Bloggasm

Edward Champion is the codename for a thinktank of embittered septuagenarians (most of them Ph.D.’s) operating out of Lexington, Kentucky known to spread strange and unsubstantiated rumors about the publishing industry between knitting sessions. The group has been investigated by the CIA, various associates of Jerry Lewis between telethons, and the John Birch Society, and continues to enjoy immunity under an agreement brokered by the late Melvin Belli, the details of which, despite the statute of limitations, remain top secret. There is also a shady character named Bat Segundo who cannot really be trusted, but somehow manages to orchestrate various interviews with today’s contemporary authors.

Simon Owens: As someone who participated in the Lit Blog Co-op, how successful do you think the project was?

Edward Champion: I think it’s been fairly successful so far. Not only has Stephen King apparently taken our lead a year after the fact with “Case Histories,” but some publishers have reported increases in book sales for both finalists and nominees. Irrespective of sales figures, the project has permitted some writers to gain the kind of exposure that the draconian, fiction-unfriendly editors at certain overesteemed weekly book review sections have altogether ignored. It is still very much an experiment in progress and by no means perfect, but I think the kinks are being ironed out each quarter.

SO: Many authors are now starting to release their books online for free under Creative Commons (Kelly Link recently did this with STRANGER THINGS HAPPEN). Do you think this helps book sales, as many claim?

EC: Well, I can’t answer this question fairly without a Nielsen Bookscan account that compares sales figures both before an electronic release and after. But keep in mind that most humans, even those indefatigable tech-savvy youngsters, would rather read an entire book in paper form than in electronic form. Anything that allows more people to sample the goods outside of a trip to a bookstore is certainly valuable in bringing attention to a neglected or underpromoted titles. And I wish that more authors and publishers would consider this without getting involved in crazed legal squabbles (see the Google Print brouhaha for more). It should be noted that Cory Doctorow, for one, has reported that his sales have been helped by the free distribution of his fiction. Whether this works in every case, I’m not really in a position to say.

SO: What book releases are you looking forward to in the coming months?

EC: David Mitchell’s “Black Swan Green” (which I’m currently reading), Julian Barnes’ “Arthur and George,” Claro’s “Electric Flash” (Claro being the French translator of Vollmann, Richard Powers, Tom Robbins, the like), T.C. Boyle’s “Talk Talk,” Laila Lalami’s novel (when it’s finished and published), Edwin Burrows’ book on Revolutionary-era New York prison camps, Jonathan Ames’ “I Love You More Than I Can Know,” China Mieville’s book on Marxism, Vollmann’s book on Copernicus. (Funny how 2006 looks to be the year of literary novelists writing about nonfiction topics, doesn’t it?)

SO: What are the five blogs everyone should be reading (besides your own)?

EC: This is a difficult question. But if I had to nail down five, in my present frame of mind, I’d say that Bud Parr’s excellent project Metaxucafe is a must for those who can’t negotiate Bloglines, Pinky’s Paperhaus for maintaining one of the coolest literary podcast concepts ever (and for the fact that she has a better voice than mine), the always underestimated wood s lot, Large Hearted Boy (for musical interconnectedness) and Crooked Timber. If Robert Birnbaum had a regular blog, he’d likely be on the list. But since he cannot decide between Identity Theory and The Morning News, being a peripatetic sort of fellow with regard to this Internet thing, his inclusion will have to be omitted, much to society’s great regret.