Words are impressive.
I'm currently writing this at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in the Town Center of Southlake, TX.
It's Good Friday, which I didn't initially take into account when I was wondering why there were so many families out and about when I arrived earlier today.
Though groups of teenage girls walking around and chatting loudly with empty Starbucks frappe cups in hand is frustrating, and all of the boys are wearing all variety of Patagonia shirts, it's awesome to see so many "youth" hanging out at a Barnes & Noble. Today it feels vibrant, and it's encouraging.
It's no secret that the new age of technology and everything wrapped up with that (socio-economically) is affecting certain stores, and many are at risk of closing down if they haven't already. Sear's is barely hanging on these days, with only the sweet memories of Sear's catalogs to keep them afloat (which I have no data to back this up, obviously). I also have no idea how Gamestop is still alive.
I've feared that Barnes & Noble would be included in this, and though they might, it does my heart good to see other people, sitting or standing in the aisles, skimming books, just like me, every time I enter one of these magical places.
What I love about B&N is that every time I enter one, I get overwhelmed (in a non-anxious/hyperventaliating way). HOW can there be so many NEW books just within THIS subgenre of fiction & literature, and just in the English language alone?! (They've done a great job in including Spanish literature as well!) It's absolutely astounding.
It also gets me because it's just like the music industry.
I don't have the stats on me, but I remember something about XXX,XXX books get published a week and how it'd take years and years for a reader just to get through those alone. I know, I'm being general and non-specific - but the point is this: A LOT OF DATA. A lot of new*, creative, unique material, sitting on these shelves hoping that one passerby might find them and read them. There are so many books, and it's so exciting; just giving a few books some attention in just one section alone equals being at Barnes & Noble for multiple hours.
Now, I'm not complaining - I love doing this, even though I sadly & rarely have the time to do so (I was supposed to finish up my taxes today - nothing like pushing it, ammirite?!). And that's where the excitement turns into reality: you have to pick something (or a few things), commit, and leave. (Or like many of us, take a picture of it and go buy it on Amazon...)
It's similar to the music industry though in my original observation - SO MUCH DATA. But there are two big differences:
1) you can't get your penny's worth out of passively reading a book. You either read it, or you don't. With music? You can listen to that in the background all day and never *actively* listen to it.
2) The part where you commit to purchasing a book (even if it's in kindle/pdf form) still exists quite strongly. With purchasing music, that gratification is really only alive in the world Vinyl and LP's.
So much music is being created and released daily, and it can be really easy to get discouraged by being a little fish in a big pond.
I mention this because not only am I working on getting certain media out there in the world, hoping some few will see it, but I also hope to publish and release a book for the Who's Leading? Project one day, where it'd grace the shelves of places just like Barnes & Noble.
Dreams, man.
And though they feel like massive undertakings that will be shrunk down to tiny drops into the ocean that is "the online cloud", thousands and thousands of people continue to create - and they made it to the shelves that I'm looking at right now.
So! Ramble over.
The next blog post you will get from me will be my 1st album review.
There are many music reviews out there for new music, but I'll be writing & rating whatever albums I fancy, so I hope you'll be interested in joining me in enjoying some music.
-MW
P.S. Overhearing teenage boy nerds is hilarious.