| I don't know why I bothered with that
| |
| | that caliber is, I would vigorously
|
| question mark. Of course the internet is
| |
| | contend, worse than having no gatekeepers
|
| the future of the novel. It's the future
| |
| | at all. An idiot like that is very likely
|
| of almost everything. We have to remind
| |
| | to reject good books under the impression
|
| ourselves that the web is not much more
| |
| | that they're bad, and -- even worse -- to
|
| than ten years old, and that the
| |
| | publish bad books under the impression
|
| revolution has only just begun. Think
| |
| | that they're good. And if you publish
|
| of where the automobile was after just
| |
| | shit and tell people it's good, you'll
|
| ten years of existence, or the aeroplane,
| |
| | rapidly devalue the currency. The asinine
|
| or moving pictures. And think of how far
| |
| | rise of the marketers -- i.e. those
|
| they've come since. We have seen, so
| |
| | geniuses who slap fancy covers on dud
|
| far, only a tiny fraction of what the
| |
| | books and hype them obscenely beyond
|
| internet can and will do. But I've
| |
| | their actual worth -- might well deliver
|
| already seen more than enough to conclude
| |
| | short-term profits, but only at the cost
|
| that in my own field of interest,
| |
| | of ensuring long-term catastrophe. The
|
| literature, the writing is on the wall
| |
| | public will buy one unreadable
|
| for the traditional paper book.I don't
| |
| | "masterpiece", or maybe two, but after
|
| say this in a spirit of glee or
| |
| | sustaining a few serious burns they'll
|
| provocation. In fact I would be much
| |
| | stop buying books altogether. And then
|
| happier if it were not the case. I love
| |
| | the culture starts to rot. Publishers
|
| books. I love the way you can read them
| |
| | make less money, and the less money they
|
| anywhere -- on the bus, the plane, over
| |
| | make, the less willing they'll be to
|
| dinner, in bed, racked out on the couch.
| |
| | publish anything remotely risky. Pretty
|
| I love the way you can flick ahead
| |
| | soon they'll be publishing nothing but
|
| through them if you get bored, or flick
| |
| | cookbooks by one-legged ex-Rugby stars,
|
| back to check on stuff you missed. I love
| |
| | with the odd new novel by some
|
| the way new ones smell different from old
| |
| | established dinosaur tossed on as a bit
|
| ones. Yet it isn't hard to see how most
| |
| | of artistic garnish. A literary culture
|
| of these things -- with the exception of
| |
| | run by people without brains might just
|
| the odor thing -- could be replicated
| |
| | conceivably survive. But one run by
|
| electronically, with some kind of
| |
| | people without balls is doomed.Something
|
| I-Pod-like device for downloaded text.
| |
| | like this has already happened in
|
| Perhaps such a device exists already and
| |
| | Australia. That notional class of
|
| I don't yet know about it. In any case,
| |
| | literati which is supposed to police our
|
| those of us brought up on paper books,
| |
| | book culture, weeding out the bad books
|
| those of us with a sentimental attachment
| |
| | and publishing only the good ones --
|
| to them, will not be around forever.
| |
| | having first rid these of any and all
|
| Pretty soon we'll have to yield the floor
| |
| | grammatical howlers -- has died out, if
|
| to a generation of people for whom it's
| |
| | indeed it ever existed at all. No doubt
|
| at least as natural to read things off a
| |
| | this has something to do with the
|
| screen as off a page. To them, the whole
| |
| | thinness of the country's population
|
| print thing, the whole concept of the
| |
| | base, combined with our long tradition of
|
| hard copy, is likely to seem
| |
| | settling for second-best in intellectual
|
| superfluous. One day our grandchildren
| |
| | affairs. In any case, the result is that
|
| will look back on the daily newspaper --
| |
| | the novel in this country is effectively
|
| that great wasteful slab of pulped flora
| |
| | dead as a form. Yes, novels still get
|
| that turns obsolete a mere day after its
| |
| | published here. But they're like Wile E.
|
| creation -- the way we look back on such
| |
| | Coyote running on a subtracted piece of
|
| quaint historical objects as the
| |
| | ground, treading air and not yet knowing
|
| penny-farthing, or the sheep-gut
| |
| | it. If anything remotely original and
|
| condom.If the internet is not the future
| |
| | exciting ever gets published here again,
|
| of the printed word, and therefore of the
| |
| | it will be entirely by accident. Again I
|
| novel, then my name's not Kirk Kinbote.
| |
| | have to point to the relative merits of
|
| In fact, I'll go one step further: the
| |
| | cyberspace. It's not enough to say that
|
| novelist should want the internet to be
| |
| | the web, in such a climate, is just as
|
| the future of the novel. After all, what
| |
| | good as the traditional publishers. It's
|
| the novelist craves above anything else
| |
| | better, because there's no material of
|
| is control. And publishing your own stuff
| |
| | which it's afraid. It excludes nothing.
