Just to prove that it is not all doom and gloom at the land of Eye, I wanted to quickly explain why things had been quite on Blog front from me.
As many may know a couple of weeks ago was the London Book Fair. This is an annual event where all the publishers get together under one big roof and show off what they are doing or about to do and try and get other publishers interested in buying the rights for their territories.
Invariably it turns out to being quite a BIG session.
Anyway last year it was an Excel in docklands and the industry kicked up a real fuss. It was traditionally at Olympia and most people knew the score and how it all worked. Which restaurants to go to and which lunch places there were (all key important things in this horrid world of publishing). However Reed really ****ed it up at Excel to the point that a competitor (the people who organise the Frankfurt Book Fair) tried to start a rival to Reed's at Olympia. Anyway, to cut a long sotry short, Reed kept hold of it and agreed to move it back to West London and to Earls Court. Am glad to say that it was a real success and the space was awesome as was the effort that most publishers went to to show off what they do. Anyone would think that there was lots of money around!
Anyway, with preperation for that, my time and focus on this fell away. I have had lots of things that I have wanted to write about, but it was always the next thing on my list. Quite like a diet or excercise or giving up drinking.
Monday, 30 April 2007
Kate Moss - the designer
For my sins, I am a fan of Kate Moss. I think that she is still really sexy and dare I say it, iconic. However, it did make me think the other day when reading about her new range being unveiled in the near future as to where this celebrity culture is taking us.
The music industry was the leader of the change, with magazines following shortly after. It was a sad day when books followed suit (excuse the pun) and now the fashion industry is going down the same route.
It used to be that the people who worked hard at their art and creativity within a specific industry, and had a slice of luck (but alot of perspiration) were the ones that made successes of themselves. I know a friend who has been designing clothes for years. He spent time cutting cloth, he spent time machining, he spent time drawing and this was having spent years studying to get his first job as assistant cutter! Suddenly Kate who has spent years doing none of the above, has the necessary skills to know how things should be designed.
Just because I have spent 10 years publishing books does not qualify (as this blog testifies) me to think I can write! It hardly qualifies me to think that I can publish, but ...
What surprises me most about this is I come from the train of thought that we are not mechanised and that ordinary people can and do achieve extraordinary things! This is (in some peoples eyes) exactly that. Frankly, it is sooo not that. I know that the only reason she has been asked to do this is because there will be a whole load of people (as they were for Victoria Beckham range and the next Amy Vinehouse range) who will rush out and queue all night to make sure that this latest person to break into this industry as a leader and worked up through the ranks is ....
I find it all slightly depressing that we do this. Why? Do we think that it will make us look as sexy as Kate Moss?
It is that Monday feeling again and it has been too long since my last blog. I have been told off for not writing anything for the last few weeks. However, I am not mad - does anyone else see this is totally belittling the real creatives of the world and that soon we will all have a diet of Mash Potatoe (and ready made at that!).
The music industry was the leader of the change, with magazines following shortly after. It was a sad day when books followed suit (excuse the pun) and now the fashion industry is going down the same route.
It used to be that the people who worked hard at their art and creativity within a specific industry, and had a slice of luck (but alot of perspiration) were the ones that made successes of themselves. I know a friend who has been designing clothes for years. He spent time cutting cloth, he spent time machining, he spent time drawing and this was having spent years studying to get his first job as assistant cutter! Suddenly Kate who has spent years doing none of the above, has the necessary skills to know how things should be designed.
Just because I have spent 10 years publishing books does not qualify (as this blog testifies) me to think I can write! It hardly qualifies me to think that I can publish, but ...
What surprises me most about this is I come from the train of thought that we are not mechanised and that ordinary people can and do achieve extraordinary things! This is (in some peoples eyes) exactly that. Frankly, it is sooo not that. I know that the only reason she has been asked to do this is because there will be a whole load of people (as they were for Victoria Beckham range and the next Amy Vinehouse range) who will rush out and queue all night to make sure that this latest person to break into this industry as a leader and worked up through the ranks is ....
I find it all slightly depressing that we do this. Why? Do we think that it will make us look as sexy as Kate Moss?
It is that Monday feeling again and it has been too long since my last blog. I have been told off for not writing anything for the last few weeks. However, I am not mad - does anyone else see this is totally belittling the real creatives of the world and that soon we will all have a diet of Mash Potatoe (and ready made at that!).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
