Mike Jastrzebski's Blog, page 107

Will bookstores grow extinct?

As a writer, I find I need to know about my industry. I do my best to read and keep up, and those who follow such things know that the world of publishing is in quite a bit of turmoil these days.  Many tech gurus and eBook advocates are predicting the end of the bookstore as we know it.

Earlier this week, I gave a talk at a Literary Ladies Luncheon — a brilliant marketing endeavor at the independent mystery bookstore, Murder on the Beach, up the road in Delray Beach, FL.  During the question and answer session, one of the ladies in the audience asked me what I thought about eReaders such as the Kindle, and did I think bookstores were becoming obsolete.  Since I am the owner of two eReaders, a Kindle and an iPad, and such devices are often seen as the antiChrist incarnate by independent booksellers, this was potentially very thin ice.  But as one who dreams of selling a new book soon and a tropics dweller who knows nothing about ice, I plunged right in.

Do I think brick and mortar bookstores are going to survive the eBook revolution?  My answer is yes, but only if they are able to adapt to this swiftly changing world.  Frankly,  I don't think the big chains like B&N and Borders will make it.  They have too much invested in all their many locations and now antiquated methods of operation that include warehousing books, trucking them across the country, and permitting booksellers to return unsold copies.  The Kobo and the Nook are both likely to go the way of the 8- track, too, as too-little-too-late devices.

When people suggest that bookstores may become obsolete, the print lovers first defense is that the serendipity of the browsing experience cannot be duplicated online.  As one who has spent many joyous hours perusing the shelves of hundreds of different brick and mortar bookstores, I understand this argument.  There's nothing like the smell of books, right? But stand outside one of those stores with crowded cafes and check out how many customers exit with a bag full of books.  How many of those stalwart defenders of independent bookstores actually buy most of their books at Walmart, Costco or Amazon?  Price and convenience often trump the "bookstore browsing experience" — and that was happening long before the Kindle showed up on the scene.

Charles Darwin wrote,  "It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change."

Like it or not, the digital revolution has hit the world of books.  In order to survive, independent bookstores are going to have to build on their current strength, and that is the ability to build a community.  Many stores such as Miami's Books and Books already often have coffee bars, free Internet and many author events.  And best of all, they have intelligent, well-read and wise employees who can guide customers through the overwhelming number of books published today.

These attributes are wonderful, but I don't think they are enough to prevent our independent bookstores from becoming extinct in today's digital world. When you walk into a bookstore, you see hundreds of discreet, independent, stand alone  products.  The only thing that connects these analog products to the consumer is the bookseller.

Humanity is all about making connections.  One of the most powerful aspects of eBooks is their ability to link — to each other and to the world.  EBooks are searchable and the shelf space in the digital store is not nearly so finite, so the midlist and indie authors who can never find their books on the shelves of the brick and mortar stores, find they are welcomed back into the digital world.  A mega-bookstore can have an inventory of more than 250,000 books.  The digital bookstore's capacity is boundless.

In the digital bookstore (of which Amazon currently reigns as king), the content of the books and the purchasing history of the clients are entered into a database, so that when you enter the store, you are presented with specially selected products based on your last visit.  When you view products, you are offered similar products that other people often bought. The store offers reader review space and forums so that customers can communicate with each other.  And in this way, the digital bookseller is creating a community, too, and it is a much larger community.

I believe that the independent booksellers who will survive will be those who recognize this need to create a unique community of book lovers.  When we start reading most of our books on screens, we need physical human contact more than ever.  Rather than seeing eBooks as the enemy, I think the independents who embrace the digital as well as the analog will survive.  How many independent bookstore websites offer customers the chance to post reviews of, comments on, or debates about their favorite books?  How many stores post podcasts on their websites of their author events so that those who can't attend in person can still take part?  If they have podcasts, can customers comment on them?  How many host book swap nights or singles nights or character dress-up parties?  What about video contests of short videos reenacting favorite scenes from books with gala awards ceremonies?  Independent stores need to find creative ways to make their stores fun places for book lovers to gather and meet and  talk — not just to sip coffee and stare at computer screens.

The independent store that goes out and hires some kid to create an app for authors to sign digital books, then offers several touch screen tablets, each with a stylus, for visiting authors to do a digital signing of books purchased in store via the store's Amazon affiliate link — will be a store that understands what Darwin was talking about and successfully evolves into the digital world.  And those independent booksellers will understand that you can't really make friends with people on Amazon.

