Photo of the Day: 10 Seconds To Say Something Meaningful

(UPDATE: Here's Joe's report on the 5 p.m. news show. Wanted to clarify one thing: When I said, "This isn't about money, it's about ego and power," I was referring to Amazon owner Jeff Bezos, not Roland and Beth. Sometimes context gets lost in brevity.)

This is WDBJ7 reporter Joe Dashiell (right) and moi just a bit ago, outside the studio talking for a news piece he is doing. Joe says it'll be on this evening's news broadcast, "I think." Never know about those things. He said I'd get "about 10 seconds."

Joe's story (and let me say that he is the best TV reporter and one of the best reporters of any kind in this region) is about the book war between Amazon and Hatchett, the imprint that is publishing/has published books by two locals--Roland Lazenby and Beth Macy--under its Little Brown label. Those books and others from Hatchett are being blocked on several levels by Amazon in a pricing war with the publisher.

Roland is a good friend and I've known Beth for years. Both books should be huge sellers. Roland's was in its third printing 10 days after its release. But the war could hurt sales of both.