Lobby Publishers Weekly
I spent a ridiculous thirty minutes this morning writing an e-mail to Joseph Tessitore, Vice President of Publishers Weekly , to protest the $225 annual subscription rate. I appealed to him to consider publishing an abridged online version of PW at a reduced fee for all the authors, independent booksellers, small press publishers, literary blog owners, and book-obsessed public who cannot possibly afford to spend such an exorbitant amount on one publication.

Why did I bother? I have long asserted that Publishers Weekly is indispensable to any writer who hopes to earn more than a sub-subsistence wage for their efforts. By studying PW, an author discovers what's hot in publishing and who's publishing what as well as a comprehensive description of new titles in many genres. I would not have become published without it.

Now that the PW online site is no longer free, I am forced to pester librarians at my favorite institutions for a glimpse. Have you ever noticed that librarians are loathe to part with PW for a single second? They can only afford one copy and once it leaves their hands, they're afraid I'm going to run out the door with it!

So now I appeal to you, my readers, those of you who have enjoyed PW's content before they closed out their online site, to e-mail Joseph Tessitore today and implore him to publish a less expensive online version of PW. (E-mail address: JTessitore@reedbusiness.com