Current Issue

"The Marketplace of Ideas"

Welcome to the fourth installment of my column here at MFOB. No, this issue isn't light weight summer reading and isn't dubbed "The Beach Issue" or some other clever moniker. Well, it is a clichéd moniker above if not clever but it’s the best I can do while the rain pours down. One hopes the drought is finally over.

This issue effectively marks a year's work of MFOB. By my count, year two will start in September with the next edition. It was about this time a year ago BJ raised the idea of a zine and asked me to be a part of things. It's been a bit of a rollercoaster ride behind the scenes at times but one I am very glad to have been a part of. The reviews have been positive and the backlog for BJ to consider as well as my own is considerable. The proof is in the marketplace of ideas and the marketplace has responded very positively which is very gratifying

And that is the key as well in your writing endeavors. On a number of lists the past months, I have seen assertions that book reviews and by obvious extension reviewers, don't matter. This seems to be the consensus of a number of newspapers across the country as well in that they are eliminating reviewers and columns. Clearly, as a reviewer, I am going to be biased in this issue and I firmly believe reviews do matter.

How much they matter is difficult to quantify. Speaking from my own personal experience (as if I wasn't doing that already) staff of more than one publishing house or agent has told me how their sales spike after my review comes out. Something I have heard about as well in the case of several other reviewers I know. In my case, both positive as well as negative reviews seem to do the trick. That leads me to conclude that reviews do matter at least somewhat.

The thing to remember is that it's just one person's opinion. Your short story or book efforts are going to please some folks and annoy others. Your book isn't going to be universally loved or universally considered the next best thing since sliced bread. If it sells in the marketplace of ideas you have achieved success.

The same is true here at MFOB. BJ has selected once again what he thinks is the best of his many submissions. I've tried to advise you on a few novels again. The decision about how we did in this issue as well as year one as a whole is up to you, the reader. On behalf of BJ as well as myself and our families who tolerate our 2 AM shrieks of madness, thank you for your support. We truly could not have done it without you.

On to year 2!!!