Again, I have many thoughts on this subject, so I will say a few.
As a reader, even from an early age, I have always gravitated towards that activated/ challenged my mind. Cheap escapism never interested me. But that's just me. I want to be changed by a book! Even if it's just one line, one thought - I'll take it. I'm grateful.
As a writer, much the same way, those are the kind of books I want to be writing. Something that will make my readers think / rethink things. A story that would move them in a meangful way. (Yes, no pressure)
As for the money, I wouldn't want to sell books for $300-400 because then books/ reading will become a luxury for the rich. I wouldn't be able to enjoy books then.
But - it would be nice if writing was more appreciated, and compensated for. For example here, on Substack. Why do we have to sell some kind of a "value" instead of our hard work (our writing) being enough to get the monthly equivalent of a Starbucks coffee? So many of my wealthier friends wouldn't hesitate to spend the money on a good bottle of wine, but wouldn't pay for writing. I know you put your heart and soul to each of your posts. So do I. So why do we do it? Because when the world is as dark and as unkind as it feels right now, and one person responds to my post with "I have never read anything as beautiful as your essay. You have opened my heart to another perspective" I feel that maybe, just maybe, I have helped moving us a touch closer to kindness. And it's the best feeling in the world. (I just wish I didn't have to paint walls to finance it...)
Thank you for your writing Kern! Even before I became a paid subscriber I always appreciated your work. I always look forward to reading you. Happy holidays!
Your responses are always so thoughtful, Imola. I feel a bit of the duality of your thinking where you are totally creating writing from your heart but also thinking about value and having to "prove" that value. It's always difficult to feel so tied to what is a calling and thinking of how to present that calling to the world.
I think the biggest impact has been the consumerism and capitalism. The audience of today are hardly "readers" anymore. Insta and YT has turned them into brainless consumers with a 3 second attention span. Literature, both long and short format, can't currently compete with that.
In addition, the "hustle culture" arising from capitalism tells people to focus on their own grind to rule the world with bucks, which also means ignorance of the soul, which, according to me, is a prerequisite for becoming a reader.
Yep I think that you hit the nail on the head here. It's not that people don't want to be moved, they just aren't willing to put in the effort necessary to reach that point. Spiritual transcendence/political change/genuine self-reflection all deprioritized because those things require slowing down and letting yourself feel unproductive for a bit. In reality it's more productive, but it doesn't feel like it because you don't get the nonstop dopamine hits that you do from scrolling TikTok.
Man tiktok is a wild place. I can't believe popular influencers openly admit they skim the books they're reading and ppl still trust them. I get that reading takes time and they probably have to create a lot of content but still, I wouldn't trust a film critic who only watches half the movies or says they fast forward the boring bits. Great essay, always love reading your stuff!
Thanks Tom. I was shocked when I saw those tiktok videos too. There's this aesthetic that people are trying to create around reading that has very little to do with literature.
Necessary conversation indeed! As a reader, I think there are still some of us who want literature to be place where we are made to feel, think, enjoy, and learn, both about ourselves and the world we live in. My love of reading came from my parents, and then was sustained through school (classes and libraries) and through the culture I was raised in. I don't think I have ever read a book suggested by TikTok or a popular book club, but I do read books suggested by the NYT, Guardian UK, Economist, FT, Substacks, Podcasts, Bookshops, friends, research, people I regard and even people I have just met. This year I have bought almost 50 books for myself, and probably another 20 as gifts. There are many things at play here, not just capitalism and social media / technology as you have touched on and whilst I feel your suggestion is valid, I believe that if writers were to collectively take up this stance then even less people would be reading than currently are. Good literature needs to be accessible, but people also need to learn to value good literature. As someone who writes, I would say for literature to be meaningful, impactful, and "rebellious" it needs to be purpose driven. Unfortunately, capitalism makes us value things less and that's why it's critical to sustain things of value, but not by any means necessary, instead through sustainable systems.
