Mark Gilroy

Bringing Books to Life!

Search Results for: label/college football debate

Is America Getting Dumber?

In an opinion piece for the Dallas News, Susan Jacoby argues that Americans are getting dumber, in large measure due to the triumph of video over the written word. She is quite alarmed at the continuing and accelerating declines in the reading habits of Americans:

Reading has declined not only among the poorly educated, according to a report by the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1982, 82 percent of college graduates read novels or poems for pleasure; two decades later, only 67 percent did. And more than 40 percent of Americans under 44 did not read a single book – fiction or nonfiction – over the course of a year. The proportion of 17-year-olds who read nothing more than doubled between 1984 and 2004. This time period, of course, encompasses the rise of personal computers, Web surfing and video games.

Now there are all sorts of arguments on what constitutes learning and intelligence and that it is possible that an antiquated educational system imposes and over emphasizes book-based activity and testing as true indicators of intelligence.

For an argument on the efficacy of reading over video and other new media forms (and why “experts” who recommend videos for babies are crazy), visit Jacoby’s article and I’ll let her do the heavier intellectual lifting. (I’ve got to start reading more.)

I’ll simply cite an inspirational morsel of wisdom from a friend and one of my favorite people in the world, Charlie “Tremendous” Jones:

You are the same today as you’re going to be in five years except for two things, the people you meet and the books you read.

He shifts the discussion beyond the realm of intelligence to encompass personal change and growth — including an active thought life through books. (He also makes a great case that if you want to be bright and intelligent, you need to start hanging out with bright and intelligent people — and avoiding those with the opposite characteristics. Again, that’s another day and another blog!)

One of the most enduring complaints in life is that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Unfortunately, that really does seem to be the case in regard to the most precious commodity in today’s global intelligence society; intellectual capital.

Not a single book in the past year? Not even one? I’m sure that some individuals who fall in that category really are alert and aware — but how many? And I’m positive that some of us who read a lot of books might still fall into the numbed (and dumbed), dazed, and preoccupied category of the mentally saturated who are decently infotained — but not really engaged in the issues of our day with the thoughtfulness and introspection that can only come when you actually know a few things that you can bring to the conversation.

Whatever import you wish to put on actual books — I learn in other ways — I’ll simply agree and say “fine, have at it; whatever works for you.” But for the person who thinks he or she has arrived and doesn’t need a plan for lifelong learning, I’ll quote the great educator and philosopher John Dewey:

The aim of education is to enable individuals to continue their education …

Or how about the words of Thomas Jefferson:

I know of no safe repository of the ultimate power of society but people. And if we think them not enlightened enough, the remedy is not to take the power from them, but to inform them by education.

The proliferatin of the written word made Jefferson’s admonition easily accessible to all of us — with or without help from government.

Is America getting dumber and does it matter? I’m not sure but I think there’s a special on E! that answers that question that I’ll try to catch tonight.

Random Thoughts On Getting Older (or “happy birthday to me”)

The joys of getting older.

Turning 50 – what changes?

In case I didn’t remember that tomorrow is my birthday, Facebook came up with an app that makes sure I and a host of well-wishers – along with a few trash talkers – are very aware that I am about to have another number added to my age. Last year was the big five-oh so this one shouldn’t be that big of a deal. Right? But then again, it is a full year later, so maybe this and each subsequent birthday is a much greater accomplishment and deserving of more fanfare.

I started thinking about writing this blog on getting older last week and came up with a really clever title and approach to the topic, but since I didn’t write anything down I can’t remember what I had in mind. So while I’m thinking about it now, here are a few random thoughts on the aging process that just might reflect what is coming your way a good ways down the road, what you’re currently experiencing as a fellow 50-something or what things you remember (but might have forgotten) that are now in your rear view mirror.

1. Oatmeal and prescription meds are big topics of discussion. And I’m not talking idle chatter. I’m talking the fodder of deep and enthralling conversations.

2. I now routinely call each of my children by one of their sibling’s name. Despite rolled eyes or vacant stare, I don’t think they mind that much and maybe find it mildly amusing. At least until I refer to one of the boys by one of the girl’s names or vice versa.

3. Retirement is on my mind. It was a couple years ago, too. But back then I was thinking I might do it some day. After watching my accounts and home equity go the wrong direction, I now think more about not retiring some day.

4. Stretchy fabrics are underrated. Particularly fabric swatches that circle the waist.

5. The kids think Amy and I talk too loud. I think they’re crazy. I can barely hear a word Amy is saying.

6. They – whoever ‘they’ are – are right; ‘old’ is a relative term. Even if a few things hurt that I didn’t know existed in my 30’s, I really don’t feel old at almost-51. More to the point, in my copious research for this piece, I discovered ‘old’ refers to people who are five or more years advanced in age than I am. Not only that, ‘old’ is on a sliding scale and will continue to be five years out from where I am in future years.

7. Fiber is mysterious and confusing. When I think of fiber, I think of something substantial and solid. Now they (there ‘they’ are again) sell fiber – with extra roughage thrown in for good measure – in little gel caps. I don’t know what this has to do with anything but I could go on about fiber all day!