|
| on your own site gives you unqualified
| |
| | Which is, I repeat, better than
|
| control over it. There is, first of all,
| |
| | excluding just about everything on
|
| an absolute guarantee of publication.
| |
| | grounds that have nothing to do with
|
| There will be no intermediaries. Nobody
| |
| | quality.For a culture to actually be a
|
| will alter a word of what you have
| |
| | culture, for it to live, publishers need
|
| written. No grinning editor will propose
| |
| | to invest in more than just the
|
| "working with you" on the text. Debates
| |
| | established brand names. They need to
|
| regarding punctuation need not be entered
| |
| | seek out new and different and risky
|
| into. Nobody will insert any redundant
| |
| | stuff as well. They need to publish books
|
| comma, or remove any necessary one.
| |
| | that might fail. They need to publish, to
|
| Apostrophes will not be relocated from
| |
| | say it plainly, a lot of books, so that
|
| where they belong to where they don't.
| |
| | we get the kind of critical mass from
|
| You can control line-length, font,
| |
| | which, if we're lucky, one or two
|
| point-size. Any genuine writer is bound
| |
| | excellent and lasting things will emerge.
|
| to be tantalized by these possibilities.
| |
| | American culture takes a lot of shit,
|
| Of course, there's the burning question
| |
| | but what other culture could sustain a
|
| of how you're going to make money out of
| |
| | young novelist as prodigiously talented
|
| the thing. This is a serious question,
| |
| | but downright perverse as David Foster
|
| and I'll get back to it eventually. But
| |
| | Wallace? Certainly the thousand-page
|
| apart from that gargantuan caveat, web
| |
| | Infinite Jest would have got short
|
| publication looks in many ways like a
| |
| | shrift from any publisher here. Wallace
|
| novelist's paradise.But hang on. Isn't
| |
| | would have got it straight back by return
|
| there an important sense in which the
| |
| | post, in a crate, at his own considerable
|
| rise of web publication would spell
| |
| | expense. Only in a culture as
|
| disaster for the novel? Because a
| |
| | broad-shouldered, as robust, as America's
|
| published novel, in the traditional
| |
| | could a writer like Wallace thrive.
|
| sense, isn't just a novel that's been
| |
| | There's only one other culture from
|
| printed on paper, is it? It's a novel
| |
| | which he might conceivably have emerged:
|
| that's been vetted, that's passed muster.
| |
| | the culture of the web, in which true
|
| The publisher, the gatekeeper, has
| |
| | talent, no matter how weird it is, always
|
| lovingly hand-selected it from a chaotic
| |
| | seems to find some kind of
|
| bale of far lesser manuscripts. Quality
| |
| | audience.Remember when The Beatles, not
|
| control has been exerted. And without
| |
| | long before splitting up, founded Apple
|
| quality control, all we'd have would be
| |
| | Corp., the idealistic publishing
|
| an undifferentiated sludge of material,
| |
| | recording/filmmaking company that would
|
| about 99% of which is bound to be
| |
| | -- so the argument went -- forever
|
| worthless, right? Isn't that all the web
| |
| | eliminate the artist's degrading
|
| is? An unsifted mass of largely valueless
| |
| | obligation to go down on his knees in
|
| information, with nobody in authority to
| |
| | some suit's office (probably yours,
|
| guide us through it?It's a sound
| |
| | sneered Lennon at some unlucky
|
| argument, in principle. But it only works
| |
| | journalist) in order to get his stuff out
|
| in practice if the quality controllers
| |
| | to the public? Apple of course failed to
|
| know what they're doing. And in my own
| |
| | deliver on that dream, because its
|
| country, Australia, there is ample
| |
| | employees were promptly buried under an
|
| evidence to suggest that they don't.
| |
| | avalanche of submissions. But think of
|
| There is ample evidence, in fact, to
| |
| | the web as one giant and unswampable
|
| suggest that they're either asleep at the
| |
| | Apple Corp., capable of publishing an
|
| wheel or brain dead. Publishing in this
| |
| | infinite supply of creative work, without
|
| country is growing more fatuous by the
| |
| | the mediation of those parasitic and
|
| day. A good half of the books published
| |
| | vaguely contemptible middlemen who have
|
| here are autobiographies of cricket
| |
| | until now stood between the artist and
|
| players, or celebrity memoirs that would
| |
| | the public. If the idea of infinity
|
| be uninteresting even if their authors
| |
| | scares you, I can only repeat that it is
|
| could write, or reflections by former
| |
| | far preferable to entrusting our cultural
|
| newsreaders on the difference between
| |
| | future to the personal tastes of some
|
| Generation X and Generation Y, or
| |
| | bureaucrat who doesn't know his arse from
|
| barbecue cookbooks by half-assed TV
| |
| | his elbow, but thinks that he does. The
|
| personalities. (If they actually are
| |
| | question of which books will survive, and
|
| half-assed, having lost an appendage or
| |
| | which ones won't, is far too important to
|
| two in the course of some unnecessary but
| |
| | left to a handful of marketers and
|
| "inspiring" journey to the top of some
| |
| | semi-lettered literati. The public has to
|
| indomitable mountain, then so much the
| |
| | be in on it to some extent.It's probably
|
| better, as long as they've got an arm
| |
| | time for a confession. Don't get me
|
| left to write the memoir.)What matters
| |
| | wrong: this confession does not alter the
|
| about books these days is whose face is
| |
| | truth-value of the foregoing arguments.
