As publishers and authors line up against the bookselling chains to fight the removal of restrictions on importing overseas editions of bestsellers, it's worth remembering that it's not just American and British editions that retailers would have access to: it's Indian editions. That's why the US and Britain both have import restrictions...Because we have no problem with a phone call from a British or UK or Australian telemarketer, now, do we? It's only when it comes from an Indian that it becomes one. Same deal with the books. What a load of old bollocks.
Sunday, May 03, 2009
Random comment after reading a snippet in The Australian
Those dastardly Indians, not content with stealing all those horrible, horrible telemarketing jobs off Australians, are now conspiring to produce cheaper books at competitive market prices for us!
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9 comments:
This is yet another example of the problem I have with you: I completely disagree with what you're saying but I enjoy your saying it so much.
Off now to ponder my complex psychology.
I confess to having skimmed so fast I took not a word in. I got caught up in the long blogging break - are you broken? Have the thoughts ceased? Have the voices gotten too loud or too quiet? Where, in short, (she says with a total lack of irony) have you been??
See comments in post below - going 'round the city on Mumventures. She's in town with my brother.
And I'm not actually sure which part you disagree with Forlorn!
I suppose I just think that it doesn't matter if you support or disagree with the lifting of restrictions overseas book importations - it's just silly to make a distinction between British and American books and Indian books.
I don't think much tele-marketing comes out of India to our shores.
However, pretty much every bank and IT or telco company has off-shored work, including call centres, to India.
This isn't recent either, it's been going on for decades.
Books from India. Meh. We'll save, what, a couple of dollars per book? All for the sake of destroying our local publishing industry? It's the one area where I'm beginning to think that being a bit protectionist is warranted.
Hope you didn't make your Mum and brother eat curry on a tram.
Good point, I'll get them started on that tomorrow.
AH! Is what happens inside my brain when I think about parallel importation. I can't decide one way or another but I do have a sneaky recurring thought that goes a little something like this....
Australian publishing houses are stupid anyway. Let's shake them up an see what happens.
Oh yeah and I agree with you about the distinction made between British and American books and Indian books being silly.
Ah, I think I must have read too quickly as well. I thought that you were supporting parallel importation and was enjoying the characteristic stroppiness of your calling something "a load of bollocks". Apologies.
I don't know what the distinction for Indian books is supposed to imply: that they will be cheaper still, perhaps even managing to undercut the cheap British and American imports? I don't support parallel importation, but I must confess that I'm not too keen on the way the publishing industry has run its campaign around the issue.
Hope you had a lovely time with your family.
The Indian-published books I have - admittedly they are all from the same publisher, Macmillan India - don't physically meet the standards we expect and usually get of books - I think most books for sale in Australia are printed either locally or in China or Singapore. But for what they cost (ie next to nothing) Indian books are extremely good value. As long as you dont mind cruddy paper, rough printing etc.
They sound like zines!
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