The Barnes and Noble Nook

Things are not well in the world of e-books and e-book readers. Cool as they are, and as much as that technology is useful, we can never forget that the business world is still full of people who are going to try to rip off consumers, business partners and one another.

Barnes & Noble is currently being sued by Spring Design over their e-reader, the Nook. The Nook, I have to admit, looks superdupertacular. It's got color on the screen, really cool technology -you can share books with other Nook users, and it's got all the bells and whistles we are coming to expect from e-readers.

However, B&N stole the technology from Spring Design. They engaged in "talks" with SD about the technology used by SD to create something like an e-reader without ever telling SD that they were planning on using said technology for the Nook. Read more here.

I've read a few blog posts and many more tweets (on Twitter) lately about acting professional when you get a rejection or go about networking. Spiteful comments about editors, other authors, agents and publishing houses aren't going to get you anywhere. All of the blogs/tweets are solid. They have good examples and the points are valid.

However, I finish reading them and I have an overwhelming sense of, "Well, duh."

I should think it would be self-evident to anyone that if you're trying to get a book published, acting like a spoiled, privileged child isn't going to be the route you want to take. And yet people seem to need to hear that. Why? Why is that a lesson people should need? I'm a n00b in the world of publishing and online networking despite growing up in the internet era, and I still know better than to fight with other professionals or step on toes if I get upset.

I don't understand why good manners are something that we need to be reminded of so frequently.

And then I start reading about things like the lawsuit between Barnes & Noble and Spring Design, and I think perhaps everybody should be looking over some etiquette manuals.