Readers' Adversary #8

Random Thoughts on Publishing, Writing, and a Bookstore

Photo by RetroSupply on Unsplash

Craig Gibson/Professor & Professional Development Coordinator/The Ohio State University Libraries/Drake Institute Faculty Fellow for Mentoring

I increasingly find compelling some of the new Substack writers who address many of the larger cultural and political issues that affect librarians and libraries, and all of the practices in our field in a time of great change in publishing.  Notable now are the great concentrations of cultural power in some publishers, with the simultaneous breakout of independent writers through Substack and other platforms. At the same time, I see many assaults on intellectual freedom and viewpoint diversity in the midst of this uncertainty in publishing—surely an irony, but also one that explains why conformity among large publishers and news organizations now creates a counter-force in independent self-publishing.   Many cross-currents of intellectual and cultural perspectives are perhaps the most salient feature of our information landscape, with enormous concentrations of cultural power in mainstream media and publishers, occupying large parts of the landscape, but among them are springing up many “green shoots” of independent, diverse, and contrarian perspectives.    I am switching metaphors here freely, but the information landscape is now quite fluid— we are often challenged to describe it accurately and fairly to ourselves (and of course, to others).

I’m including here two important pieces on publishing in the new environment—that of Erik Hoel, a neuroscientist who writes about evolutionary biology and a related cluster of domains, and here, of how the publishing industry works; and that of Ted Gioia, a musicologist who’s written about the well-known metaphor of the “long tail” in publishing (and Gioia himself has now decided that he will publish his next book on Substack).  

I’m also pointing toward an important new piece on viewpoint diversity by Geoff Sharrock, an Australian academic who gives a comprehensive overview of intellectual freedom challenges in Australian higher education.  I’m also linking to a just-published article on the FIRE (Foundation in Individual Rights and Expression) site, by Jonathan Rauch, of “Constitution of Knowledge” fame. Rauch’s latest article hones in on the likelihood of politicized publishing occasioned by the highly controversial Nature Human Behavior editorial policy (see Science must respect the dignity and rights of all humans | Nature Human Behaviour).

Finally, I’m offering an interview with Richard Howorth, founder and owner of the renowned independent bookstore, Square Books, in Oxford, Mississippi, where I was a graduate student in English before becoming a librarian.    I met Richard while living in Oxford, when he first opened a small book store that has become nationally and even internationally known in recent years. (I count myself fortunate to have been an early patron of Square Books). Richard and his wife Lisa have sponsored, promoted, and nurtured numerous writers, held author signings in their bookstore, and been integral voices and leading citizens in that college town. Richard even served as mayor for a time.   He is a highly knowledgeable expert on the publishing industry, and served for a time as president of the American Booksellers Association.  As for Square Books itself, it’s a stellar example of an independent institution as creative force, one that has welcomed a highly diverse community (in the best sense) of writers, artists, readers, and scholars, and created a deeper community that abides across generations and enlivens scholarship, reading, and learning.  

Happy reading!

Erik Hoel, “Secrets of the Publishing Industry,” The Intrinsic Perspective (Substack)

Secrets of the publishing industry - by Erik Hoel (substack.com)

Ted Gioia, “Where Did the Long Tail Go?”  The Honest Broker (Substack)

Where Did the Long Tail Go? - by Ted Gioia (substack.com)

10 Reasons Why I'm Publishing My Next Book on Substack

Geoff Sharrock, “Big Little Thought Crimes in Melbourne,” (First draft/working paper)

https://geoffsharrockinmelbourne.net/2022/07/14/discussion-paper-first-draft/

Jonathan Rauch, “Nature Human Misbehavior: Politicized Science is Neither Science Nor Progress.”  FIRE News desk (Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression)

https://www.thefire.org/nature-human-misbehavior-politicized-science-is-neither-science-nor-progress/

An Interview with Richard Howorth

An Interview with Richard Howorth | SQUARE BOOKS

(note: for a longer profile piece on Richard Howorth, please see The New Yorker magazine, article by Casey Cep, July 20, 2022).