What Do You Mean No? I'm The Author!

So I loaded a draft of one of my stories onto the Kindle.  Way back when I'd been given the great advise of reading your finished book out loud to find those last glitches.  And the Kindle has a "read to me" feature.  By default, a man's voice - I call him little man.

Why is everything way easier until you begin implementation?

First off the book wouldn't open once I loaded it onto the Kindle.  Apparently, I forgot to delete headers, that it called imbedded objects.  Of course it never stated what said objects might be.  So first hurdle - identify imbedded objects aka headers.  Finally a readable version of the book is loaded.

I pressed start for little man to begin reading to me.

Nothing.

I hit start.... start...  start...

I read the instructions again.  I hit start again.


Frustrated?  Determined?  About to trash the Kindle?

Nah - not me.

Then I discovered the problem.  Apparently the rights holder has not allowed this action.  Excuse me?  I am the rights holder!  I am the author.  That book is mine, darn it.  And I authorize you to speak - speak now!

Silence.

We're at a stand off.  It might be my story but I suspect without a legal copyright and whatever other rights authorization it needs by virtue of publication, little man is just going to remain mute. I suspect too that little man might once have been part of a government entity, being as everything must be so cut and dried.  I mean really, shouldn't there be an option where I just check the box that says author?  Okay, so maybe not but this does seem rather close-minded on his part. 

I suspect that little man doesn't really care that I am the author.  I suspect that I might be the only one who cares.  I also suspect that I'm stepping a little close to the edge with my new relationship with the Kindle's little man.  But I am the author and logical or not it's darned annoying that I can't authorize this thing to work.  Ironic even as at this stage of the game I am the sole proprietor of said story.  It's that brief little lull before I send it out and throw everything wide open to the opinion of any and all.   For now it's a bunker - me and the story.

He did try to make it all better by reading a book by another author - published material of course - copyrighted and all, but somehow after his first rejection - his little electronic voice became oddly annoying.


Ryshia
www.ryshiakennie.com