David Zen's Blog, page 3
December 14, 2014
Chinese Corruption: Truth Imitates My Fiction
In my novel The Deal: 交易 Jiao Yi, provincial officials who can control approval of a property project insist on an ownership share for their family members: a corrupt act that triggers the central crisis of the novel. Recent reports from the corruption trial of Liu Tienan, former deputy head of China's National Development and Reform Commission, show that this is pretty close to the truth of how official corruption in China operates.
Mr. Liu, having power of approval of a Toyota joint venture in China, apparently used the power to insist that his son receive a 30% share in a Beijing automobile dealership. This kind of corruption is endemic in China, but increasingly dangerous for those not in favor with the national government -- as my novel foreshadows.
I continue to be impressed with the creativity of Chinese corruption. One of my favorite schemes was reported publicly a couple of years ago. Someone wanting to bribe an official would commission an artist to paint a portrait of the official or their family; then, after a suitable interval, the briber would offer to buy this valuable artwork from the recipient. Clever, eh?
The current anti-corruption campaign by the government of Chinese President Xi may make this sort of behavior riskier for some. But there is little evidence that it is fundamentally changing a system in which Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials use their power to gain riches that their government and party roles do not offer. It is a key dilemma of the CCP to address this rampant corruption and avoid widespread dissatisfaction with it, while continuing to satisfy its members with the trappings of power.
Mr. Liu, having power of approval of a Toyota joint venture in China, apparently used the power to insist that his son receive a 30% share in a Beijing automobile dealership. This kind of corruption is endemic in China, but increasingly dangerous for those not in favor with the national government -- as my novel foreshadows.
I continue to be impressed with the creativity of Chinese corruption. One of my favorite schemes was reported publicly a couple of years ago. Someone wanting to bribe an official would commission an artist to paint a portrait of the official or their family; then, after a suitable interval, the briber would offer to buy this valuable artwork from the recipient. Clever, eh?
The current anti-corruption campaign by the government of Chinese President Xi may make this sort of behavior riskier for some. But there is little evidence that it is fundamentally changing a system in which Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials use their power to gain riches that their government and party roles do not offer. It is a key dilemma of the CCP to address this rampant corruption and avoid widespread dissatisfaction with it, while continuing to satisfy its members with the trappings of power.
November 27, 2014
Amazon, Hachette and Self-Publishing
The recent settlement between Amazon and Hachette has to be good news for everyone in the publishing world -- protracted fights are rarely good for anyone. I really didn't have a dog in this fight. Although there were plenty of accusations on both sides, it seemed to me like a rather ordinary commercial dispute between two big companies fighting over money and related issues. The Vanity Fair article on the dispute -- published before the settlement -- provides a very good description.
The reason why this dispute is a big one is that Amazon and Kindle have created a genuinely big market for e-books. And for self-published authors that is simply a good thing. I hear complaints about the 30% of revenues that Amazon takes from Kindle sales, but I don't agree. Without Amazon, self-publishing would simply not be the real option that it is today for new authors like me.
So I understand why Hachette wanted a fight. But you won't hear me complaining about Amazon!
The reason why this dispute is a big one is that Amazon and Kindle have created a genuinely big market for e-books. And for self-published authors that is simply a good thing. I hear complaints about the 30% of revenues that Amazon takes from Kindle sales, but I don't agree. Without Amazon, self-publishing would simply not be the real option that it is today for new authors like me.
So I understand why Hachette wanted a fight. But you won't hear me complaining about Amazon!
September 25, 2014
Internet Privacy and Cardinal Richelieu
In the debate on Internet privacy, I have been increasingly hearing challenges to privacy based on version of the point "What are you worried about if you've got nothing to hide?" This is an old point, famously remade in 2009 by Google's then-CEO Eric Schmidt in a CNBC interview. More recently, this old argument seem to be cropping up everywhere.
In today's dangerous world, there are legitimate security reasons for governments and others to know about some of what we do, and it does make sense to take extra care to stick to the straight and narrow. But that doesn't seem to mean our privacy should be taken away. A big reason for this is that information about actions that are entirely proper (or at least entirely legal) can be misused, both maliciously and innocently.
As to intentional misuse, the problem is summed up in a quotation apocryphally attributed to Cardinal Richelieu, chief minister to Louis XIII of France: "If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him." I won't try to elaborate, because the quote says it all.
As to innocent (or mostly innocent) misuse, the most common example is probably information from close relationships, both familial and intimate. We all know of circumstances where the unnecessary disclosure of such information has done harm.
So sure, encourage me to obey the law, but don't tell me that this should be a reason that I don't deserve privacy.
In today's dangerous world, there are legitimate security reasons for governments and others to know about some of what we do, and it does make sense to take extra care to stick to the straight and narrow. But that doesn't seem to mean our privacy should be taken away. A big reason for this is that information about actions that are entirely proper (or at least entirely legal) can be misused, both maliciously and innocently.
