And The Devil Smiled

I'm still trying to take in the devastating news about Leisure Books. Their future is uncertain, it seems. At least from some of the rumors I've been hearing.

I've been a huge fan of what Leisure has done for the horror genre in the past couple of years. Yet part of me felt that their time was short. That's part of why I did this recent essay.

As sad as it makes me, I have doubts that there is a huge market for the kind of horror Leisure has given us. I think more readers crave things like Twilight, Sookie Stackhouse, and Anita Blake, than Edward Lee and Jack Ketchum.

And it kind of seemed too good to be true. Terrific horror coming out monthly, at extremely reasonable prices. When things seem too good to be true to me, that usually means that they will be ending soon.

The Digital Revolution is upon us. That became viscerally obvious on Black Friday, August 6th, 2010. Our most beloved publisher swiped the rug out from under us.

I don't blame Don D'Auria. He strikes me as a good guy that genuinely loves the genre.

Yet when I heard the news, I was crushed. I felt so sick and sad when I thought not only about the loss of real books, but the effect it might have on Leisure authors. And I thought about the printing presses, the book salespeople, the drivers, and the ink manufacturers.

I've driven through a small town probably fifty times in the last couple of years. I hated the smell of the paper mill that was the lifeblood of that town. It's no longer a problem. The paper mill closed down, effectively destroying the town. What will happen to all of those people? Welfare?

I hate to see those self-checkout lanes in grocery stores. THEY save money that way, but, funny, I don't see the customers getting much of a break. I believe the same will happen with e-books. The cost will be the same, but authors and readers won't get a break. They'll probably dupe you into thinking you're getting a great deal because of the convenience of being able to instantaneously get any book.

I'm talking about the major publishers. Independent e-book publishers will probably do more for their talent and their prices will probably be a lot more reasonable.

Hell, I've already seen e-books with higher prices than hardcovers at Amazon.

Getting back to paper, I'm not certain how bad the situation is with the natural resources. Trees are renewable, aren't they? Or is sustainable the correct word now? You hear that they are, then you hear that the rainforests are disappearing.

I know one thing: I'd much prefer to see books manufactured than the damned junk mail that shows up in nearly everyone's mailboxes daily. How many people recycle it? How many just throw it away? We have drive-in filmmaking legend, Herschell Gordon Lewis, to thank for a lot of it. He was a direct mail advertising pioneer.

At least with books, people cherish them. Pass them on to friends and loved ones. Donate them to charities.

But, really, it's the pocket-sized books I'll miss. I love them. If Leisure follows up on their announced plans to continue to publish in trade paperbacks using the POD technology, I'll buy my Laymons, my Lee books, Bryan Smith, Nate Kenyon, and all of my other favorites. Depending on the prices, I may be more reticent in trying out new writers.

Whatever happens, I'll still buy books as long as they're available. I have no plans to buy an electronic gadget to do my reading. You can laugh, or have contempt for me. The fact is, I love books. I know we all do, but I really, really love books. So much so that I can't contribute to something that is putting books on the endangered species list.