Simon says

Over at the Big Green Bookshop this time last week, Simon Key was blogging about the fact that he looks at The Bookseller website at least twice a day. I try to look at it myself also, maybe not twice a day, but at least once. It is after all, the best source of information on publishing, and where at least half of the stories I blog about come from. The headlines for today were Worthing Methvens re-opens as Bookstack (great news for both the town and the staff), former MP Martin Bell is to publish a book on the expenses scandal (that's a novel way to cash in!) and the tale of an author whose book has been dropped by his publisher due to complaints from the island community where he used to live. Apart from the Methvens story perhaps, none of these are really headline news, but just tasty little tit bits for us to chew on.

As Simon says, these headlines only serve to remind us of the things that really are important and of how futile worrying about this stuff is. Most of us spend half our lives worrying about stupid things that never even happen and really don't matter - how many nights a week do I want to work, how many invigilators will wish to buy my book tomorrow when the last exam is finished, and how many copies do Gardners have in stock. None of it matters.

What matters is that I am alive. End of.

I will of course like Simon, continue to look at The Bookseller anyway, as it is good to keep up to date with what is happening in your industry, but will endeavour to keep it all in perspective. 99.9 percent of what we worry about never happens - so why waste time doing so when you could be out there living!