Into the Valley of Death

I went to a Society of Bookmen dinner recently. It was a gathering of literary agents, publishers, authors (as guests), booksellers, various book-trade hangers-on and the like – all ‘players’ to one degree or another in the world of publishing.

They were a decent, intelligent bunch of people, mostly the wrong side of fifty – although in fairness, their hair was probably more grey than their personalities and lively conversation flowed about the current problems faced by the ‘creative industries’, as the political guest speaker kept referring to the assembled, mostly non-creatives in front of him.

In truth, of course, the problems facing publishing – from the retail turmoil to the digital challenges faced by the traditional book – are enough to ensure that where one or more publishing types are gathered together there will be lots of nervous laughter at predictions of what the future holds and all sharp knives are best removed lest the throng be moved to self-harm.

In the crowded bar beforehand, it felt as if I was milling around at Sevastopol with the cavalry officers of the Light Brigade the night before Balaclava and the doomed charge of the six hundred, or perhaps it was more like being at a drinks do in the officers mess of a cavalry regiment awaiting embarkation to France in 1914.

The way that the forthcoming publishing war is to be fought will be very different from those in the past. The cavalry officers have had their day. The old order changeth indeed.

Jerry Coe

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