4 ms·
This is really just the latest is a list of reasons why I no longer consider reading by itself to be an intellectual past-time. The line between books and cont
by Bjorkbat 4y ago
This is really just the latest is a list of reasons why I no longer consider reading by itself to be an intellectual past-time. The line between books and content is "blurring", and has been well-before ChatGPT. You could "write a book" with a modest budget using a team of ghostwriters on Fiverr. Splurge a bit more and you could commission some illustrations from a desperate artist in a country with significantly less purchasing power than the US. Instructional ebooks are little more than blog posts.
I mean, obviously, reading isn't bad, it's just that I have suspicions about anyone who prides themselves of being an avid reader.
That all being said, you'd be surprised by the money that exists out there. Coworker of mine had a wife who wrote erotic fiction in ebook formats. She made about $80,000 a month doing that, though about half of that went to advertising, and another chunk of money went to employing a bunch of ghostwriters, not to mention hiring models to do photoshoots for book covers. Still, that's nearly $1 million every year before taxes and expenses. Can you truly say your startup is doing better?
- dorchadas 4y agoThis might sound gate-keepy and elitist (and, y'know what, it is, and I openly admit to it because I don't think it's necessarily bad), but I 100% agree. Not all reading is quality reading, and if you're just rushing through whatever YA novel is hot right now, it's not the same as sitting down and reading literature. Or working through dense non-fiction work à la Adler. It's nothing more engaging than binging Netflix or Marvel movies, but they certainly think it is. It's also funny as this reminds me how little r/books actually talks about books. It's mostly validating each other for never challenging themselves, and - shock - "I read a classic and it's actually good".
- camoufleur 4y agoHas reading fiction ever been considered an 'intellectual' past time?