I soooo agree with this. Accessibility of literature is so vital, so my "suggestion" was simply a thought idea. I know it's not something that I would ever truly consider but I was trying to express that the value of literature feels so skewed that maybe a ridiculous cost would turn things back the other way. As an author, I just hate knowing that there are certain books that sell and certain others that don't, but that says as much about society than the publishing industry. Capitalism has put us in a difficult position. We want to make a living but we also want to write from our hearts.
Also, I love that you've bought 50 books this year!
Kern, I am not saying anything new here about this writing business today.
There is only one lens to view things and it is inescapable. Reality bites.
The history of writing is a passing, but very interesting Curio that is no longer relevant to the onslaught of vectors of change; the economy; high inflation (Trumpflation)-- limited disposable income ( will readers buy a $28 dollar paperback ?) and reasoning AI that can write and summarize hundreds pages of texts for executive summaries and make notes etc in a blink of an eye - and with each iteration of innovation AI is evolving better; better than humans?
Is writing dead when machines can do it quickly and accurately ? I noted a media outlet that allowed AI to train on it articles and its editorial style -- future job losses for senior writers and editors? And what is the next step ? AI authors for novels?
I attended a few writers summits on what you must do to get your work published. I enjoy the spin to see if there is any new insights. It is expressed in the same boring story with the usual bullett points expectations on what an editors looks for before an executive decision is made to offer a contract - a contract to sell a 100 copies at most
Is it worth it to tell the world your story of ideas ?
I once overhead Uncle Charlie said to a cousin what do you do for a crust? I am a writer the cousin said.
And how long does it take to write a book ?
From inception to publication about 2 years, in case you are wondering about 12 months worth of writing several drafts, Uncle Charlie.
And how many hours a week do you spend writing - you must enjoy doing it though ?
About 4 hours a day - twenty hours a week, the weekends are free for me, though if I am on a momentum roll I may continue to write on weekends -- but not often.
And what is the average income of a writer, freelancing etc ?
About $20,000 a year.
OK Charlie said, that is 365 days a year less 100 days non writing on weekends leaves about 265 days of committed writing; equivalent to 1060 hours for your writing.
A quick back of the envelope calculation that is you are earning $18.87 per hour. Aren't you wasting your time ? there better paying jobs than that.
It doesn't matter , I love writing.
To each their own, can I suggest that you need to consider the long term and plan for retirement ... the cousin blinked and sipped her bourbon and coke.
....And the editor in closing said that memoir is very difficult to sell, attendees asked why ? she said : Stand on a corner of street and ask each pedestrian, can I sell you my trauma ?
You are right Kern a better Model for publishing is needed before writing becomes extinct for humans.
Agreed with much of this Nicholas but I also believe that literature has remained resilient in the face of devaluation for decades. I think there's something fundamental to literature that keeps humans wanting it. There's a reason so many of us are on Substack, there's a reason Booktok is a thing, there's a reason physical books far ourself ebooks. I trust literature will find a way.
This communicates so beautifully what I’ve been feeling lately. I don’t want to sound like a boomer over in the corner, bemoaning the downfall of culture because BookTok has become the measure of what is good, what is relevant, what is worthy, but damn, it’s hard not to. Especially when, as you highlighted, some BookTok folks aren’t even actually reading these books. I came across another post (whose author I sadly cannot remember) discussing how books have become more of a status symbol than literature to be enjoyed. It feels difficult, as a writer myself, to sit by and be okay with these things, but as you also pointed out: this is the world we’ve grown up in. It feels like we’re now being presented with an impossible choice as writers: get on board with this capitalistic hellscape and how it dilutes our literary efforts, or be left behind.
I'm wondering if we aren't having the parallel conversation to this one which is the one about the democratization of writing itself. As you mention in your essay, Kern, not everyone got to read and write back in the day, and so to be a writer meant you were of a certain class. Today it feels like everyone and their cousin is working on a book, am I right? And lets not kid ourselves, I'm sure there was low-brow writing back then too, it just didn't make it through to the classrooms of today. Too bad for us. I think that would have been very enlightening reading!
