a few random printings, different ones different bookstores, perhaps print extra if a title starts selling, and if people miss it they can ask another one be printed...? Leave some "reading copies" marked as such that if ditched get sold cheap. Likewise books give royalties if sold but if stolen, dumped no royalty just issues with printing cost I'm sure can work with Lulu or other Print On Demand operations to make manageable.
5 - on the "Indie" please do be nice to "local authors" even if they don't sign up with major chains. Never asked at B&N but the other guys Borders refused due to not being part of a chain. I love "By local author" but only if signed with Tor or whatever - NOT.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)


