8. Many parents of young children look like children themselves. This observation isn’t actually new. It came to me 10 years ago when I took my oldest child to college and my youngest child to kindergarten. The same week.

9. The world really does need the wisdom that comes from age and experience. This wisdom is treasure to be cherished and honored. I don’t know how I ever thought that youth and energy were what made big things happen.

10. A lot of my friends in my age range are looking older these days. (This observation is only intended for certain trash talkers – and you know who you are.)

Aging. It’s no laughing matter. It’s something we all must face. And on the positive side, it certainly beats the alternative unless, of course, you are one of the drafters of Obama’s health care plan. So I’m going to get very serious now.

But first I think I’ll take an afternoon nap!

Do I Need An Agent to Sell My Book Proposal?

Q: Do I Need An Agent to Sell My Book Proposal?

A: It depends.

Do I need an agent to get a book project sold?

Do I need an agent?!

This is almost like me asking you if I need a realtor to sell my house. Okay, in light of the current housing market, that might not be a very nice parallel. But then again, a quick look at the publishing industry might make that comparison even more apt. But back to the question and topic.

In the “old days” of publishing, let’s say prior to 1990, there was a common publishing phrase that referred to an unsolicited manuscript that was sent to a publisher as something that “came in over the transom.” (A transom is literally a hinged window over a door. Think of the book return slot at a library.) In other words, a writer sent in his or her manuscript to a mail drop, which then ended up in one of several 4-foot high stacks in a junior editor’s office, and which after six or seven months of collecting dust was either rejected with a form letter – or voila, it got discovered and published. One way many publishing companies handled submissions that came over the transom was to hire college interns to sift through hundreds or thousands of manuscripts over summer break and separate the winners from the losers.

Many publishers were still leery of agents in the mid-90s. (Many still are.) Since acquisitions is the lifeblood of publishing, they preferred to take the initiative and go find someone with a marketing platform to promote their own work; if that person couldn’t write, the publisher would help them write it with a ghost writer or collaborator. If an author didn’t have a platform but had exceptional verifiable credentials – for example a professor at a university with a reputation for expertise in a particular discipline – the publisher would still take the initiative. Both of these and many other scenarios still happen all the time but even when the publisher is responsible for basic ideation, it is more common to work deals through an agent. And next to never over the transom.

The worry for publishers back in the “old days” was that once an agent was involved, he or she would demand too much money up front as an advance and too much in royalty rates and thus damage the economies of publishing. (Okay, the publishers were right on this point for many deals.) But even with that concern, sometime in the mid and late 90s, agents went from being a luxury for big name authors who wanted to sell projects to one of the big publishing companies, to a near necessity for almost all writers interested in placing a project with almost any size publishing house.

Today, many publishers will no longer receive unsolicited manuscripts from authors. They prefer and require agent involvement. In a sense, the agent, for many publishing companies, has become a way to streamline the acquisitions process – and maybe even reduce head count. (In other words, the agent has become the primary acquisitions editor for a lot of publishers.) The hardcore, full time, certified agent – and yes, there are many former editors and other publishing staffers who moonlight at agenting – earns his or her commission (more often 15%, up from 10% even a decade ago), along with a trustworthy reputation that opens doors to a variety of acquisitions editors and publishers, by carefully screening authors and projects and vouching to the publisher that the author can deliver both great material and can help market it.

What does this mean for the aspiring author? It means that finding an agent who will represent your work can feel – and be – as hard as selling the project.

So, do you need an agent? The answer is YES, if …

1. You don’t have inside connections with one or more publishers who are already disposed to buying a project from you.

2. You haven’t been approached by a publisher to write a project, which is a dream come true for anyone who has toiled with speculative work (you still might be better off with an agent if the deal seems fishy in some way).

3. You don’t have a large established platform (connection to a well defined audience that is motivated to buy from you) whereby you can guarantee a certain number of sales. (Some publishers will make a deal with this kind of author if the author commits to buying X number of copies, which becomes part of the contract. Some authors, particularly if they speak to large audiences, will then determine that they’ll make more money self-publishing.)

4. You want to be with a larger publisher (not necessarily the right option for every author or project) that will present your work to bookstores and other retailers. (I have a friend who has sold more than 1 million copies of his self-published book. He still feels dissatisfaction because the books he published with big time publishers did not do well in the trade.)

5. You have a big idea and a big audience that loves you, but don’t know the first thing about book publishing and aren’t really fond of writing.

That list isn’t close to being exhaustive and even if you can turn each point around and answer it conversely, you still may not need or want an agent. And acquiring the services of a well connected agent who really believes in your work is no guarantee that your work will be purchased by a publisher at all, much less at terms that feel reasonable to you. Plus, today there are many more professional quality self-publishing options available to the aspiring author. (Click here for my blog on whether self-publishing is for you.)

So do you need an agent? Unless you have the ways and means to sell a self-published work or have incredible connections within the publishing community, the answer is undoubtedly yes.