As an artist, I am crossed by all kinds of emotions which interact on my job. This is not just about looking for inspiration and writing hundreds of books without interruption.
The world around me is important.
Today, I heard a program on the radio on France culture and which quoted a group of several authors in the United Kingdom. Its objective was to question the various publishing companies on their ability to control printing in order to move towards a more responsible use of paper.
This environmental issue had already worried me during the first COVID epidemic when I started my professional activity. And, I was indeed not the only one. Conferences on the malaise of authors facing their profession and the possible impacts on the planet had taken place at the BnF.
My comments are not those of all the authors, they engage only myself.
In a previous article, I proposed some lines of thought on a changing profession and they were as follows:
- promote on-demand printing
- the end of the D.R.M
accelerate digital accessibility (for all types of audiences)
- remunerate the authors for their creation (for example: the systematic payment of an advance at the signing of a publishing contract rather than a payment at the end sales when not self-publishing)
Currently, there is a disparity between accessing and purchasing a physical book and a digital book. In the majority of cases, for digital it is access to online content under conditions clearly defined by the broadcaster. Which wouldn’t be a problem if we were talking about a reading subscription rather than a book purchase. In the case of a file purchase for the digital version of the book, if it is done without D.R.M, the author may be exposed to a sharing of the book without receiving the benefits, but this is not certain. In order not to hamper individual freedom, having a digital file in an open format is fairer. It is up to us to make the public aware of our working conditions as artists and our method of remuneration.
In the context of printing on demand, if the choice of the type of paper is recycled, certain labels should make it possible to ensure that it has not been treated beforehand and that the forest has not been over exploited. . As for the use of vegetable inks, they can prove to be an alternative to think about.
It has always seemed obvious to me that it is better to favor quality over quantity and that in any activity.
As an author, I try to act at my level by having a human and logical rhythm of artistic creativity, by talking about these ideas around me, thus proposing the result of my reflections. Everyone is free to use them.
