Polishing The Bitch

By Richard Jay Parker

I see that Jackie Collins is about to re-release a digital, restored edition of The Bitch.  I wonder if we'll see this happen with other 'classics?'

Perhaps Watership Down can be updated to include the current plans to build on the real life Sandleford warren that Richard Adams is currently contesting or maybe 1984 could be 2084 to make it prophetic again.  What about The Lion, The Witch and the Ikea Wardrobe anyone?

Some would say that works are a product of their time and should remain as such but in our new era of publishing maybe there's nothing wrong with taking a book that may have been long forgotten, polishing and updating it and then making it available to a whole new readership.

There will obviously be accusations of writers making a fast buck and I'm sure it will be a process that becomes abused.  It also means there are even more books being uploaded and vying for people's attention but can there be too much choice?

I suppose it should ultimately be down to the writer and, like with any remake, the new version should offer something significantly different rather than being just another bite of the same cherry.

If the story doesn't benefit from a makeover why not just put it out there again in its original form and have faith in what people liked about it in the first place.

Visit Richard at: http://www.richardjayparker.com/