So many more people are able to become writers today than ever before, and so perhaps the issue is the proliferation of the craft which allows for so many more genres and accessible entry points, but which then splinters the market. Malcolm Gladwell argues that a cultural phenomenon like "Will and Grace", a network show that put queer culture in the living rooms of millions of middle-class Americans every week for years, will never happen again in the world of cable television, where the quality of shows may be higher but are so niche and for fewer episodes that the viewership is significantly lower. Even though it was a goofy sit-com, Gladwell posits that "W&G" did more for the advancement of gay rights than anything else happening at that time because of its widespread reach and its ability to make queerness palpable to the average American.
What if it's not a question of "either-or"? Even Shakespeare knew he had to write a rom-com every now and then to cleanse the pallet between his heavier historical/tragic plays. He also needed to make money, so writing something to make the people happy paid the bills. Sometimes I read, watch, and listen to stories for escapism, and sometimes I read, watch, and listen to stories to be enlightened and inspired. I think both are important. And sometimes we write for fun and frivolity, and sometimes it's to make ourselves and others think deeply about the important things. I think it's a matter of having a balanced diet, no? Too much of either is no good for anyone.
And if a criterion for "literature" is standing the test of time, then who are we to say which stories will prevail? Maybe we just need to keep telling our stories and see what happens. Only time will tell.
I definitely think both are important, but BOTH are important. Right now, I think we may be leaning more towards escapism primarily and forgetting that literature has powers beyond helping you to forget the world. To the contrary; it can help you change yourself and in doing so change your world. I don't want us to lose that aspect, Evelyn.
For a long time, I've felt that 'literature' is losing its meaning, exactly because of what you said. In an era of mass-production, in which books are churned out by the millions, we lose the value of 'literature'.
Make no mistake: I'm glad that we live in an open-minded culture that doesn't shame or degrade people for following their creativity. That's an excellent thing. My only concern is that, as an aspiring writer myself, it is harder and harder to become 'noticed'. Our craving for entertainment, our desire to spend money, and consumer culture has degraded what literature means, and makes it harder for old-school folks like myself to 'put ourselves out there'. Writers today seem to write for money, profit, and fame. That's not a healthy attitude.
Thank you for writing this post. Consumer culture, the craving for attention, and the desire to be 'trending' is really hijacking the literary world.
Hijacking is an interesting but accurate description. The attention on the the books with the broadest appeal has, in many ways, hijacked literature. I wonder, Maryse, how much we can point to the readers, how much to the publishers, and how much to the authors (like us) themselves. Or, are we all merely behaving according to the way capitalism permits.
Publishers may be ‘to blame’ for publishing sensationalist literature. Every year, we need books that are more explicit, more controversial, more entertaining, quicker to read, and hyper-realistic. Kind of like Sally Rooney, maybe. We’re caught in an endless feedback loop of wanting to be shocked and wanting to be entertained. Rather like with cable-news. We want all the drama and no philosophy.
The individual is to blame because we’re caught up in this drama. We buy the shallow, hyper-dramatic books because they’re on TikTok or Bookstagram (not that I’m on TikTok) and thereby stimulate publishing companies to keep on producing ‘exciting’ and ‘dramatic’ books.
It’s a huge loop of consumerism, fed by our desire for endless entertainment instead of contemplation.
I've thought this frequently myself. You go into any charity shop, and the shelves are stuffed full with endless, usually detective novels, or mindless romances. That's fine if that's what you want: but I can't bring myself to write a detective novel, even though it might bring me some remuneration. I want to write about things which seem important to me, and I already know, that's not going to sell.
But we do it anyway, right Gill? I just read a quote (can't remember who) that said something like we don't dream of being writers, we suddenly discover we can write. And once you make that discovery, there's nothing else. So many layers to our experience, especially in modern day capitalism.
Lots of things to think about. It would be great to create as an author, without the need to consider the financial gain. But, our reality, is to consider this alongside our output of creativity. You raise a lot of good points here and always inspire. Thank you.
Yup, that's definitely the reality. What I aspire for is some kind of balance in the value of literature that is representative of the impact it has and has had on society and culture.
Again, I have many thoughts on this subject, so I will say a few.
