Robert Heinlein - an appreciation

One of the authors whom I admire is Robert Heinlein. He was ahead of his time in most respects, being a firm believer in women's rights and in the ability of women to assume non-traditional roles. In his novels, his female characters were just as capable as the male ones in exploring space, in fighting for survival, in battle and as leaders of fighting men and women. In his epic novel 'Starship Troopers', he described an ideal society where the title of 'citizen' was something that had to be earned and not as something that was granted automatically because of an accident of birth. You earned the title after having dedicated a certain number of years to public service. This could be done by serving in the military or in any number of activities that benefited society.

Even though the novel was criticized as being too pro-military, the emphasis was not on the military aspects of service to country but on the different ways in which one could earn the right to become a citizen. John Kennedy's famous words at his Inaugural Address in 1961 'ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country', give us a good idea of how the idea of service to country can best be put into practice.

Some of his novels that won worldwide acclaim are:

• Strangers in a Strange Land
• The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
• Tomorrow the Stars
• Red Planet
• Starman Jones, and many others. 

His popular collections of short stories and commentary are:

• The Worlds of Robert A. Heinlein
• Expanded Universe
• Assignment in Eternity 

These contain what is perhaps one of the finest collections of science-fiction stories ever written.

Another highlight of his career was his 1973 James Forrestal Memorial Lecture to the graduating class at the Naval Academy, his alma mater. In his address, he gives a clear idea of the role of the military. In a brilliant analogy, he talks about a herd of baboons in an African forest. He says that if you see an alert baboon high in a tree, you would know that the herd is on the ground feeding.

The young baboon in the tree has been placed there as a lookout by the leader of the pack. His job is to keep watch for the number one predator in the baboon world, the leopard. The young member of the pack will stay at his post, alert and watchful, rain or shine. If he sees a predator he screams a warning, giving the feeding baboons on the ground time to climb to safety. Only when the other baboons have fed enough will the leader of the herd call for him to come down and feed. His place on guard duty in the tree is taken by another young baboon. The duty of the naval officer and other military, Heinlein tells the graduating class, is similar to that of the baboon in the tree. He has to serve and protect the citizens of his country at all times, always alert and on guard. It is an address that should be read by all whose duty is to serve.

A lifelong anti-communist, he died in 1988,  just before the fall of the Berlin Wall, an event that he eagerly awaited but was not fortunate enough to witness.

e-books and e-readers

The recent announcement that Borders was closing over 200 stores nationwide came as no surprise, since it was public knowledge that this company was rapidly losing market share. The reason: the increased costs of production and the emergence of new and improved digital readers like the iPad and Kindle. Added to this is the increased production of e-books in a variety of genres. A more effective marketing of e-books was also an important factor in the increasing popularity of this new book format.

Amazon recently reported that sales of e-books had surpassed those of paper books for the first time. While this was not an unexpected announcement, given the increased popularity and better resolutions of e-readers, it was nevertheless tinged with a certain degree of regret. Borders' announcement did little to improve the mood.

The first victims of the closures are the hundreds of workers who will surely lose their jobs. The second group who will feel the absence of an outlet for their production is that of authors and publishers. Even though there are many stores and small chains that will continue to sell books, the reality is that none of them possesses the logistics and accumulated knowledge of retail sales like Borders. Publishers will probably feel the need to lower production figures to reflect the absence of a major player.

The reasons why sales of e-books have surpassed the sales of physical books are varied. One of the main reasons is the ease with which an e-book can be bought. All the reader needs to do is to surf the net and search for the book he is interested in. Seconds later he could be enjoying a good book. Another factor is the lower price of the e-book, several times less than that of a normal book. A point in the publisher's favor is that there is no need to have a physical inventory. Instead of warehouses bulging with unsold books, there will only be a computer program that produces the book. For famous authors accustomed to huge advances, there will probably be some bad news.

New authors will probably find it easier to sell their first book. Low advances will enable the publisher to recover the outlay quickly, while the author will receive royalties sooner. The lower prices for a digital download mean that there will be increased sales.

Undoubtedly, we are now entering a new era in the world of books. Authors, publishers and readers will have to adapt to a new way of writing and selling books.