Literature Publishing of the Future

I forsee the publishing house of the future offering, for instance, a poet’s latest work in multiple formats simultaneously, each at a different price: an e-text version with links to all current reviews, related scholarly and popular comment, and bundled with its own discussion forum that links owners of each of the books; a hard-copy text, produced and delivered to one’s home as a single print-on-demand traditional book (with cheap and pricey paper and binding-quality options to choose among); a limited-edition fine press hand-printed copy in a leather binding, signed by the poet; or a video and audio of the poet reading the text. It will be revolutionary to have these choices available from one source, and the question this proposes is: which is the real text? Which is the original authoritative version?

However, the question is not that interesting. There is no “real”, “original”, or “authoritative” version. They are all authentic to the poet.

Along with this forseen move toward the multiplicity of choices, there will also be a multiplicity of publishing houses. The literary publishing market will grow increasingly decentralized. Because of the internet, even the smallest publishing company would have the same distributive capacity as the greatest, and this creates a fertile ground for great diversity and possibly a widespread return to folk.

Lineage: Wilson Quarterly, Winter 2010, letters to the editor.