As a reader, even from an early age, I have always gravitated towards that activated/ challenged my mind. Cheap escapism never interested me. But that's just me. I want to be changed by a book! Even if it's just one line, one thought - I'll take it. I'm grateful.
As a writer, much the same way, those are the kind of books I want to be writing. Something that will make my readers think / rethink things. A story that would move them in a meangful way. (Yes, no pressure)
As for the money, I wouldn't want to sell books for $300-400 because then books/ reading will become a luxury for the rich. I wouldn't be able to enjoy books then.
But - it would be nice if writing was more appreciated, and compensated for. For example here, on Substack. Why do we have to sell some kind of a "value" instead of our hard work (our writing) being enough to get the monthly equivalent of a Starbucks coffee? So many of my wealthier friends wouldn't hesitate to spend the money on a good bottle of wine, but wouldn't pay for writing. I know you put your heart and soul to each of your posts. So do I. So why do we do it? Because when the world is as dark and as unkind as it feels right now, and one person responds to my post with "I have never read anything as beautiful as your essay. You have opened my heart to another perspective" I feel that maybe, just maybe, I have helped moving us a touch closer to kindness. And it's the best feeling in the world. (I just wish I didn't have to paint walls to finance it...)
Thank you for your writing Kern! Even before I became a paid subscriber I always appreciated your work. I always look forward to reading you. Happy holidays!
Your responses are always so thoughtful, Imola. I feel a bit of the duality of your thinking where you are totally creating writing from your heart but also thinking about value and having to "prove" that value. It's always difficult to feel so tied to what is a calling and thinking of how to present that calling to the world.
I think the biggest impact has been the consumerism and capitalism. The audience of today are hardly "readers" anymore. Insta and YT has turned them into brainless consumers with a 3 second attention span. Literature, both long and short format, can't currently compete with that.
In addition, the "hustle culture" arising from capitalism tells people to focus on their own grind to rule the world with bucks, which also means ignorance of the soul, which, according to me, is a prerequisite for becoming a reader.
P.S. Amazing post + the arrangement.
"Ignorance of the soul." That is so poetic and also so perfectly pragmatic.
And thank you, glad you found value in reading my post!
Yep I think that you hit the nail on the head here. It's not that people don't want to be moved, they just aren't willing to put in the effort necessary to reach that point. Spiritual transcendence/political change/genuine self-reflection all deprioritized because those things require slowing down and letting yourself feel unproductive for a bit. In reality it's more productive, but it doesn't feel like it because you don't get the nonstop dopamine hits that you do from scrolling TikTok.
Exactly!
Man tiktok is a wild place. I can't believe popular influencers openly admit they skim the books they're reading and ppl still trust them. I get that reading takes time and they probably have to create a lot of content but still, I wouldn't trust a film critic who only watches half the movies or says they fast forward the boring bits. Great essay, always love reading your stuff!
Thanks Tom. I was shocked when I saw those tiktok videos too. There's this aesthetic that people are trying to create around reading that has very little to do with literature.
Necessary conversation indeed! As a reader, I think there are still some of us who want literature to be place where we are made to feel, think, enjoy, and learn, both about ourselves and the world we live in. My love of reading came from my parents, and then was sustained through school (classes and libraries) and through the culture I was raised in. I don't think I have ever read a book suggested by TikTok or a popular book club, but I do read books suggested by the NYT, Guardian UK, Economist, FT, Substacks, Podcasts, Bookshops, friends, research, people I regard and even people I have just met. This year I have bought almost 50 books for myself, and probably another 20 as gifts. There are many things at play here, not just capitalism and social media / technology as you have touched on and whilst I feel your suggestion is valid, I believe that if writers were to collectively take up this stance then even less people would be reading than currently are. Good literature needs to be accessible, but people also need to learn to value good literature. As someone who writes, I would say for literature to be meaningful, impactful, and "rebellious" it needs to be purpose driven. Unfortunately, capitalism makes us value things less and that's why it's critical to sustain things of value, but not by any means necessary, instead through sustainable systems.
