is really a lovely evening for a rant

I read a quote one day recently that might have been from Katy Perry. She said something along the lines of - there's room for everyone (as in musical artists) on people's ipods.

I thought of that today as I read this article written by a crusty dinosaur. He was lamenting the loss of the customized rejection letter in lieu of impersonal e-mail rejections. He goes on to lament other losses as well.

At one point he said the world needs fewer writers and ‘smarter’ readers. Um, excuse me? I am both a writer and a reader, so I take offense on two levels.

First off, no one I know who reads books on a regular basis is unintelligent, just the opposite in fact. They may not be pompous ‘intellectual' jackasses, but they still have brains in their heads. They are perfectly capable of selecting their own reading material without the assistance of a corporation.

He thinks there are too many books. Maybe there are, so freaking what? I don't apologize for wanting to express myself creatively in that way. I'm not sorry that your publication gatekeepers are losing their relevence.

Not that I would by any means count myself among them, but how many brilliant writers have been rejected into oblivion or worse, discouraged from writing altogether because some editor or agent or whoever didn't find their book marketable?

Traditional publishing is only romanticized by people who suffered and overcame those obstacles. Good for them. Thankfully there are other options, which I plan to continue pursuing. Life is too short to waste my time knocking on firmly locked doors.

There's room for all of us on everyone's shelves, kindles, nooks, ipads or whatever.

Here's the link to the article if you would also like to be offended by a crusty dinosaur.

http://www.themillions.com/2010/10/the-sorry-state-of-the-rejection-letter.html

I do not plan to read his books.
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