Daily Archives: October 7, 2011

I was about ready to put out a new “Horticulture and Publishing” installment with a very simple thesis: if you see a book or magazine you really support, BUY IT. Don’t blog about it. Don’t post it up on Facebook or include a little link on Twitter, and figure that your friends will cover your slack. To quote Gibby Haynes, lead singer for the classic Texas band the Butthole Surfers, “the worst thing in the world is to be famous with no money,” and speaking from hard–earned experience, all of the best reviews in the world don’t mean a thing if nobody buys the item being reviewed. Considering the current nightmare facing the publishing industry, if you come across a publishing house or a magazine that puts out really compelling reading, and you want it to succeed and continue, BUY IT. Review it later. It doesn’t matter if you’re buying it from your favorite independent bookstore or directly from the publisher: buy it, because otherwise it may not be around in the future when you finally get around to purchasing it. This doesn’t just apply to reading matter, either, as I’ve discovered to my sadness in the past.

I say this only because I’m not going to follow my own advice…for about three hours. The crew at Black Jungle Terrarium Supply always impresses me with the variety and quality of their plants, but discovering that Black Jungle now offers a bioluminescent mushroom habitat kit? I’m buying it as soon as I get home. If the kits aren’t completely sold out by the end of the day, I’ll be sorely disappointed. If they’re sold out by the time I get home, I’ll be disappointed, but also looking forward to everyone else’s results.