I don’t know Jeff Bezos personally, but I think we’d get along. His recent divorce was more amicable than mine, which makes me think he’s probably fair-minded, though it could just mean it’s easier to part ways when you’ve got so many billions.
Today it hit home to me that Jeff started Amazon 27 years ago. 1994. That’s when I started writing Sordaneon.
The book has had a long genesis, for a multitude of reasons, said divorce being one of them. Still, over the same years Jeff created Amazon, I created…
Millions of words, thousands of revisions, hundreds of drafts, uncountable cover letters, and a six-book series of fantasy novels. Not bad, but not nearly as impressive as Amazon. Love it or hate it, it’s an indelible part of the landscape and my books are just now being published.
I’m comparing plums to pomegranates, of course. Or maybe not. There’s not much of a line remaining between art and business. Writing novels and all that goes with it—building worlds, conceiving characters, moving into them—is certainly art. Yet the publishing of novels, from agents to publishing houses, is very much a business. In fact, Amazon is a massive part of that business.
I may or may not make money on my books. I certainly hope so, especially for my publisher! The series is fully written and I’m putting it out there.
I write science fiction and fantasy, so I’m a bit wistful that Jeff Bezos will get to experience space before I ever do, which will be never. But my 27 years were put to good use, and my books will be cheaper than space tourism. Or Amazon stock for that matter.
In Jeff’s honor, I plan to buy a share. One of these days..