|
| on the front cover, not what is written
| |
| | Everything I have said remains
|
| inside. In this sense at least, the web
| |
| | watertight, objectively ship-shape. But
|
| -- that supposedly anarchic no-go zone of
| |
| | here is the confession. I am a novelist
|
| unfiltered information -- is in fact a
| |
| | myself, and for a depressing year or so I
|
| rather more rigorous enforcer of quality
| |
| | have attempted, without raising a single
|
| control than our traditional publishers
| |
| | spark of interest, to sell my masterwork
|
| are. Your web page can look as fancy as
| |
| | to this country's moribund publishers.
|
| you like, but if it doesn't deliver on
| |
| | And I tell you, there is no experience
|
| content, people will hit the back button.
| |
| | more surreal than submitting one's
|
| By some strange law of publishing
| |
| | stuff, again and again, to the burnt-out
|
| physics, people will, under certain
| |
| | remnants of an industry which, although
|
| circumstances, pay for unreadable tripe;
| |
| | nominally concerned with the business of
|
| but under no circumstances will they
| |
| | publishing books, has essentially given
|
| read it for free.As for the highbrow
| |
| | up on the whole notion. It's like
|
| stuff, one of the most celebrated
| |
| | shouting into a void.And so I have
|
| Australian novels of recent times had a
| |
| | indignantly published my book online,
|
| glaring error of grammar in its second
| |
| | where it is freely available to anyone
|
| sentence. I repeat: in its second
| |
| | who wants to read it. Which is to enter
|
| sentence. Is it trivial to mention this?
| |
| | another kind of void -- a bigger but
|
| Or does the fact that no editor picked up
| |
| | more democratic one, which has no prima
|
| this howler reinforce the point that the
| |
| | facie aversion to new material. On the
|
| editor as gatekeeper, as fastidious
| |
| | contrary: it wants you. Or at any rate,
|
| guarantor of quality control, is these
| |
| | it doesn't not want you. It wants stuff.
|
| days a purely mythical figure. If a
| |
| | People want the stuff that's on it. Some
|
| publishing house can't even guarantee
| |
| | of them will come to your page. If it
|
| adherence to simple rules of grammar, its
| |
| | delivers what they want, they will stay.
|
| imprimatur is worthless. For all the help
| |
| | If it doesn't, they will go. Most of them
|
| his editors gave him, this guy's novel
| |
| | will go. Some of them will stay. If
|
| might just as well have been
| |
| | enough of them stay, then maybe your site
|
| self-published on the web.Here's a
| |
| | will amount to something.And that's
|
| pertinent anecdote for you. At a recent
| |
| | about all I have to offer on the topic. I
|
| and excruciating social function, I
| |
| | think I said, back at the start of this
|
| happened to find myself seated next to
| |
| | article, that I would come back to the
|
| a fellow who was, and as far as I know
| |
| | subject of money. I lied, sort of. I
|
| still is, employed by a globally
| |
| | really haven't worked that bit out yet.
|
| reputable publishing house as a senior
| |
| | All I can do is propose, without a great
|
| editor of fiction. Finding him generally
| |
| | deal of conviction, that anything that's
|
| unimpressive, I generously raised the
| |
| | any good will eventually draw some kind
|
| subject of fiction, so as to let him
| |
| | of audience, and that anything that draws
|
| riff freely on a topic he presumably knew
| |
| | an audience will also, eventually, make
|
| something about. I mentioned Catch-22. It
| |
| | some kind of money. That's my working
|
| swiftly emerged that he'd never heard of
| |
| | hypothesis. We'll see how it goes.Kirk
|
| it. He thought I meant The Catcher in the
| |
| | Kinbote, operating from behind at least a
|
| Rye. When I subsequently referred to
| |
| | brace of pseudonyms, was the key creative
|
| Thomas Wolfe he thought I was talking
| |
| | and design force behind home of the
|
| about Tom Wolfe.Having gatekeepers of
| |
| | online novel "A Dancing Bear.
|
