Someone Doesn’t See Writers As Artists
When you are promoting your book or company, you are a business person, an executive, even.
WTF?!!?
Let’s review:
1) Suits do not have interesting lives
2) Suits do not write interesting books
3) Suits do not write immortal books
This is what an artist looks like:
Samson Shillitoe from A Fine Madness
Gulley Jimson from The Horse’s Mouth
Apparently some people are aiming at this market:
Jesus Christ! Wait for me to scour my eyes and I’ll be back!
OK then.
I’d rather aim at them:
They might be sloppy, but they’re alive!
What a book signing with me would be like …
Bookseller: Mr. Cane! You just told that woman who bought your book to fuck off!
Mr. Cane: And she loved both syllables of it!
Explore posts in the same categories: Books - Other, Personal, Reference - Writing, Uncategorized, Writers - Living, Writing
Mike Cane 2008 
August 18, 2008 at 8:39 am
Mike, I hope I’m at the same book-signing table you are some day. Man, we would have fun with the punters.
But, yes, this mercantile attitude frequently creeps into all aspects of the arts, people taking up writing (or painting or whatever) to get rich, to get famous, but never, it seems, to create lasting, meaningful art. Everyone believes they have a book in them– unfortunately for most of these people, that particular book is wedged squarely up their arses…
August 18, 2008 at 11:21 am
Cliff, this is the truth. On another blog I left a comment ragging on that “Everyone has a book in them” nonsense. My comeback? “Then have goddammed surgery!”
You just told me *where* they need to have the surgery! Thanks.