Sound in Novels?

Well, I guess we should have known it was only a matter of time before publishing took a second look at sound in musical christmas cards and thought to connect it to the publishing of novels. Sure enough, sound has arrived in novels, or to be more accurate, thanks to Booktrack, the first book featuring a soundtrack will arrive soon with their editions of e-books, "The Power of Six," a young adult novel published by HarperCollins, followed by "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," and the novel "Solace," by Jay McInerney, (I imagine not to be confused with the novel. "Solace" by Jakob, currently being sold.

in September and October, Booktrack, "a start-up in New York" will also release editions of the short stories, "In The South" by Salman Rushdie and "Solace," by Jay McInerney, both accompanied by soundtracks.

Anyone hear a tolling of the bells? Are we not getting a tad too many mechanical devices to do with literature? And no, this is not akin to the advent of sound in movies. Sound in film did improve the product and produced many, many jobs for people in the industry or those who desired to be in it. Sound in novels might be okay, but it sounds hokey and intrusive. I'm placing it in the category of e-books and "Readers." I think if we continue along this road then the whole idea of using one's imagination will be erased and replaced by something made by Sony. It might, in some vague way, (though I know absolutely nothing about this new business of sound in books), be contributing to or portending the demise of book publishing as we know it.

I am all in favor of technology, some of it fortuitous, some of it invasive but all of it, I like to think, is necessary for our continual evolving. It comes down to is there nothing left sacred? What, if anything in publishing, is sacrosanct?

If these Kindles, E-readers, Digital e-reader systems, ipads, Nooks and so on are to become the norm, then that means publishing will die a slow and tortuous death. If mechanical, portable reading machines were meant as an addendum to books, then fine. But, they are not. Soon, the rich feel of a book in your hand instead of an often sizable piece of metal separating the reader (in my opinion) from the warmth of the writer's words or the emotion of his or her wrath, will be an impersonal "object" carried around almost like a piece of carry-on luggage.

In our attempts to "improve" our existences, can we not leave something in tact? Does everything have to be made better?

There is one thing about these new age digitalization of the written word, this new slab of metal won't allow you to tell your friend about the great book you just read and loan it to him to read and then call you on the phone when he's finished so you can discuss it on the phone.

You won't be able to hide a few buck from the wife by secreting it between the pages of your e-reader and leaving it on the desk without worry.

You will never be able to hold one page between your fingers while thumbing through for another reference page and then another and compare them simultaneously.

Come on. We need to be able to shove a pocket book in our back pocket and snatch it out to read when the boss isn't looking, or to read without someone asking you how it works, or what it is.

And if you're a writer who has just published your first book, the metal thing-ees will not fit as comfortably under your pillow while you're dreaming of how it's going to become a hit. It will be like looking at your "baby" through someone else's glasses.

I mean, you know, I'm just saying...

As if there were not already enough publishing problems

So now, with publishing already in financial trouble and book publishers cutting back on printing copies of authors books--now the ominous arrival of the Kindle--and all its imitators. Who does not realize that the Kindle and other mechanisms like it will be fast forwarding the eventual doom of many hopeful writers and of the industry itself. Even the New York Times is mumbling about financial stress due to lack of advertising for one thing.

Well, in addition to some readers no longer purchasing books since they can read them on that metal thingy the Kindle, advertisers have made their own discovery: advertising is much cheaper and perhaps as widely seen on cable tv channels. So why pay prohibitive prices for newspaper (especially daily papers) advertising when an almost identical result can be achieved by way of cable television advertising?

Progress? Of course it is. However, when do we begin to question some of the advancements we're making that are doomed to have dire consequences?

Cable television is set to become advertising's "Kindle" sooner or later

The Kindle. Advancement or a tool auguring a piece of civilizations decay?

I mean, I'm just saying...