I wrote a post responding to an article by Warren Adler in the Huffington Post, imagine my surprise when an email pops into my inbox from Mr Adler himself replying to my response!
I’ve checked with him and he was more than happy for me to share the email with you so, without further ado, here it is:
Thank you for your most thoughtful comments. Actually I agree with you completely. Your “disagreements” seem to buttress my own arguments and, in my mind, do not qualify as disagreements at all. The overriding issue here is “discoverability.” You kindly mention a number of authors that you admire. How did you discover them? What was their path up the ladder to your blog? Now think of the many, many authors of perhaps equal talent and performance that you have not discovered. How do they get your attention? In a vast sea of more and more published books what must their authors do to get your attention? Indeed, how many books must you read to discover authorial talent? How many will you miss? How many will you reject from the ever mounting book count? How much of your time will you devote to find the pearls in the vast and growing seabed of literary oysters. The more books that are published, now made easier by the new technologies, the harder it will be to discover the truly talented. My comments on “diminishment” is, I agree, a subjective take on what I believe is happening because of the march of technology. Your opinion on this point is as valid as mine. Actually I am going to read your blog with special interest and start reading the books you recommend. Believe it or not, you are exactly on my wavelength.
Best,
Warren Adler
Read and Rated 