It is tempting to think that the problem with publishing is just too many awful books, but then again 99 percent of anything is mediocre, and people don't tend to complain that there are too many mediocre widgets. Books are something we have higher expectations for.
<idle musing>
Interesting thought, isn't it? We accept mediocrity in all kinds of things, from software to food. But, when we read a book, we expect more than the run-of-the-mill banality we see in the rest of life. Maybe that is part of the staying power of books.
</idle musing>
2 comments:
That's very interesting indeed.
I don't often know enough about the widgets I buy to see their flaws in advance, or feel like I could've improved them. But we all know words. Or think we do. Could that partly explain it as well?
Bill,
Maybe, but I think it goes further.
James
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