On the Never Ending Book Crisis

Publishers, Enough with Vapid Hype is an interesting article by David L. Ulin in the LAT, remarking on the possible positive impact of the economic crisis on book publishing, and especially on book publishers:

... one of the worst trends in publishing -- in culture in general -- over the last decade or so has been its air of desperate frenzy, which far more than falling numbers tells you that an industry is in decline.

This reminds me of the words of Hubert Nyssen (founder of Actes Sud) in his La sabiduría del editor (Trama Editorial):

... I began to discover that the "publishing crisis", often presented as a plague of our times, was actually present in that age when the role of publishing had seemed to establish itself with profound clarity. Because the methods and rules used by those first editors were going to slowly revive the greed of those adventurers and investors who were more passionate about making a profit than creating literature. And so it was that, just when I had finally become an editor, I realized that I had unknowingly become a part of the crisis process. I now know, and say to all those who want to embark upon this adventure, never with discouragement: becoming part of the publishing is like walking into a crisis situation. And that's a wonderful thing. Crisis brings new life to publishing.


(Very special thanks to Deanna Lyles for the translation of Nyssen's quote.)