First Book Deal on Va Tech Shootings

VT journalism teacher and sportswriter Roland Lazenby writing a book with the help of his students, portion of proceeds to victims' fund, to be published this summer. Too soon? Too commercial? Just right? Do people want to own a book about this?

http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6437838.html?nid=2286

 

As long as no one gets rich off this book, I have no problems with it. Let's just hope the proceeds go to the families of the deceased and maybe more research into depression, bi-polar dissorder and other mental illnesses that Cho may have had.

 

I think if anyone is doing the book, it's probably good that it's from within Virginia Tech itself and that the proceeds go back to the school/victims in some way.

 

Ditto.

I had this conversation with someone last week ... wondering how long it'd take before there was a made-for-TV movie or how long it'd take before some news organization (TV, paper, mag) would jump on the book bandwagon.

Months after 9/11, several compilation magazines published showing what other papers did for coverage. I'd like to see that at some point, maybe all of the Times-Dispatch covers put together in a glossy format (as an example).

 

I don't understand this line of thinking that no one should profit off of writing about bad things. I mean, this happens to be what a lot of us are good at, it serves an important function in society and everyone has to make a living somehow. Should doctors refuse to get paid because they're "capitalizing off of human suffering," as well?

Sometimes it reaches the level of self-flagellation.