Among the aspects of this brave new world least popular is ownership of small, dedicated companies by huge, multifaceted corporations. Many see this tendency as resulting in a more mediocre culture. Resisting this rising tide of conglomerates are the few, the proud, the independent book publishers running houses that remain oases of individual taste and passion.
At the bottom of it the big difference between mass corporate owners and independent owners is quite straightforward. The latter is built upon or run by someone working there out of some sort of interest in actual books. That leaves at least some room for surprising, individualistic books that didn't have to pass a focus group. Perhaps a book will slip into existence based on a refined taste rather than a cross section of consumers.
Many of those who run these houses are graduates of our country's Master of Fine Arts programs. These programs have the traditional role of carrying on the teaching of the craftsmanship needed for the finest work in various arts. Conventionally, these graduates might have hoped for careers teaching their art as a college professor or perhaps high school teacher. This would pay the bills while the degreed artist grew steadily more renowned among his or her peers.
With the growth in MFA graduates, there simply are not nearly enough teaching jobs to create any reasonable expectation of an academic career. This situation is compounded by the deepening crisis of the shrinking audience for the fine arts overall. It has become increasingly obvious that the arts must be fought for in the public sphere.
Increasingly, MFA graduates recognize the business of art as at least as urgent a problem as its teaching. There has long been a sense that the classical music audience has been declining, but the decline has become a free fall in this century. MFA programs keep adding new courses that teach the business of being a publisher.
A lot of the difficulty lies in the ubiquity of the personal computer. There's no question that it has made the arts more widely available. However, the internet has proven itself a liability to efforts to monetize much fine art.
Many express concern about yet another of electronic media's ill effects upon the public interest in fine literature. There is much that suggests the public attention span is becoming eroded by the quick-cut ethos of big budget movies, video games, and TV. There are tens of millions of moviegoers who simply cannot sit through a black and white movie, and silent movies are simply out of the question. So is attending a play, or reading a modern poem.
21st century technology takes, but it also gives new opportunities, some with great potential. Indie publishers might like to hearken back to the 1920s, and its heroic little magazines. Meanwhile, the future of the arts might belong to the self-publisher, building his or her book entirely online, who might not even have an MFA.
At the bottom of it the big difference between mass corporate owners and independent owners is quite straightforward. The latter is built upon or run by someone working there out of some sort of interest in actual books. That leaves at least some room for surprising, individualistic books that didn't have to pass a focus group. Perhaps a book will slip into existence based on a refined taste rather than a cross section of consumers.
Many of those who run these houses are graduates of our country's Master of Fine Arts programs. These programs have the traditional role of carrying on the teaching of the craftsmanship needed for the finest work in various arts. Conventionally, these graduates might have hoped for careers teaching their art as a college professor or perhaps high school teacher. This would pay the bills while the degreed artist grew steadily more renowned among his or her peers.
With the growth in MFA graduates, there simply are not nearly enough teaching jobs to create any reasonable expectation of an academic career. This situation is compounded by the deepening crisis of the shrinking audience for the fine arts overall. It has become increasingly obvious that the arts must be fought for in the public sphere.
Increasingly, MFA graduates recognize the business of art as at least as urgent a problem as its teaching. There has long been a sense that the classical music audience has been declining, but the decline has become a free fall in this century. MFA programs keep adding new courses that teach the business of being a publisher.
A lot of the difficulty lies in the ubiquity of the personal computer. There's no question that it has made the arts more widely available. However, the internet has proven itself a liability to efforts to monetize much fine art.
Many express concern about yet another of electronic media's ill effects upon the public interest in fine literature. There is much that suggests the public attention span is becoming eroded by the quick-cut ethos of big budget movies, video games, and TV. There are tens of millions of moviegoers who simply cannot sit through a black and white movie, and silent movies are simply out of the question. So is attending a play, or reading a modern poem.
21st century technology takes, but it also gives new opportunities, some with great potential. Indie publishers might like to hearken back to the 1920s, and its heroic little magazines. Meanwhile, the future of the arts might belong to the self-publisher, building his or her book entirely online, who might not even have an MFA.
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