I’m so glad you’ve joined me for yet another riveting installment of everyone’s favorite alcohol-soaked masterpiece, Am I the Literary Asshole? An advice column that only wants what’s best for you, dear. I’m your host, Kristen Arnett, and I’m beyond excited to be back in the saddle again.
It brings me a lot of joy to share these silly thoughts with you every other week. As a gentle reminder, this a comedy advice column (emphasis on the comedy part), and any guidance or instruction I offer up here is meant purely for entertainment and casual enjoyment. Sometimes I receive messages that seem to forget the humor part of this equation?
I know it’s tough out there for everyone, but maybe journal about your feelings instead of getting mad at me because I didn’t answer a question the “right way.” Life is short and hey, so is my patience. Why don’t we cool things down with a beautiful bottle of white wine? There’s a lovely breeze stirring the leaves in the trees and a couple of glasses calling our names. 1) I’m looking for words of encouragement to keep reading, writing, and engaging in the literary world.
A lot of recently published works seem to lack editing and chase trending topics. Agents and editors solicit influencers for books. AI is writing things that, honestly, aren’t half-bad (of course, this likely due to plagiarism).
But major publishers use AI for their workflow too (understandably so with low salaries and understaffing), so it’s AI-on-AI all the way down. My friends who read the most don’t even seem to like books anymore. Everything new is quickly digested and called mid.
Everyone’s jealous of each other. The global landscape is so dismal that books feel unimportant. Every once in a while we get one of these letters, and even though I don’t respond to all of them, I think it’s important to occasionally bring them into the mix.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
