Good morning, Hank. It’s Friday, Februrary 23rd. These are my books. There are many like them, but these are mine. (bookshelf) First we have this bookshelf, which I’ve had since college. (bookshelf) Then we have this bookshelf which we acquired this summer. This bookshelf is actually being held up by books. (bookshelf) We’ve had these bookshelves for a few years. (four bookshelves) Then we have these bookshelves, which I got as a present from my mother-in-law a couple years ago. (black bookshelves) And then, of course, we have this bookshelf, which is where I film most days.
(stack of books) And we have this, which is like your magical floating bookshelf, only slightly different. If you take one away, it continues to float. (book has been taken away, books above float)
So, Hank, that’s where I keep my books around the house. We don’t have lots of stacks of books in random places because, whenever we need a bookshelf, we just buy a new one. Bookshelves are, like, $20. I mean, you can buy a bookshelf for less than it costs to take your wife to see the Eddie Murphey movie, Norbit. I mean, a bookshelf is cheaper than Norbit. So, buy more bookshelves. Put ‘em down there by the map of Narnia.
It is very hard for me, however, to get rid of books and to moderate the number of books that I have. I mean, some of these books, let’s face it, I’m never going to read again. Consider, for example, The Day Nobody Shared…in your pants. Another example is Devin Deweese’s 638-page non-fiction book, Islamization and Native Religion in the Golden Horde. In my career as a YA novelist, it is rare that I am asked by someone, how is it that the Uzbek people came to be Muslims?
(John sits with Maureen Johnson) Hank, to answer your questions about e-books and libraries and used bookstores, I decided to bring in another author, Maureen Johnson, the author of four, almost five books.
John: What do you think about used bookstores?
Maureen: I like ‘em.
John: Me too. You don’t have a problem with the fact that they’re taking your money?
Maureen: Oh, no no no, not at all.
John: What about libraries?
Maureen: Oh, I love libraries.
John: I love libraries.
Maureen: You can't, You can’t not be pro-library…Is this actually a debate?
John: Well, it’s more of an agreement, it seems like. But a lot of people would think that authors might get angry about the fact that you don’t get money from every time someone checks your book out at the library.
Maureen: No, the trouble with my readers is that they don’t get money because I put a $20 bill in the copy of all my books (John laughs), and so the first person who reads it gets the twenty. How are people supposed to afford to buy everything they want to read?
John (alone): So, Hank, the agreement seems to be that writers, at least the extremely scientific sample of me and Maureen Johnson, are pretty much in favor of used bookstores and in favor of libraries. I think most of us would rather have an audience than countless riches. If we wanted to be rich we’d be doing something else, like blogging about environmental technology. Maureen Johnson just had a fantastic invention idea: the e-book for the Wii. I want to go to page 39 now. (John uses his Wii remote to simulate flipping through pages of a book) Ya! Ya! Ya!
And now, in parting, I am going to read a book with my Wii. (John stands above open book) By the power of the Wii, I compel this page to turn! (Tries to use Wii remote to cause wind to blow page) Turn! (leans down and blows) Yes!
(Said from behind The Day Nobody Shared) Hank, I’ll see you on Monday.
(after the Brotherhood 2.0 logo, John reappears with The Day Nobody Shared open to the last page) They throw a sharing party!
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