[bookshare-discuss] Re: see long synopsis a waste and frustrating
- From: "Darrell Shandrow" <darrell.shandrow@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 18:04:11 -0700
Hi Allison,
I agree with your approach. It gives the reader a general description and
invites her to see the long synopsis for more detail, rather than just
immediately throwing him there with no description at all.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Allison Hilliker" <hillikera@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 5:48 PM
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Re: see long synopsis a waste and frustrating
Hi everyone,
Bookshare is definitely working to make synopses as high quality as
possible. I've written about 130 of them in the past week because
well-represented books are very important to me.
I have a question for you all. Do you mind it if a book has a tiny
description and then a referral to the long synopsis? It would look
something like this.
"Bob goes to the store and gets abducted by aliens. See long synopsis."
I made that one up of course. I don't hink Bob has been abducted by aliens
recently. <smile>. In any case, is that scenario good by you all? I
normally try
to avoid the statement see long synopsis, but once in a while I find a plot
that fights me and resists being put into a little box. So I compromise as
in the example
above. What do you think?
BTW, while I'm writing, thanks to Bob for his synopsis-writing help. He's
been incredible!
Best,
Allison Hilliker:
Bookshare.org intern.
allison.h@xxxxxxxxxxxx
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob" <rwiley@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, April 15, 2008 1:47 AM
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Re: see long synopsis a waste and frustrating
>I want to second this opinion. I hate "see long synopsis" descriptions
>almost as much as I hate the "none" designation.
>
> A synopsis is usually easy to write even if you haven't read the entire
> book. I've been assisting Allison Hiliker in writing synopses for
> publisher quality books, and believe me, it's easy, and can be fun. I've
> found several of those books I'd like to read, not because of the title or
> author, but because of the short descriptions I find on the internet.
>
> The short synopsis is a way to advertise your work. It introduces a reader
> to the writing skills of the authors, and the patience and care of the
> submitter and validator. (That's us folks.). Gone are the days when any
> scanned book was admirable, because books were so valuable. Now, books are
> valuable for themselves... what they have to say ... what they make us
> think. And, I, for one, consider it an honor to introduce my fellow
> readers to these valuable products of our efforts, and I want to do them
> justice. And, "see long synopsis" doesn't do them justice, in my opinion.
>
> Thanks.
> Bob
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Estelnalissi" <airadil@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Monday, April 14, 2008 6:42 PM
> Subject: [bookshare-discuss] see long synopsis a waste and frustrating
>
>
>> Dear Booksharian Friends,
>>
>> Those words, "See long synopsis," which appeared on several titles on
>> Sunday's new books list frustrate and annoy me every time I read them.
>> From yesterday's list I uploaded 6 books but none of my choices had those
>> dreaded words in their descriptions.
>>
>> Your valuable volunteer and staff efforts have given me so many
>> wonderful, usually unexpected, books to read, I don't take time from my
>> volunteering reading, and real life to look up titles that refer me to
>> the long synopsis.
>>
>> I also don't punish myself either to make a point by failing to read
>> books I recognize that I like whose authors or titles I already know,
>> just because the submittor and validator didn't take time to write any
>> kind of helpful short synopsis for them. But, If I'm not familiar with
>> the book, I don't bother to track down a long synopsis. If volunteers
>> can't be bothered to write a helpful short synopsis, I conclude they
>> don't care much about that book and don't waste unnecessary time finding
>> out about it because I think it has a good chance of not being carefully
>> prepared.
>>
>> If a volunteer cares about a book, you'd think she or he would want
>> others to benefit from their work. You'd think they would hope many
>> readers will select their book and it will be widely read. Why put your
>> own book in the seconds bin by not writing an inviting and/or informative
>> short synopsis for it? The short synopsis is the book's best publicity.
>>
>> In other discussions some volunteers have used the excuse that they can't
>> write a long synopsis because they haven't read the book. By my personal
>> work standards That already shows a considerable amount of lack of
>> caring. However given the volunteer isn't planning to read the book, this
>> excuse still doesn't hold up. Why not formulate a short synopsis by
>> summarizing that famous long synopsis to which they direct potential
>> readers. It wouldn't take too long to dash out some brief high points
>> mentioned in that long synopsis. It's only 200 characters or less we're
>> hoping for.
>>
>> I'll always appreciate everyone's work and am not targeting an individual
>> since I didn't look up any of these books to identify the volunteers who
>> write "See long synopsis." I wouldn't dream of trying to manipulate the
>> volunteer community or the staff to weigh in on this issue or to
>> institute major changes according to my personal guidelines and desires.
>> It's my hope that expressing my opinion might result in some books in the
>> future being given the more detailed short synopses they deserve. And if
>> that happens or not, at least I've expressed my feelings.
>>
>> I assume all of us have the good of Bookshare at heart. I've written this
>> pointed and fervent message from the perspective of both a volunteer and
>> a reader who loves Bookshare. I'm stating my opinion to encourage
>> volunteers to try a little harder to attract readers to their books and
>> to make book browsing more satisfying to me.
>>
>> Always with love,
>>
>> Lissi
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>>
>>
>>
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>>
>
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