A Single Hair at the End of a Very Long Tail

Interesting numbers from Chris Anderson's book The Long Tail (Hyperion, 2006):

In 2004, 950,000 books out of the 1.2 million tracked by Nielsen BookScan sold fewer than 99 copies. Another 200,ooo sold fewer than 1,000 copies. Only 25,000 sold more than 5,000 copies. The average book in America sells about 500 copies. In other words, about 98% of books are noncommercial, whether they were intended that way or not.

 I know I am not retiring on the royalties from my books any time soon.

What is the incentive to publish in print rather than on the web if there is no commercial advantage anyway? 

Flattening world

In this morning's e-mail:

respected sir,
 we are organising a small book fair at pathsala, a
little village in india. we are publishing your
article 'The Future of Books' from the website in the
souvenir as we saw that "permission to use this column
for non-profit use is freely given". This letter is
for your kind intimation about it.
 Congratulating you for writing such a beautifull
article and your ideas which are expressed so
vividly.

for editorial board,
UDAYAN BOOK FAIR
Pathsala

 Amazing...

Vanity file and Creative Commons

I had nearly forgotten that at the bottom of each page of this blog rest these words:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

 The implications of putting such a statement there came home to me when I looked at today's snail mail. The "winter SOLSTICE 2005" E-Zine from Ms Elaine Harger from out in Snoqualmie, WA, appeared. Tightly bound with Scotch tape, it's a wonderful creation - seven 8 1/2" x 11" photocopied sheets, folded in half, becoming a small booklet of a marvelously illustrated personal information, all making sort of,  well, a big Christmas letter. And I received it because Ms Harger reprinted my blog bit about Bullshit Literacy. She was very sweet and included a handwritten note (great handwriting!) stating  her "rule is that, whoever's name appears gets a copy." I could not be more proud of being "published."

My basement office holds several large plastic tubs I call my vanity files. These hold the physical copy of every magazine, journal or book in which my writing has appeared. Why I started collecting these materials and why I continue to do so, I haven't quite figured out. Perhaps it is to simply annoy my children who will need to dispose of them when I shuffle off this mortal coil. Or that deep down I don't trust computers keep my words of wisdom into perpetuity - that only paper and ink can be counted on not to crash. Anyway, I am proudly adding Ms Harger's E-Zine to the files.

A person has to wonder how many places one's writing will appear in print under the Creative Common's license. I would guess Ms Harger is uncommonly polite in sending me a copy of her publication - and that I can never hope to know about most printings. Is this how sperm donors feel?

I'd just never thought anyone would actually take advantage of the Creative Commons license!

 Anyway, I wish Ms Harger all the very best and thank her for her newsletter. I was genuinely touched by her bittersweet request to newsletter readers to "share a beer and have a chat" with her estranged friend Charles still in NYC. Would that anyone who once loved me, think of me even half as kindly as Ms Harger thinks of Charles.