I soooo agree with this. Accessibility of literature is so vital, so my "suggestion" was simply a thought idea. I know it's not something that I would ever truly consider but I was trying to express that the value of literature feels so skewed that maybe a ridiculous cost would turn things back the other way. As an author, I just hate knowing that there are certain books that sell and certain others that don't, but that says as much about society than the publishing industry. Capitalism has put us in a difficult position. We want to make a living but we also want to write from our hearts.
Also, I love that you've bought 50 books this year!
Kern, I am not saying anything new here about this writing business today.
There is only one lens to view things and it is inescapable. Reality bites.
The history of writing is a passing, but very interesting Curio that is no longer relevant to the onslaught of vectors of change; the economy; high inflation (Trumpflation)-- limited disposable income ( will readers buy a $28 dollar paperback ?) and reasoning AI that can write and summarize hundreds pages of texts for executive summaries and make notes etc in a blink of an eye - and with each iteration of innovation AI is evolving better; better than humans?
Is writing dead when machines can do it quickly and accurately ? I noted a media outlet that allowed AI to train on it articles and its editorial style -- future job losses for senior writers and editors? And what is the next step ? AI authors for novels?
I attended a few writers summits on what you must do to get your work published. I enjoy the spin to see if there is any new insights. It is expressed in the same boring story with the usual bullett points expectations on what an editors looks for before an executive decision is made to offer a contract - a contract to sell a 100 copies at most
Is it worth it to tell the world your story of ideas ?
I once overhead Uncle Charlie said to a cousin what do you do for a crust? I am a writer the cousin said.
And how long does it take to write a book ?
From inception to publication about 2 years, in case you are wondering about 12 months worth of writing several drafts, Uncle Charlie.
And how many hours a week do you spend writing - you must enjoy doing it though ?
About 4 hours a day - twenty hours a week, the weekends are free for me, though if I am on a momentum roll I may continue to write on weekends -- but not often.
And what is the average income of a writer, freelancing etc ?
About $20,000 a year.
OK Charlie said, that is 365 days a year less 100 days non writing on weekends leaves about 265 days of committed writing; equivalent to 1060 hours for your writing.
A quick back of the envelope calculation that is you are earning $18.87 per hour. Aren't you wasting your time ? there better paying jobs than that.
It doesn't matter , I love writing.
To each their own, can I suggest that you need to consider the long term and plan for retirement ... the cousin blinked and sipped her bourbon and coke.
....And the editor in closing said that memoir is very difficult to sell, attendees asked why ? she said : Stand on a corner of street and ask each pedestrian, can I sell you my trauma ?
You are right Kern a better Model for publishing is needed before writing becomes extinct for humans.
It is a crisis.
Agreed with much of this Nicholas but I also believe that literature has remained resilient in the face of devaluation for decades. I think there's something fundamental to literature that keeps humans wanting it. There's a reason so many of us are on Substack, there's a reason Booktok is a thing, there's a reason physical books far ourself ebooks. I trust literature will find a way.
This communicates so beautifully what I’ve been feeling lately. I don’t want to sound like a boomer over in the corner, bemoaning the downfall of culture because BookTok has become the measure of what is good, what is relevant, what is worthy, but damn, it’s hard not to. Especially when, as you highlighted, some BookTok folks aren’t even actually reading these books. I came across another post (whose author I sadly cannot remember) discussing how books have become more of a status symbol than literature to be enjoyed. It feels difficult, as a writer myself, to sit by and be okay with these things, but as you also pointed out: this is the world we’ve grown up in. It feels like we’re now being presented with an impossible choice as writers: get on board with this capitalistic hellscape and how it dilutes our literary efforts, or be left behind.
That's exactly it, isn't it. Participate or don't. At least it can feel like that sometimes.
I'm wondering if we aren't having the parallel conversation to this one which is the one about the democratization of writing itself. As you mention in your essay, Kern, not everyone got to read and write back in the day, and so to be a writer meant you were of a certain class. Today it feels like everyone and their cousin is working on a book, am I right? And lets not kid ourselves, I'm sure there was low-brow writing back then too, it just didn't make it through to the classrooms of today. Too bad for us. I think that would have been very enlightening reading!