As to intentional misuse, the problem is summed up in a quotation apocryphally attributed to Cardinal Richelieu, chief minister to Louis XIII of France: "If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him." I won't try to elaborate, because the quote says it all.
As to innocent (or mostly innocent) misuse, the most common example is probably information from close relationships, both familial and intimate. We all know of circumstances where the unnecessary disclosure of such information has done harm.
So sure, encourage me to obey the law, but don't tell me that this should be a reason that I don't deserve privacy.
September 17, 2014
Conversation with A C Grayling
My best book-related event in the last few weeks was meeting A C Grayling, the well-known Oxford philosopher and one of my personal idols. He was delivering the Elston Ethics Lecture at St Georges House, an organisation that I support. I had not realised that he is also chair of the judging panel for the 2014 Man Booker Prize.
The lecture was entitled "Good Lives and the 'Good Life'", and I took the opportunity to speak with Prof Grayling at the reception after. I asked a question about the link between his humanist philosophy and Buddhism, specifically whether a point he had made about being a good listener and observer was linked to the Buddhist concept of leaving behind attachment to see more clearly. He responded that he believes that some attachments--like to family--are not ones that one wants to leave behind. I don't disagree with that, and we agreed that there can be different understandings of "attachment".
Although I had no intention to mention The Deal, polite man that he is, Prof Grayling asked what I do. I explained that I am an international lawyer and investor, and have also recently written a book. He was interested--"You know I'm a Man Booker judge" and happily took a copy of one of the promotional cards for the book that I usually carry with me. Looking at the card he said: "你讲普通话吗? You speak Mandarin", which led to a brief exchange in Mandarin. He finished with a promise to have a look at the book.
What a gratifying conversation!
The lecture was entitled "Good Lives and the 'Good Life'", and I took the opportunity to speak with Prof Grayling at the reception after. I asked a question about the link between his humanist philosophy and Buddhism, specifically whether a point he had made about being a good listener and observer was linked to the Buddhist concept of leaving behind attachment to see more clearly. He responded that he believes that some attachments--like to family--are not ones that one wants to leave behind. I don't disagree with that, and we agreed that there can be different understandings of "attachment".
Although I had no intention to mention The Deal, polite man that he is, Prof Grayling asked what I do. I explained that I am an international lawyer and investor, and have also recently written a book. He was interested--"You know I'm a Man Booker judge" and happily took a copy of one of the promotional cards for the book that I usually carry with me. Looking at the card he said: "你讲普通话吗? You speak Mandarin", which led to a brief exchange in Mandarin. He finished with a promise to have a look at the book.
What a gratifying conversation!
Local Bookshops -- Gotta' Love 'Em
My initial promotion of The Deal has been mostly for online sales -- print copies by e-commerce (mostly Amazon) and e-book exclusive to Kindle. Now I have started to get the print version into bookshops, and I have been pleased that the first two bookshop visits seem to be initially successful. These are Daunt Books on Cheapside in the City of London and Nomad Books in Fulham. The first is near one of my offices and the City's concentration of a key target market (business people, finance professionals and investors), and the second is near my home. Today I plan to take two copies to my local library in Putney, which has agreed to take them. And 10 days ago I sold a bunch of copies at a local event called Putney Fun Day. This is a time-consuming way to promote the book, but it's also a lot of fun.
My favourite bit so far was the conversation with the manager (owner?) at Nomad Books, which went something like this (actually conversation was longer) after I stopped in and offered the book:
He (smiling with slight exasperation): "You've asked on a bad day. There have been so many authors in today wanting to sell their books. I need to be more disciplined about saying no."
Me: "No worries. I understand."
He: "Here, I'll have a look at a copy."
Me: "Here you go."
He (after checking on the computer): "Our distributor only has it partially listed, so that makes it hard for us to order."
Me: "That's because it's print-on-demand. They can get it to you in a week or two. A lot of authors are doing that now. Mark my words, in a few years there will be a lot more of this."
He: "How many customers want to wait a week or two for a book? You're competing with all these." [indicating his very nice stock with his arm)
Me: "I totally understand if you don't want to take it. Thanks for taking the time."
He (smiling): "Listen, you're local, right?" (Me nodding.) "If you want to leave a couple of copies I'll put it on the table there and see how it does. You can check back in a week or so."
Me (smiling, pulling copies out of bag): "Thanks, that sounds great."
My favourite bit so far was the conversation with the manager (owner?) at Nomad Books, which went something like this (actually conversation was longer) after I stopped in and offered the book:
He (smiling with slight exasperation): "You've asked on a bad day. There have been so many authors in today wanting to sell their books. I need to be more disciplined about saying no."
Me: "No worries. I understand."
He: "Here, I'll have a look at a copy."
Me: "Here you go."
He (after checking on the computer): "Our distributor only has it partially listed, so that makes it hard for us to order."
