Letter to the Editor

Toban editors suck

Editors of the Manitoban made some noticeable errors in the course of altering my comments article “The limits of armed force” in last issue’s paper. Here’s two of them:

They inserted the word “accidently” in my recounting of Canadian troops killing Afghan civilians. First of all, the word is spelled “accidentally.” More importantly, its inclusion distorts the nature of the killings. Take the example of the shooting of Esmatullah Zia and his brother Ahmed in Kandahar on October 2. Esmatullah was killed, while Ahmed, age 12, was seriously wounded. In this case, the brothers were deemed by Canadian troops to be driving too close to their convoy, and so, in response, Canadian troops took careful aim and shot them. The incident may be described as “mistaken” but it is hardly “accidental” — it is consistent with troops’ rules of engagement and reflects their hostility and fear towards the Afghan population. Matthew Fisher, of CanWest News Service, recorded the boys’ uncle’s reaction: “Whenever they think they want to shoot someone they can. Nobody can ask anything about it, That’s why they shoot us like goats, like birds, like animals...”

Editors also changed my description of the author of the recent Manitoban article “Dispatches from Afghanistan” from “Canadian” to “Afghan-Canadian.” This is false, the author in question is Mike Skinner, a Canadian.

Derek Rosin

Home Grown Canadian

No, this isn’t about pot, it’s about real Canadian books doomed to obscurity because the people who would enjoy reading them will never know they exist. These unknown authors have wonderful stories to tell, but they’re competing against market savvy multi-national corporations armed with only a burning desire to see their words in print. All their best efforts may prove fruitless simply because self-published books carry the stigma of a vanity press.

Lacking deep pockets, a self-published author’s best chance for connecting with potential readers is through book reviews. Even bad reviews can sell books, just look at the Da Vinci Code. The problem is, reviewers only have time for professional-published books. An American author recently shared his solution. He created his own publishing company, complete with a host of fake employees who contacted local prominent book reviewers. Once the reviews were in, he sacked the entire staff. The author was hawking books in front of a Coles Bookstore when I met him. As I flipped though the pages, he happily pointed out that the volume in my hand was from the third printing. I was sold, and so was the book.

Everyone knows technological advances have made it possible for just about anyone to publish a book, but rejecting a title based solely on this label is closed-minded. Some books are self-published because they do not follow prescribed formulas required by mainstream publishers. Devoid of censorship, Canada’s fringe literature is as interesting and diverse as its people. Change will take time, but for now, self-published books make wonderful gifts, since odds are the recipient will not already own one.

David Korinetz