What is wrong with you, dear friend? Are you sick, or something happened in your family? Take a few days off and write a book finally?
For a long time, books are not written by those who know how to write them, but those that find a sponsor. If you are not signed as an author of at least one book, it means that you are not capable enough. So I saw a book in which it is said: sponsor of a main page is 'Bakery children and pretzels', sponsor is 'Pizzeria Mama mia', sponsor is burger place 'Mac Dobrivoje', sponsor of the first chapter is a 'Shop for car wash Tsunami'... Number of the writers of the books is growing and there are fewer and fewer readers. I even held in my hand some books which were published with so many mistakes, that I am sure that they were not read not even lectors, reviewers or people who signed the first page. There are books, believe it or not, which were not read by their authors. They are only stated as authors, and they paid the others to do that job for them. Later, they were too lazy to read 'their own' work, or they are illiterate. Such an illiterate 'writer' was discovered by coincidence, because on the promotion, held in front of hundreds of people in elite hotel, because he couldn't sign the copies of his book. The visitors got for memory at least fingerprints. One writer complained to me recently: -I paid a man to make up my book, I paid a girl to do correction and lecture, I paid a designer to make covers, but I can't find anyone who will, for a good fee, be the first reader of my book.
I was recently with a colleague, writer from England in the best Belgrade bookstores. They all have lists of bestsellers. I read to Michael the names of the authors of the bestsellers and explained what their main jobs were:
- The first on the list is the book of the ex-minister of the police, then ex chief of state security, then of ex manager of the prison, then comes protected witness, then criminal convicted on the highest prison punishment, then convict on twenty years of prison, and at the bottom of the list are smaller criminals, and at the end prostitutes. So hierarchy is strictly respected. Once people used to write books and went to prison because of them. Today is different, because they first get convicted, and then they write books in prison.
- And what happened with the real writers? - Michael was interested.
- They don't write anymore.
- They went into politics-1 explained to the Englishman. Interesting question-why does everybody write books? Glory can't be a reason, because they are written by the most famous too. Money is even less probable motive, because everybody is ready to finance a book, without expectations to see their money come back. Membership in the Association of writers, is also, out of the question, because most of the members have never published a book. By publishing a book, you actually, risk that authorized committee throws you out of the association. Getting attention is not a reason, because you will be noticed if you don't publish a book.
And why on Earth am I writing all of this when I am aware that no one is going to read it? I don't know, kill me, but I don't know. In Serbia, you don't have to live, but you must write.