I’m in a quandary. Word Raccoon asks why I’m “in” a quandary and if she joins me, should she pack sunscreen? Is it like a black hole? If so, she says we really ought to consult Hank Green for the best way out.
“It’s an idiom, WR.”
“You’re an idiom.”
Stop it, WR, I didn’t say idiot…anyway, I am debating a real dilemma: Anne Lamott’s (co-written with her husband, Neal Allen) latest book on writing, Good Writing: 36 Ways to Improve Your Sentences, is out today.
I cannot wait to read it!
Here’s the issue: it is being released in ALL FORMATS right away.
That’s right, you can get it in hardback (to be expected), paperback (already??), on Kindle (naturally), and audio?
And Anne’s the narrator. (Turns out, one of them. Her husband is the other.)
Price points and strengths and weaknesses of each (because obviously it’s not if we buy it, WR, but which format):
đź“Š The Format Dilemma
| Format | Price | Vibe | Pros | Cons | Hidden Plot Twists |
| Kindle | $15.99 | Sleek, efficient, slightly unromantic | Instant delivery, searchable, highlightable | No tactile joy, no margin scribbling | ✨ +$3 Kindle reward = girl math (woman/raccoon math, actually) says $12.99 |
| Hardcover | ~$25–27 | Serious writer energy | Beautiful object, durable, display-worthy | Bulky, less cozy for casual reading | Does it come w/ a dust jacket? WR sees those as straitjackets and tosses them immediately |
| Paperback | $29 | Casual intellectual with opinions | Does not require a crane to lift | Somehow MORE expensive?? | Existential pricing crisis, WR refuses to pay more for this version. |
| Audiobook (Add-on) | +$9 | “Let Anne Lamott talk to me while I live my life” | Narrated by the authors (!!), multitask-friendly | You can’t underline brilliance mid-laundry | 🎧 Sample only featured Neal Allen… who, respectfully, is not Anne, but WR and I will try to remain open-minded. |
Here’s where things take a pricing turn.
If I buy the Kindle version, I will cross the threshold for a $3 Kindle reward, though I cannot use it for this purchase.
If I buy the hardcover alone, I will not. (You get fewer points for anything that is not the Kindle edition.) I will also be eligible for a $5 off $25 coupon, but nay on the Kindle.
I will get points, yes. But not the reward. Not the satisfying little “you did it” moment.
Which means the Kindle purchase is not just a purchase. It is a completion.
And then, if I buy and love the book on Kindle (of course I will!), I could buy a physical copy later. (That $5 off is available for the next two days, if I listen/read that fast. I know it’s a lotta $, but books, especially books on writing, need to be part of the writing budget if at all possible. Borrow your novels from the library; buy the writing books.)
Word Raccoon would like it noted that this is all very simple.
“Get audiobook,” she says, already halfway out the door with my phone. “Hands busy. Brain open. Maximum intake.”
I point out that one cannot annotate an audiobook.
She pauses.
Considers.
“Fine,” she says. “Then we get both. One for thinking, one for absorbing. This is called strategy.”
She is now wearing my reading glasses.
I no longer know who is in charge.
Yes I do. Her. Always her.
Psst…we bought the Kindle version and added the audiobook, which we RARELY do. We are listening now, and it’s wonderful. Neal turns out to be very listenable, and I admire how he thinks about writing. And Anne has also entered the chat at this point, so that’s always cool. Very.
WR, however, says she prefers the cover’s “36 Ways to Improve Your Writing” to the online book description that calls them rules.
She won’t accept writing rules from anyone. “Not even from Queen Anne and her consort,” WR says.
WR, that’s rude! Neal Allen seems perfectly lovely and has quite the publishing record of his own. A defense of a favorite does not need to include a takedown of someone else, you cheeky monkey. Er…raccoon. Sorry, Mr. Allen.
Actually, he’s listed first on the cover, I just noticed, so we may have this backwards, Ms. Word Raccoon. Go to your corner.
Moving on…now I have that $3 Kindle Reward, and I’m gonna need to find another book to order. Wink.
In other writing news, WR and I are pleased.
First of all, there’s now a publication date for our poem, “Vincent in His Brother’s Arms”: March 28. Link to come.
Secondly, we received a “Your collection made it to the last round” email. About Cathedral. Last round! It wasn’t chosen, but hey, we’ll take it. What an honor. We’re calling it an opening gambit on the path to publication. (The revised version is tight, according to WR, meant the way the kids say it.)
Then, most excitedly, a poetry acceptance last night. “Lady Lazarus” has found the perfect home with Merion West. I’m so pleased for that beloved-by-me poem. And the editor was truly kind in his praise. I’m so grateful.
I remember writing the slightly dangerous, very opinionated, accusatory poem on the porch of a favorite café, its awning sheltering me from sunstroke. WR was newly born, side-eyeing every poet, trying to figure out who she was. She read Plath and asked how anyone missed it when it was staring at us all.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day. That was my parents’ anniversary, though they didn’t realize what day it was when they married, or so my mother said. I always think of them on this and most days.
dremadrudge.com 