So many more people are able to become writers today than ever before, and so perhaps the issue is the proliferation of the craft which allows for so many more genres and accessible entry points, but which then splinters the market. Malcolm Gladwell argues that a cultural phenomenon like "Will and Grace", a network show that put queer culture in the living rooms of millions of middle-class Americans every week for years, will never happen again in the world of cable television, where the quality of shows may be higher but are so niche and for fewer episodes that the viewership is significantly lower. Even though it was a goofy sit-com, Gladwell posits that "W&G" did more for the advancement of gay rights than anything else happening at that time because of its widespread reach and its ability to make queerness palpable to the average American.
What if it's not a question of "either-or"? Even Shakespeare knew he had to write a rom-com every now and then to cleanse the pallet between his heavier historical/tragic plays. He also needed to make money, so writing something to make the people happy paid the bills. Sometimes I read, watch, and listen to stories for escapism, and sometimes I read, watch, and listen to stories to be enlightened and inspired. I think both are important. And sometimes we write for fun and frivolity, and sometimes it's to make ourselves and others think deeply about the important things. I think it's a matter of having a balanced diet, no? Too much of either is no good for anyone.
And if a criterion for "literature" is standing the test of time, then who are we to say which stories will prevail? Maybe we just need to keep telling our stories and see what happens. Only time will tell.
I definitely think both are important, but BOTH are important. Right now, I think we may be leaning more towards escapism primarily and forgetting that literature has powers beyond helping you to forget the world. To the contrary; it can help you change yourself and in doing so change your world. I don't want us to lose that aspect, Evelyn.
For a long time, I've felt that 'literature' is losing its meaning, exactly because of what you said. In an era of mass-production, in which books are churned out by the millions, we lose the value of 'literature'.
Make no mistake: I'm glad that we live in an open-minded culture that doesn't shame or degrade people for following their creativity. That's an excellent thing. My only concern is that, as an aspiring writer myself, it is harder and harder to become 'noticed'. Our craving for entertainment, our desire to spend money, and consumer culture has degraded what literature means, and makes it harder for old-school folks like myself to 'put ourselves out there'. Writers today seem to write for money, profit, and fame. That's not a healthy attitude.
Thank you for writing this post. Consumer culture, the craving for attention, and the desire to be 'trending' is really hijacking the literary world.
Hijacking is an interesting but accurate description. The attention on the the books with the broadest appeal has, in many ways, hijacked literature. I wonder, Maryse, how much we can point to the readers, how much to the publishers, and how much to the authors (like us) themselves. Or, are we all merely behaving according to the way capitalism permits.
Publishers may be ‘to blame’ for publishing sensationalist literature. Every year, we need books that are more explicit, more controversial, more entertaining, quicker to read, and hyper-realistic. Kind of like Sally Rooney, maybe. We’re caught in an endless feedback loop of wanting to be shocked and wanting to be entertained. Rather like with cable-news. We want all the drama and no philosophy.
The individual is to blame because we’re caught up in this drama. We buy the shallow, hyper-dramatic books because they’re on TikTok or Bookstagram (not that I’m on TikTok) and thereby stimulate publishing companies to keep on producing ‘exciting’ and ‘dramatic’ books.
It’s a huge loop of consumerism, fed by our desire for endless entertainment instead of contemplation.
I've thought this frequently myself. You go into any charity shop, and the shelves are stuffed full with endless, usually detective novels, or mindless romances. That's fine if that's what you want: but I can't bring myself to write a detective novel, even though it might bring me some remuneration. I want to write about things which seem important to me, and I already know, that's not going to sell.
But we do it anyway, right Gill? I just read a quote (can't remember who) that said something like we don't dream of being writers, we suddenly discover we can write. And once you make that discovery, there's nothing else. So many layers to our experience, especially in modern day capitalism.
Lots of things to think about. It would be great to create as an author, without the need to consider the financial gain. But, our reality, is to consider this alongside our output of creativity. You raise a lot of good points here and always inspire. Thank you.
Yup, that's definitely the reality. What I aspire for is some kind of balance in the value of literature that is representative of the impact it has and has had on society and culture.