People keep asking: how bad is the publishing world? It’s really bad. Too many firings, too many publishing divisions merged, too many budgets shredded, too many disgusted shareholders, too many book stores closing, and too many book reviews folding. Though I’ve been asking friends if anyone remembers a time when the book business was thriving, when poets got fat and journalists lived like kings? As one of my first bosses was fond of saying, “it’s a nickel and dime business.” She got that right. The question now is how to stay afloat, how to maintain, how to do your best work when no one wants to publish, stock, review or even slam your book down on the remainder table. How to marshal your talent, ego, desire, and will, and at the same time quiet your insecurities and doubts long enough to write? I always hated it when famous authors were interviewed about their writing habits and they’d say, “I have to write,” or, “if you can do anything else, do it.” There was this false note, I felt, imploring people to do something else as if the writer wished he or she wasn’t burdened by this writing jones. Maybe it bothered me because I was able to do something else and did. Maybe it bothered me because it’s obnoxious. I’m getting off the point here. It’s really bad out there. You should only write if you have to write. And if you can do anything else, do it.

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