More On The Topic of Art and Clarity

In my previous post, I talked about how clarity can be the enemy of art, or perhaps more accurately the enemy of those who desire to be viewed as important artists.

This is not a new idea. Sorting through some old clippings, I came across a "Bookends" feature from the Aug. 30, 2015 issue of the New York Times weekly book review section.

"Slush Piles" and Self-Publishing

The Oct. 11, 2015, “Bookends” feature of the Sunday New York Times poses the question: “How does the reputation of an author shape your response to a book?”

The word “your” in that question refers to readers, but I think the same question can be asked of publishers and the response of one of the two commentators provides an answer as to why some authors, me included, decide to self-publish.

Is Quality Fiction a Victim of Declining Attention Spans?

I’ve written several posts in the past about Young Adult (YA) fiction, not because I have any interest in it per-se, but rather because it is apparently about the only genre where sales are actually increasing. And this is at least in part because it is popular with adults as well as with the target audience. 

What is behind the trend, one wonders? Is it yet another indicator of the failure of our much maligned education system?