"The primary change in publishing, I’d argue, that has come in the new century is the diminishment of risk-taking on the side of literary fiction, the abandonment of the concept of a publishing house propping up and nurturing a young literary career, and the end of a certain trust that was invested in individual editors—Sonny Mehta, Gord…
"The primary change in publishing, I’d argue, that has come in the new century is the diminishment of risk-taking on the side of literary fiction, the abandonment of the concept of a publishing house propping up and nurturing a young literary career, and the end of a certain trust that was invested in individual editors—Sonny Mehta, Gordon Lish, Gary Fisketjon, and a young Toni Morrison come to mind—to curate lists to their taste"
I think you're right, Ross. This is the heart of the matter. Recently, I read (well, listened to Tom Parker's fantastic audiobook rendering of) Saul Bellow's "The Adventures of Augie March." What struck me, even in the first few pages, was the audacity and rawness of its prose. And yes, a different time and place, sure, but I imagined the acquisitions editor being unusually farsighted to even consider it. I do think something's "missing" now, though I can't articulate it further. In any case, your and Lorentzen's pieces have certainly challenged Sinykin's conceit.
"The primary change in publishing, I’d argue, that has come in the new century is the diminishment of risk-taking on the side of literary fiction, the abandonment of the concept of a publishing house propping up and nurturing a young literary career, and the end of a certain trust that was invested in individual editors—Sonny Mehta, Gordon Lish, Gary Fisketjon, and a young Toni Morrison come to mind—to curate lists to their taste"
I think you're right, Ross. This is the heart of the matter. Recently, I read (well, listened to Tom Parker's fantastic audiobook rendering of) Saul Bellow's "The Adventures of Augie March." What struck me, even in the first few pages, was the audacity and rawness of its prose. And yes, a different time and place, sure, but I imagined the acquisitions editor being unusually farsighted to even consider it. I do think something's "missing" now, though I can't articulate it further. In any case, your and Lorentzen's pieces have certainly challenged Sinykin's conceit.