Think before you Acquire

I'm all for those with good ideas getting credit, but with book publishing in free fall and everyone trying to figure out how to fix it, maybe some of the larger NY houses can stop acquiring flash-in-the-pan projects that will only clog up shelves in sad used bookstores that people who like reading avoid, where cheap people buy birthday gifts on the way to the party, sitting in their car erasing the price written in pencil inside the book.

Case in point: Three Rivers will publish a book version of Awkward Family Photos, the blog that is funny once but not really worth a second visit. This follows HarperStudio announcing a book version of the This Is Why You're Fat blog, last March. Again, funny once.

I guess there should be a place for just plain ol' product, but this is only feeding the whole "if I come up with a basic concept, I can sell it as a book!" idea, which in turn creates persistent, misguided people pestering editors who are hustling for new ideas to reach their acquisition targets.

I just want to try to at least slow if not stop this trend before we see Awkward Boners: The Book.

Thank you.