Times When I kind of Hate Publishing

I have gone on and on about how annoying it is when editors acquire complete CRAP! It makes me crazy. In one post, I talked about blogs that are just blogs but are forced into becoming books, and in another, I discussed lame celebrity books. But today, I just want to briefly post news about a spin-off book that made me practically do a good old fashioned spit-take.

From Galleycat:

Just in time for the July premiere of next season of Jersey Shore, Gallery Books will publish Gym, Tanning, Laundry: The Official Jersey Shore Quote Book. Billed as "the only officially-licensed tie-in to the series," it will also contain a 30-minute DVD of bonus multimedia extras.

Here's more from the publisher: "MTV has long focused its lens on various subcultures and rites of passage, uncovering a host of memorable characters in the process. Jersey Shore, its newest and highest-rated series in two years, follows eight young adults as they move into a summer share. There, they indulge in everything popular summer hotspot Seaside Heights, New Jersey, has to offer ... 'You don't have to live in New Jersey to love this show,' said [Gallery Books publisher] Louise Burke. 'Quoting this crew has become a national pastime.'"

Earlier this year, Jersey Shore castmates J-WOWW (pictured, via her Twitter page) and Ronnie landed a book deal with St. Martin's Press. They will publish a "Guido guide" entitled Never Fall In Love At the Jersey Shore.

I know.... deep breaths... deep breaths...

I'll just say the trees deserve better, and all the assistants who have to work on this title deserve better, and everyone who gets this book as a GIFT will deserve better, and every 12 year old that wastes their allowance on this book after seeing it at the register deserves better.

For those who don't know, Gallery Books is not some weird fringey opportunistic publisher, like Beaufort Books who published O.J. Simpson's book If I Did It. Nope. Instead, it's an imprint of Simon & Schuster, formed last fall when things got shaken up over at S&S. (We posted on that here, back in September 2009.) So glad they reorganized and are now able to publish such fine literature as a quote book on the lamest, stupidest, most mindless, misogynistic television program, which revels in class-mocking and ethnic stereotypes. Always pleased when a corporate publisher can shake things up for the better, rather than laying people off so it can more efficiently publish trash.

The people that were laid off deserve better too, S&S.