Currents
Online Journal
Pearl Street Publishing
January 2012
Currents 1.13.2012:
This year will be devoted to freedom
of expression. As we approach Martin Luther King's birthday celebration, be reminded that
he spoke out against the Vietnam War as well as for equal rights for all. His eloquence
and courage were so compelling that he willingly made the ultimate sacrifice. Martin
Luther King, Jr on violence:
The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very
thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence
you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through
violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder the hate. In fact, violence merely
increases hate.... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper
darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only
light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
The question is do we as a people have the courage to speak out for justice?
This year will be devoted to freedom of expression. As we approach Martin Luther King's
birthday celebration, be reminded that he spoke out against the Vietnam War as well as for
equal rights for all. His eloquence and courage were so compelling that he willingly made
the ultimate sacrifice. Martin Luther King, Jr on violence:
The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral,
begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies
it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish
the truth. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder the hate. In fact,
violence merely increases hate.... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence,
adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out
darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
The question is do we as a people have the courage to speak out for justice?
Sherry Seiber, Publisher |
The Know Something Project,
a sister site of Pearl Street Publishing, currently features an in-depth look at the
growing, multi-faceted e-book industry. From e-readers such as the Kindle and the Sony
Reader to retailers such as Fictionwise and ScribD (and the players such as Simon and
Schuster (which just signed on to sell digital copies of some of its titles on ScribD) and
Google, e-publishing is on the brink of something big.
ReadGreen is a new initiative that encompasses aspects of electronic as well as
print-on-demand publishing. For more information, read Currents,
a comment on technology and the independent press-the last bastion of freedom of
expression.
The Gutenberg Project is a must view
for all readers. It is a volunteer effort which has produced 25,000 free e-books which are
accessible without limitation. These books' copyrights have expired.
The distinction which the Project makes between free of charge and freedom of use is
fascinating in this era of "monetizing" everything. From The Gutenberg Project
website:
This distinction
is immaterial if you just want to read a book privately, but it becomes of utmost
importance if you want to work with the book:
- you are a teacher and want to use the book in class,
- you wrote a thesis about the book and want to distribute the book along with your
thesis,
- you have a literary web site and want to distribute the book to your audience,
- or you are a writer and want to adapt the book for the stage.
If the book you got is just free of charge, you may do none of the
above things. You may not even make a copy of the book and give it
to your best friend. But if the book you got is free as in freedom you may do
anything you like with that book. Clearly free as in freedom beats free of
charge.
February 4, 2009
Amazon's Kindle e-book reader is wondrous
and elitist. It is wondrous because a reader can download books directly to the Kindle
within 30 seconds anywhere anytime. Recently, I read John Updike's obituary on Kindle and
downloaded his last book, The Widows of Eastwick, while sitting by the ocean. In
the middle of the night when the reality of the next great Depression sets in, I have
downloaded John Adams by David McCullough, The Great Depression and the New Deal
by Eric Rauchway, and Bad Money by Kevin Phillips. These titles and
others I have downloaded range from $1.50 to $9.99 which are substantially less than
hard copies of the same books. There is no monthly fee for the whispernet radio wave
service that brings the books to your Kindle without the need for computer hook up
or wifi hot spot.
It is elitist, however, because the Kindle costs $349.00 and can only access
Amazon's designed-for- Kindle books. Unlike Adobe's PDF format, which is uniformly
available, Kindle e-books are not. While we at Pearl Street Publishing have begun designing our books
as Kindle books without having to pay fees, the Kindle daily blog continue to discuss the
same authors and publishers who dominate Amazon and other book retailers. Tom Clancy
was added to the list of exciting new Kindle authors today. Presumably publishers pay
Amazon for such advertisements as well as placements as "other books" a reader
may be interested in. It is curious that the book business, in dire straits for many
years, would change nothing about their business model except the distribution.
Kindle/Amazon receives 65% of the book price.
Change has come to the book business; there is no doubt of that.
HarperCollins' earnings are predicted to be down 90% at the end of their
fiscal year in June of 2009. Now is the time to make change meaningful. The wondrous technology behind Amazon's Kindle could be used to
inform the reading public of fresh voices from independent presses as well as the already
well-known authors from mega media corporations. As we celebrate Black History Month in
2009, we recommend two books whose authors are the change. One Sister's Song by Karen DeGroot Carter and Lady Bird by Sheryl Mebane. Both these books deserve to
be read.
ReadGreen
As we watch the global markets in turmoil
and hear we are on the brink of another world-wide Depression, it is time to ReadGreen. We recently launched Offerte,
The Burnt Offerings by Jon Marie Broz, a poetry
collection, whose varied formats reflect Pearl Street Publishing's ReadGreen concept. Offerte
is available in hardback or paperback via print-on-demand technology. A reader can
purchase either format when ordering Offerte through Amazon. The book is then printed and dropped-shipped
within 48 hours. Offerte and other Pearl Street books are available as Kindle
e-books, as well.
There is more to ReadGreen than saving the paper and fossil fuels required to
distribute hard copies of books. The revolutionary aspect of reading green centers on our
belief that individual freedom of expression must be advanced throughout the world.
We were pleased to be recognized by the Yale Review as an independent press
publishing new voices that deserve to be heard. But recognition of the historical
fact that the "independent press" has always been at the forefront of
publishing fresh voices and new ideas, is not enough.
Through ReadGreen, we are committed, not only to utilizing technology
to produce and distribute the written word, but to tearing down barriers to freedom of
expression wherever they exist.
Always Current
Pearl Street Publishing is located on
Old South Pearl Street in Denver, Colorado. We are housed in a Victorian house built before the turn of the 20th
century. While we honor that heritage, we embrace the exciting technological
revolution that has ushered us into the 21st century. We are committed to the
proposition that all of us who love to read will benefit from these marvelous
advances. In that spirit, we invite you to browse in the
Pearl Street Publishing Online Bookstore, which was created in July of 2002, so
long ago that PayPal was not yet owned by E-Bay.
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