Those who know me know my stand on books. I’m pretty much defined by them. I hope my blog makes that clear. I’m always amazed, however, when someone happens across my little fissure in the internet and offers to send me a book, if I’ll mention it here. That’s happened probably on an average of once a year over the past dozen or so that I’ve been doing whatever it is I do here. It’s one of the perks of being a “content creator.” I know it may sound odd, but being a content creator is a viable career these days. Not for me—I don’t have nearly enough followers—but for the younger, prettier, or smarter, it is a way of virtually being in the world. Or being in the virtual world. I don’t think that means that books are passé.
In fact, I turn down offers to read free ebooks. I spend all day at work on a computer and when I can finally turn it off, I generally pick up a book. (Unless the lawn requires attention, or it’s garbage day, etc.) The thing about reading is that you have to make time for it. For a “content creator” I’m not in love with spending all my time online. I don’t use my phone much at all and I find a paper book in hand to be comforting. I’m glad to write about those I’ve read in my little fissure here. And since I sit on the editorial side of the desk, I think that increases my appreciation of books even more. But honestly, I wouldn’t mind making a little income on what I spend so much time doing. Maybe reading to keep out of trouble could be a job?
Content creation is like a sponge filter feeding. You suck in the culture around you, drawing what’s useful into your brain. Then you make it unique to your perspective and if enough people think it’s worth seeing/watching/listening to, advertisers will begin to swarm. Or, in my case, they might send books with the hopes that someone will actually read this blog. And the senders obviously have—at least a little bit—so does this make me an “influencer”? Whether or not it does (or doesn’t) I do end up, when the day is through, one book up in the equation. And that’s a good thing, given my stand on books.