What about it?  Do you think bookstores will be around ten years from now, and if so, what will they look like?

Fair winds,

Christine

Visions of things to come.

By Mike Jastrzebski

Tropical Storm Nicole is passing by and it's one of those rare days in South Florida when it rains all day long. One of the things I like about Ft. Lauderdale is that it rarely rains in the mornings or early afternoon. Even an evening or nighttime storm is usually a two hour affair. It's not just the damp dreariness of an all-day rain that bothers me; it's the reminders of things to come.

I've posted before that my wife and I are planning to take our boat, Rough Draft, cruising full-time next spring. I've also written that we've been sitting at the dock for four years while I've been working on several novels. The Storm Killer and Key Lime Blues are now available as e-books and my third book Dog River Blues will be available by the end of the year.

The problem with sitting at the dock and writing is that I have not been working on the boat. The rain reminds me of what I have to look forward to. I took a nap today and was surprised to have water dripping on my shoulder. There's another leak in one of the clothes lockers, one between the V-berth and the head, two where my wife sits and another in the cupboard where we store our dishes. And these are just the ones we've found.

Unfortunately, if I've learned anything since we bought the boat it's that I don't like to do a little work here and a little there. I'd rather take six months and work on the boat eight hours a day than to work a few hours a week on projects. This gives me plenty of time to write, but it leaves me with a growing to do list.

How about you? Are you the kind of person who takes care of a problem as soon as it rears its ugly head, or do you wait until you have a hefty list to complete?

Get It On The Cleat

A few blog posts have appeared on this site concerning the range of emotions one experiences when watching novice boaters approach the dock. Today, I'd like to take on a variation of this topic and discuss a taboo subject that affects many of us – onboard communication between captain and crew.  This subject is especially important to authors who want to "Write on the Water" lest you take to the sea alone.

My own observation is that there is a very tight correlation between a skipper's competence and the decibel level of his exchanges with the crew. I have seen this truism demonstrated on more than one occasion aboard one of the 12-meter America's Cup boats out of Newport. The 12-meters are the Ferrari's of their day. In many respects they are museum pieces. Yet, when sailing for hire, these boats frequently carry an assortment of landlubbers. Even so, the skipper aboard one of the 12-meters might utter something such as "please sit back here" or "watch that line" when the more appropriate reaction would be to scream: "watch out you stupid dolt, can't you see that the boom is going to knock you silly!"

But even the best skippers rely on some form of active communication when taking on tasks such as docking or approaching mooring. An article in a recent boating magazine addressed this fact and advocated the use of hand signals between the person at the helm and the person at the bow. This same article suggested that some level of prior coordination was required so that both parties understand the nature of the commands. While I am all for planning and coordination, my own experience suggests that no prior coordination is required as the standard hand signals are well understood by anyone accustomed to city driving, and, in any event, experience suggests that these signals are better left ashore.

Personally, I have fine-tuned a communication system that relies on neither gesturing nor voice commands. In addition, very little training is required and the method seems work well even in multi-lingual situations. This system is based on facial expressions.

It works like this: when approaching the mooring ball, the selected crewmember goes forward with a boat hook and stands ready at the bow. Assuming the crewmember is not blocking the captain's vision, the crewmember stands looking forward toward the mooring. (Note: in cases in which the crewmember is blocking the line of visibility, the captain may issue five long blasts on the air horn to correct for this error.) Nevertheless, in this instance, the crewmember has several visual indicators that may be used. Example 1: if the crew member turns, looks back at the skipper and tilts their face to the right while opening their mouth wide they are communicating the message: "hurry up already, bozo, you'll never get us to the mooring at this pace." Example 2: conversely, if the crewmember quickly turns their head to the helm, glares briefly at the captain before snapping their head forward and then looks down at the water near the bow, the crew member messages: "you moron you just ran over the mooring and now the line's going to wrap up on the prop like a ball of yarn." Example 3: if the crewmember faces their head forward for the entire time the boat advances toward the mooring ball and then follows with a slow turning motion toward the helm, revealing a long, extended smirk, this unmistakably means: "you dork, you missed the ball again." Lastly, every captain may be ready for the instance in which the crewmember walks back from the bow and approaches the helm, boat hook in hand, and delivers to squinted eye command to the skipper. This means: "you are relieved of your duty, now you go up there and try to snag the damn thing while I steer."

