[bookshare-discuss] Re: see long synopsis a waste and frustrating

  • From: Mayrie ReNae <mrenae@xxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 19:04:06 -0700

Hi!

What a simple idea! And a good one! Now, let's hope for implementation.

Peace,
Mayrie

At 06:30 PM 4/15/2008, you wrote:

I think there should be one synopsis, instead of a short one and a long one. Saves us lots of trouble.
Happy Reading,




Nati

Now Reading Thunder And Roses By Mary Jo Putney.
> From: hillikera@xxxxxxxxx
> To: bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Re: see long synopsis a waste and frustrating
> Date: Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:48:33 -0700
>
> 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. . 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"
> To:
> 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"
>> To:
>> Cc:
>> 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
>>> To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank Email to
>>> bookshare-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>> Put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the Subject line. To get a list
>>> of available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> No virus found in this incoming message.
>>> Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.22.13/1376 -
>>> Release Date: 4/13/2008 1:45 PM
>>>
>>>
>>
>> To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank Email to
>> bookshare-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> Put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the Subject line. To get a list
>> of available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.
>>
>
> To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank Email to
> bookshare-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the Subject line. To get a list of available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.
>

_________________________________________________________________
More immediate than e-mail? Get instant access with Windows Live Messenger.
http://www.windowslive.com/messenger/overview.html?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_Refresh_instantaccess_042008To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank Email to
bookshare-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the Subject line. To get a list of available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.

To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank Email to bookshare-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
 Put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the Subject line.  To get a list of 
available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.

Other related posts: