Chris: I know what you mean; and the new Dan Brown will doubtless sell more than the new Kazuo Ishiguro. But one or two of us who have up to now made a modest living from writing are starting to feel a bit like Betamax.
Well yeah - money can't buy happiness, but it can facilitate good books, on occasion.
But it's not as though publishing is dead, is it? There is still a hierarchy: the fact that everyone can tweet / blog doesn't mean that everyone can write a book. It doesn't mean people will want to stop reading books either.
Someone commented here recently that Twitter won't replace blogging because it's all links, there needs to be something for it to link to. Blogging is similar - there's more to get your teeth into, but still half the point is to pick up recommendations of 'proper' things.
The interesting questions are, how is 'proper' going to be redefined by the internet age? How will money fit in (because it must, if art is not to be marginalised by technology)? And of course - is a pop song still a pop song if only five people have heard it?
*plugs recent pop song*(I should point out that I don't know what I'm talking about, and have never made any money from doing the things I'm good at. Maybe that means I'm not good at them after all...)
10 comments:
I was going to comment but didn't want to spoil the "0 comments" which seemed so appropriate!
Dan Lyons - who he?
Oh no not writing! I knew it was bad when the pornsites started shutting down.
Zero what? Sorry to get all idealistic, but I don't think money is a very good way of measuring worth.
Did he say it or write it? I think we should be told.
And if he did say it, why did anyone bother writing it?
This comment is worth zilch.
" "
Oh ho ho ho, all very meta.
Chris: I know what you mean; and the new Dan Brown will doubtless sell more than the new Kazuo Ishiguro. But one or two of us who have up to now made a modest living from writing are starting to feel a bit like Betamax.
Well yeah - money can't buy happiness, but it can facilitate good books, on occasion.
But it's not as though publishing is dead, is it? There is still a hierarchy: the fact that everyone can tweet / blog doesn't mean that everyone can write a book. It doesn't mean people will want to stop reading books either.
Someone commented here recently that Twitter won't replace blogging because it's all links, there needs to be something for it to link to. Blogging is similar - there's more to get your teeth into, but still half the point is to pick up recommendations of 'proper' things.
The interesting questions are, how is 'proper' going to be redefined by the internet age? How will money fit in (because it must, if art is not to be marginalised by technology)? And of course - is a pop song still a pop song if only five people have heard it?
*plugs recent pop song*(I should point out that I don't know what I'm talking about, and have never made any money from doing the things I'm good at. Maybe that means I'm not good at them after all...)
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