If you are fortunate, as am I, to have a wonderful spouse who is a seasoned boater, you will seldom have to rely on hand signals, yelling, or facial expressions. In these cases, the crew knows what needs to be done as the situation develops. Yet, even in these instances, you may want to watch for the development of bad habits. For example, my wife and I chartered in the British Virgin Islands some years back and we were sailing a boat that had a displacement of almost twice our own boat. We had a marvelous time, but I was always cognizant that the forces on that boat (such as the load on the sheets or the pull on the anchor line) were much more significant than we generally encounter. Without realizing it, I seemed to develop the knack of saying "get it on the cleat" when we'd pull up to a mooring. I recall that the words left my mouth as "careful honey, there's a lot of pull on that line so wrap the loop around the cleat before the tension picks up." For some reason, though, my wife seemed to hear these same words as "god damn it, tie that line down, would you already." What followed was a three-stage set of facial expressions, a virtual Morse code of commands that included: her head turning to the helm, glaring briefly at me, followed moments later by a slow turning motion revealing a smirk, that was followed by her walking back from the bow with a squinted eye gaze. Fortunately, I am attuned to these before described facial descriptions so before she had to resolve to a hand signal I said, "you know, I think you should steer us up to the mooring and I'll work the bow."

Today, "get it on the cleat" is one of our favorite jokes, which we refer to fondly as we never encounter any difficulties afloat. Isn't that right, sweetie….wait a minute, I'm getting a glaring look. Got to go, folks. Until next time.

To the Boatyard-a metaphor

By Michael Haskins

This past weekend, my friends Burt Hansen, Paul Clarin and Jim Linder, helped me move my 36-foot sailboat, Mustard Seed, to the boatyard on Stock Island. As the eagle flies, it's about a five-mile trek; as the boat floats, it's at least double that.

Burt and I have sailed for years. He and his wife, Nadja, have sailed all around the east coast delivering boats and he has worked at boat sales at various times in his life. He is a weathered sailor I always learn something from when we are out.

This was Paul's first time on my boat; he has sailed the Caribbean and is well versed in the pleasures and difficulties of sailing. Paul is a motorcycle enthusiast. He claims you get more miles for your dollar on motorcycles, as compared to boats. For a weathered sailor to go for speed with motorcycles is confusing. Sailing is about anything but speed!

Jim Linder is a Navy man, who has his own sailboat docked (and I say this with jealousy) behind his house on a canal. Jim and his wife, Barbara, have sailed with me before. He is a diver and a handy guy to have around if you have trouble (which we didn't – knock on wood).

Okay, you ask, where's the metaphor?

I don't do an outline of my whole novel. I know the beginning, maybe some of the middle, and what I want the ending to be. I may have some chapter sketches of things that can happen, twists, phony leads, and such; and I have notes on character traits. The rest is self-driven, as I write.

This trip to the boatyard (where I will get the boat surveyed by Reef Perkins so I can get insurance, and the bottom painted) began with us meeting at the city marina slip at 8 a.m. We left the slip at 8:45, about 15-minutes earlier than I expected. I had a beginning to this trip and was pretty sure I knew the ending.

This short trip to Stock Island was planned to get going by 9 a.m. and to arrive around 2 p.m. Like a novel or short story, that was the beginning and the end. Reaching the end, like getting to the boatyard in this case, is what writing and sailing is all about.

Once that fist chapter is written, the book takes on a life of its own. After Mustard Seed was out of her slip, weather played a big part in the trip. We had knowledge, ability and equipment to work with, but weather was the unknown. It was cloudy, with a 50-percent chance of rain, expected 2-to-5-foot seas inside the reef, and we had our foul-weather gear, just in case.

For the first time in a long time, we actually set sails in the seaplane basin, off Fleming Key, with an outgoing tide. It was good sailing along the Key, around it into Key West Harbor. Even with the boat bottom in need of cleaning and painting, we were doing an average of 6-knots, the hull speed of Mustard Seed.

The story, once the first few pages fall in place, maybe with a little editing and rewriting after they are initially written, will usually achieve a level where it begins writing itself, going along smoothly.

Murphy's Law (and my character's name in Mick Murphy, so this applies) says the longer you go along smoothly the closer you are to a serious bump! And Murphy's Law applies to writing and sailing (and life).

I have ideas that I intended to use to help move my story along, only to find that somewhere within the previous pages, things had changed and the idea wouldn't work. Suddenly, I realize I need to make a bad guy good, or vise versa. Or I cannot work a shooting or action at the location I wanted, the weather has changed and if that is the case, what I had planned has to change.