Me: "That's because it's print-on-demand. They can get it to you in a week or two. A lot of authors are doing that now. Mark my words, in a few years there will be a lot more of this."
He: "How many customers want to wait a week or two for a book? You're competing with all these." [indicating his very nice stock with his arm)
Me: "I totally understand if you don't want to take it. Thanks for taking the time."
He (smiling): "Listen, you're local, right?" (Me nodding.) "If you want to leave a couple of copies I'll put it on the table there and see how it does. You can check back in a week or so."
Me (smiling, pulling copies out of bag): "Thanks, that sounds great."
August 31, 2014
Excerpt of The Deal Posted
I have been very pleased with the response to my book giveaway on Goodreads, and the number of people who have marked it "to-read".
To further whet the appetite of readers I have just posted the first two chapters. Hopefully, this gives an idea of the characters and writing style. The plot gets a lot more involved as the deal proceeds, but don't want to spoil that!
To further whet the appetite of readers I have just posted the first two chapters. Hopefully, this gives an idea of the characters and writing style. The plot gets a lot more involved as the deal proceeds, but don't want to spoil that!
August 28, 2014
China Property Crash Looming?
The transaction in The Deal involves the Chinese property market. In the novel, as in the reality of 2009-2010, Chinese property prices were rising rapidly. Investors who got in then have generally made a lot of money.
But this is about to change. The market is turning rapidly, as news reports make clear. In a western country, the huge overvaluation of houses and rapidly turning confidence that we now see in China would be almost certain to lead to a spectacular crash, substantially worse than we saw in the United States in 2008-2009. Whether this will happen in China is less clear, because the Chinese government has much greater control of the levers of the economy, and can somewhat control dissemination of information to reduce risks of panic. This will certainly be interesting to watch, and the stakes for the Chinese and global economy are massive.
But this is about to change. The market is turning rapidly, as news reports make clear. In a western country, the huge overvaluation of houses and rapidly turning confidence that we now see in China would be almost certain to lead to a spectacular crash, substantially worse than we saw in the United States in 2008-2009. Whether this will happen in China is less clear, because the Chinese government has much greater control of the levers of the economy, and can somewhat control dissemination of information to reduce risks of panic. This will certainly be interesting to watch, and the stakes for the Chinese and global economy are massive.
August 16, 2014
Getting Older, the Inner Child and Living Fully
My grandmother died this year at age 94, and my parents' generation is starting to become elderly, with my generation now the 'doers' of the family -- busy making our lives, raising children, etc.
This generational transition has led me to think a lot about mortality. I still feel like a child inside, and in some ways feel like I am just getting started. Watching my daughter grow up is fantastic, I have so many business opportunities, and my new enterprise of being an author is very exciting.
Yet I probably only have a few decades of this powerful vitality left, and then I too will be an old man. These years will pass, and when they have I want to know that I have filled them with great moments lived with intensity and presence.
This generational transition has led me to think a lot about mortality. I still feel like a child inside, and in some ways feel like I am just getting started. Watching my daughter grow up is fantastic, I have so many business opportunities, and my new enterprise of being an author is very exciting.
Yet I probably only have a few decades of this powerful vitality left, and then I too will be an old man. These years will pass, and when they have I want to know that I have filled them with great moments lived with intensity and presence.
August 14, 2014
China and Corruption
A central plot driver of The Deal is corruption, which is one of the most important issues in modern China. I conceived the plot for the novel before the beginning of the major anti-corruption drive in China led by President Xi Jinping, and that development makes The Deal particularly timely. I am currently in discussions with a couple of publishers in China, and I am hopeful that they will agree that this focus makes the book of interest to Chinese readers.
President Xi's anti-corruption effort is one of the most important political developments in China in recent decades. Corruption in China is a significant problem, and President Xi is right to address it--and has followed through with his promise to challenge corruption by both "tigers and flies", both important people and not so important. However, most of the "tigers"--like Bo Xilai and Zhou Yongkang--have also been powerful political opponents of President Xi, leading some to suggest that his motivations are largely political rather than just seeking to rid China of the effects of corruption.
The anti-corruption drive has had widespread effects in China, including that restrictions on gifts for officials and others has had a significant negative effect on many luxury goods and services. I will continue to watch these developments closely, and hope that I can play a part in global awareness of these issues as author of The Deal.
President Xi's anti-corruption effort is one of the most important political developments in China in recent decades. Corruption in China is a significant problem, and President Xi is right to address it--and has followed through with his promise to challenge corruption by both "tigers and flies", both important people and not so important. However, most of the "tigers"--like Bo Xilai and Zhou Yongkang--have also been powerful political opponents of President Xi, leading some to suggest that his motivations are largely political rather than just seeking to rid China of the effects of corruption.
The anti-corruption drive has had widespread effects in China, including that restrictions on gifts for officials and others has had a significant negative effect on many luxury goods and services. I will continue to watch these developments closely, and hope that I can play a part in global awareness of these issues as author of The Deal.
