There has to be something like an alt.blogs for the opinion writing that the suck-ups to big publishing ignore and OW may be the ideal place for it. Sure, you may love Franzen, Chabron, DFW, but (and here's a joke these elitists understand): "I say its spinach and I don't like it." Well the reason I don't like it is because I've had enough of it. There's a new vegetable on your plate and you should really just stop complaining and eat it.
To hell with the circle jerk bloggers (who shall remain nameless, not out of respect, but out of ignoring the boors) and fuck anybody who says a discouraging word about non MFA real outsider writers.
And remember: The old posterity scam is still alive and well and suckering writers today. See the business model of folks like Dave Eggers who tempt twenty and thirty-something writers with the promise of being in their "hip" books and journals and for that great privilege shouldn't expect any payment. You don't want to pay me for my writing? Fuck you.
And as for being remembered in the world of lit (highbrow and low) most people have no idea what was on the bestseller list 5 years ago, nevermind over 50.
Bennet Cerf had the right idea with his Book Of The Month Club, which used to be high profile but has since fallen to the chains and congloms (or is it still BOMC in name, but in reality just part of a conglom? More research than I care to do...): Just keep feeding the public books, was his grand idea. It doesn't matter if they read them as long as they add to the BOMC's coffers. You can buy most of them now by the foot, which modern suburbanites do, to line their dens and help them look kultchured.
And as for lit mags, the great saviors of quality literature in the U.S.: Rick Moody (a rich guy who can afford to write) has stated that the audience for these, nationwide, is only about 3,000. There seems to have been a disconnect between the BOMC creating a literary culture and the number of people interested in things that are truly literary. Hmmm, how can we solve this? I know, go for the younger generation who haven't gotten bored yet. Sexy YA novels should do the trick, don't you think? And then it's only a short step to chick lit...Don't worry about the boys, lad lit will catch on eventually...maybe when the boys have no one to canoodle with on dates because all the girls are reading books. But what about "literature" (you know the little guy that indie bookstore owners champion)? Well, there's always Moody's 3,000. Maybe a few of them will buy the latest chapbook. But don't count on it.
Last update : 21-03-2007 00:17
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The Naked Opinion 
