The Add-ons for Embellishment’s Sake

The purpose of these, “flaps” of papers that the books we buy comes in, and, most of us still, unwrap and, toss them, out…translated…

During the height of when books were still being, mass-produced, I’d had the resistance of making the “belt of books” at some time.  Although, this is a sort of a work toward promotion, to get more value to the books, a sort of services we’d offered to the readers who weren’t appreciative enough (and many of those who bought the books would take them off in a hurry), but it was in our attempt, to add more to the contents of the books—after all, everything we can do, we already, did.  The belts were like the add-on, to give readers a preview of the contents, or to give some values to the books that were purchased, like the summaries (not for the sake of demeaning the values of books.  But sometimes, there was, the need), practically, to show the costs of printing of books, or to use the promotional actors or actresses, to reinforce the readers’ drives to purchase.

But right now, the readers are completely, reliant on the information of books they receive from online.  And this six-to-ten centimeters’ wide became, almost, extinct.  Especially in the recent decade’s time, it’d become, the add-on after the consolidations of finding that delicate balance between it being informational and beautifying the books.  Or maybe, as an add-on, it’d become, that sort of an added halo to help the readers make the decisions, with most of its values being the practical, or, mildly, arousing the anxiousness, the anticipations—will I, miss out on, adding this, to my, collection of books?  Am I caught up with the times?  Do I now, or will I in my future, need this volume to be used as a guide, to help me, or to, rescue me?

these things…and most of us, without a second thought would, take it off, and toss, I know I, had…photo from online

To the editors, from the contents, or the reviews (or the translated reviews, reports), taking the key points (sometime we needed to ignore the network), the lines used, the posts of the related events, but there were the times that made us frowned too; for instance, the authors too actively listed out a ton of recommended by lists on the names (causing all the names to be in fine print), especially when those who’d recommended the books, are most passionate about these volumes, more so than the final reviews or the adjustments of the books; or the most often seen “the first work in X number of years” (to attempt to reawaken the writer’s ability to influence the readers, long ago), “X number of characters in this volume” (showing that the writer worked really hard, how s/he persisted to finish the book, also an invitation to the readers to challenge themselves to read), would this not, add on to the awkwardness of the authors, or even, the pressures for the, readers?

And I’m certain you must’ve heard, some of the readers gave up on purchasing a book, as they saw the name of someone who’d, promoted the books, or how the news media stated, “the books all looked the same”, and felt a bit, troubled.  But, even if we can’t anticipate the reactions of the readers, at least, the authors and the publishers already called out the most ideal reader of the volumes when they’d set up the recommended by individuals’ names (the editors also saw how careful and or how generous it was to invite the promoters), this is still, more than meaningful, whether or not the invitations are successful, there’s always that increased chances of the instances becoming a topic of discussion or even, chances of working together in the futures to come.

Compared to my objections to the covers from when I’d first begun in the publishing industry, now, I’d felt, that the flaps (or anything that doesn’t seem to directly relate to the contents of books), are a witness to see if our hard work is going to, pay off, also a reminder, that the books which are viewed as cultural products, still needed to get considered in the business means.  Yet, most of times, it seemed, to become that hard to cross boundary; currently on the existence of the flaps of the physical books, they functioned on the first impression (a sort of a plating purposes), becoming that double-arrow, if the publishers will develop more volumes of the similar sorts, and that it taps into the imaginations, and expectations of the readers.

So, this is, something that I normally, take off, remove, and discarded into the garbage, every time I got a new book, that’s with this extra piece of paper around the covers, and, yet, the editors of books put so much thought into setting these flaps up, and now, I guess, I won’t, just, cast it aside, but to maybe, skim through what’s on there first, before I toss, and yet, this piece of paper will eventually, get, T-O-S-S-E-D, it’s only, a matter of time, because, it’s used as an embellishment, and anything that’s used as an embellishment eventually becomes, excessive and that gets  in the way…