From the Horse's Mouth:

Authors on Writing

Writers, like seasoned comedians, know, not only how to take a swipe at their profession but also how to poke fun at themselves. Sarcasm, self-mockery, and half-truths are some of the ways by which writers offer the public an insight into their take on themselves and the art of writing. When Thomas Mann said that “A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people,” he was acknowledging, with great cunning brilliance the complexity of the art of writing even for those who do it for a living. 

Not that poking fun at oneself requires artfulness or subtlety, sometimes straight talk does it just as well. Take Charles Dickens who neither minced words nor offered a tongue in cheek aside when deriding the work of other writers. “There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts,” or Martin Myers who threw in a remarkable self-own, “First you’re an unknown, then you write one book and you move up to obscurity.” Sometimes funny and sometimes delightfully direct, here are writers in their own words:

“There is no idea so brilliant or original that a sufficiently-untalented writer can’t screw it up.” ~ Raymond Feist

“A blank piece of paper is God’s way of telling us how hard it is to be God.” ~ Sidney Sheldon

“This morning I took out a comma and this afternoon I put it back again.” ~ Oscar Wilde

“I just sit at my typewriter and curse a bit.” ~ P.G. Wodehouse

“The first draft of anything is shit.” ~ Ernest Hemingway

“There is no mistaking the dismay on the face of a writer who has just heard that his brainchild is a deformed idiot.” ~ L. Sprague de Camp

“Cut out all these exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.” ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald

“Inspiration is a guest that does not   willingly visit the lazy.” ~ Pyotr Tchaikovsky

“Some stories have to be written because no one would believe the absurdity of it all.” ~ Shannon L. Alder

“When a work appears to be ahead of its time, it is only time that is behind the work.” ~ Jean Cocteau

“There are three difficulties in authorship: to write anything worth publishing -- to find honest men to publish it -- and get sensible men to read it.” ~ Charles Caleb Cotton

“There is no idea so stupid or hackneyed that a sufficiently-talented writer can't get a good story out of it.” ~ Lawrence Watt-Evans

“Writing is a socially accepted form of schizophrenia.” ~ E.L. Doctorow

“Most editors are failed writers - but so are most writers.” ~ T.S. Eliot

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Kim Kardashian's Selfish ...

And the paradox of Bestsellers !!!

as highlighted by the reviews

Once upon a time bestsellers were books of great literary worth, contemporary insight, and timeless beauty. Today, bestsellers are books that guarantee a gullible public the same level of excitement that pornographic websites and erotic photographs do. 

Quote:

"Why anybody would pay money for these selfies when they could just go on Instagram for free is beyond me. I guess if you’re a fan of the Kardashians you probably aren’t very smart." - PHIL NYE, thechive.com

The mainstream media and the Junk press catapulted her to international stardom by showcasing her every pout, selfie pose, amorous exploit, relationship flip-flop, fashion razzmatazz, wardrobe malfunction, and even her staged family row. Now, they have raved her to bestselling author status. And that, without doubt, is a very curious step-up.

Not surprisingly, TIME magazine refers to her as "The First Lady of Fame - the 100 most influential people."

In spite of the hoopla, the truth is that the publication of her book of selfie photography, "Selfish," highlights the paradox of the publishing industry, which essence is the enrichment of society with inspiring literary creations and yet finds itself often robbing society of its integrity by churning out celebrity trash for reasons that are not exactly noble.

Kim Kardashian's "Selfish" occupies the N°1 bestseller spot on Amazon and is listed on New York Times bestseller - celebrity list. It is, of course, unfair to begrudge her the success she's earned, though many of those who have turned her into a bestseller by buying the book, disagree. One amazon customer, who identifies himself as "Old guy in Vegas", for example, writes: "They should perfume the pages so blind people can hate it, too." I don't think anyone should be hated for his/her success, after-all, getting the media and a drooling public to eat out of one's hand must require some talent, effort, or the power of an exaggerated backside, with which not everyone is endowed.

Still, the reviews of SELFISH are impossible to ignore. They are, in fact, so spectacular that if compiled into a book, the said book would easily become a bestseller in its own right. Here are a few:

623 of 660 people found the following review helpful 

By yoyoman159 on June 1, 2015

Format: Hardcover

1. Take the money you were planning on buying this book with.
2. Look at it reaaaaal good.
3. Put it in an envelope.
4. Donate it to Nepal.
5. (optional) Go buy yourself some brain cells.

1,171 of 1,242 people found the following review helpful

By Reed Hubbard on May 15, 2015

Format: Hardcover

I can recommend the audio version of this book. It lasts 37 seconds. The narrator basically says, "On this page, we have an idiot and her cleavage looking into a camera," 500 times.

102 of 109 people found the following review helpful

By Edon June 1, 2015

Format: Hardcover

I have to thank Kim kardashian so much for making this book. It enlightened me so much. I read it to a friend of mine who was in a coma from a terrible car accident. Halfway through the first page he miraculously got up, slapped me and threw the book away. I don't know where he would be without this book!

Online image of an engaged reader of "Selfish"

113 of 123 people found the following review helpful 

ByJaion May 21, 2015

Format: Hardcover

Are you a hormonal teenage girl and want something that will lower your self-esteem even more? Then this "book" is perfect for you. If you're in the market for a booster seat and don't want to pay money for a proper one, then this "book" is also perfect for you. It's a great door stopper, and another alternative to firewood. Some poor tree died for this, and is forever trapped in this horribly bound "book". If you want to save a tree, then buy this "book" and immediately set it on fire to set it's soul free.

Kim Kardashian

494 of 552 people found the following review helpful

By Kevin C.on May 15, 2015

Format: Hardcover

Yeah, no. This is neither interesting nor candid; it is an anthology of what is wrong with American culture. This was sent to me as a gag gift from a very disturbed individual I once called a friend. He is a friend no more. To thrust this upon me, this "book," was just mean, sir. In the scientific sense, sure, it's a book: it has a front cover, pages in-between and a back cover, so good job on that front team. But even the quality of the construction of the book is fairly shoddy. Content-wise, it's nothing more than a collection of maniacal low quality photos aimed at giving teenagers a complex about self image and distort what reality and success really are. The best way I can describe this "book" is as follows: S*** Sandwich I award you no points and my god have mercy on your soul.

Selfish image

ByJ. Petersonon August 5, 2015

Format: Hardcover

I received this as a gag gift from a coworker. I guess she thought it would be funny to give me a Kim K "book". I use the term "book" lightly. Why would anyone pay even $9 for a "book" of pictures of arguably one of the most overexposed and self absorbed women in the last decade? I quickly flipped through it. Nothing of substance. Nothing notable. The girl is pretty, she was even prettier before all the plastic surgery. Still the same, calling this a "book" let alone a "best seller" is laughable. Don't waste your money. There are tons of the "book" pictures online to see for free.

These are just a few of the over 800 customer reviews on Amazon for Kim Kardashian's coffee table selfie book, Selfish. Notwithstanding their negative nature, the book is reported to be in its fourth print run, with closer to 125,000 "trade sales" (though this figure doesn't include books still on retailers' shelves, of course). 

Pam Sommers, the director of publicity at Rizzoli, the publisher, said "The book is, in fact, a significant success story as a benchmark of the phenomenon of self-portrait in the digital age."  

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