We were sailing out toward the ship channel marker, past Fort Zackary Taylor, following the coast of Key West; railing almost in the water, doing a little more than six-knots and then the wind changed direction! If we trimmed the sails to catch the wind we would be traveling too close to the coast, where it would soon be shallow. Mustard Seed's keel draws almost six-feet, so I try to keep her in 10-foot-plus water.

We had to tack, so we could use the wind to move away from where we were trying to go, so we could turn around and sail back into that direction, from a better position. It is time consuming and slows you down. But it is necessary, if you want to sail and not switch to motorboats! Shame on you for even thinking that!

I will usually reread what I've written before I begin writing the next day. Even if I have finished a chapter, before I begin a new chapter, I reread the last one. As the pages mount, of course, I do not read from the beginning, but I do go a chapter or two back. If I am writing everyday, I may only read the last chapter. While I am doing this, I am also editing and/or rewriting. It takes time, but everything is still fresh in my mind, like what I was thinking and trying to accomplish as I wrote the day before.

Yeah, it slows down my writing time, especially if it's in the evening and I've spent all day doing something else – like sailing – and only have a few hours to write. But, to get where I'm going, like tacking Mustard Seed, it is necessary.

So slowing down to tack may not be what I wanted to do, but it was necessary to get where I was going and the boatyard crew was waiting.

So, can you see the many similarities between sailing and writing? There is nothing as exciting and exhilarating as full sails and the rail in the water and the quiet of carving your way through the seas; it's a lot like sitting down at the keyboard and writing a chapter that goes along smoothly and feels right all along the way.

As we say when you're sailing, "Don't pee into the wind."

Are you addicted to the internet?

On Friday, Christine wrote a very informative post about how to stay connected to the internet while cruising. Since my wife and I plan on taking off next spring, I was naturally intrigued by what she had to say. You see, I also feel lost when I don't have internet access. In fact, I wonder if I'm not addicted to the internet. As I sit here contemplating the possibility, I came up with a couple of ways to tell if you're addicted to the internet.

1) If you check your e-mail first thing in the m...

I want my wifi

Today, indulge me while I expose my inner geek.  I have been fascinated with technology since I bought my first Kaypro computer in 1984, and it has turned into a hunger I must feed on occasion.  Sometimes, I get hung up on an idea, and I have to research it until I'm spent.  I hope that I can turn my obsession into something that might benefit my fellow geeks and writers on the water who surely want their wifi as much as I do.

Many of us remember those halcyon days about five years ago when...

From Rags to Riches on the Kindle? 1000 books and counting.

By Mike Jastrzebski

On June 29th I went live on Amazon with my book The Storm Killer. On August 11th my second novel, Key Lime Blues went live. Wednesday, September 22nd I sold my 1000th book. I want to preface this by saying that when I decided to self-publish on Kindle I felt that if I could sell 1000 books in a year I would be doing good.

First, I want to thank everyone out there who bought one of these books or downloaded a sample. Special thanks to those who took the time and effort to...

'Tis the Season

Boat Show season is fast approaching.  The boat I am chef on will be attending the Ft. Lauderdale show October 28-November 1 and the Miami International show February 17-20.  The captain expects his crew to be getting the yacht in premium condition to be seen.  We should be polishing the windows, buffing the paint and varnishing the cap-rails.  We will scrub and oil the teak decks and Flitz all the water spots.  Cushions will be fluffed, carpets will be vacuumed and flowers will be...

Writing About Boats

by Tom Tripp

While I'm not living on a boat at the moment, I am lucky enough to be able to write about boats as a freelance writer and publisher. I write articles for both print and Internet media, and I also write every day for my own Internet boating publication (I don't think the term "blog" fits OceanLines, but calling it a "magazine" seems inaccurate, too). So, while I don't get to spend very much of my "day job" time working on my novel, I do get to write all day long and that both...

Arrr!

As I write this it is officially 'Talk Like a Pirate Day'. You might ask, why should I care? If you have to ask the question then all I can say is "Arrr!" According to the official  website (www.talklikeapirate.com) Arrr! can mean "yes", "I agree", "I'm happy", and for those who don't know why we need such a day I'll add my own personal definition, "loosen up, forget about work, and enjoy life".

I've had a thing for pirates since I first saw Treasure Island.

Maybe that "thing" has something to ...