Sunday, November 05, 2006
Miss Snark
I've discovered a blog manned, aptly, by an anonymous Insider, which represents perfectly the sad mentality of today's insular publishing world: (address deleted, was by Miss Snark, no longer exists). On a Novermber 3 post titled "Nitwit of the Day!" a writer is castigated for daring to speak up to her mandarin handlers.
The pathologically ignorant have called me a "parasite" for trying to promote underground writers-- for six years now-- without a single contract, without an iota of control. The grand sum of money I've made from my efforts has been: zero. In fact, I've invested much in our project, which is now showing, with the release of another ULA Book, real progress.
Read Miss Snark's blog and there see represented real parasites. See the contempt they hold for their writers. That most of them are intellectual cowards who so little believe in their efforts they remain anonymous says a great deal about the mendacious dishonesty and corruption of today's literary world.
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6 comments:
A couple days ago I posted some follow-up responses on the Snark blog, on the same thread, answering the points made about my first comment.
The great believer in open discussion Miss Snark never put them up. (It's a managed blog.)
I'll have more to say about this when I get a chance.
(Note in her posts and the comments the sheer terror of speaking publicly about the literary world.
They seem to have things ass-backward. The WRITER is the most important person in the process. The apparatchiks have let the process take over. Obedience, please, writers!)
I didn't realize you were such a champion of open discussion, Wenclas. One wonders why you require registration in your own comments section.
Don't tell me - it's because you get so many attacks. I'd wager Snark would say the same thing about her blog. Most people fear open discussion.
You guys do better when you promote your own writers than when you attack people, no matter how idiotic your targets are.
I'll discuss literature with anyone, anyplace. I do have a problem with anonymous attackers whose only purpose is to clog my blog with spam.
I posted my remarks with Snark under my own identity. Unlike you, "Grace," I stand with my real identity behind everything I say.
Re your other point.
I'm not attacking "people." I'm attacking Miss Snark-- a person who doesn't exist; a disembodied voice represnting the arrogance of the established literary system.
Attacking corruption is what we do-- a necessary part of the noise we make. It's part of promoting ourselves.
Or do you want us to be like everyone else? Just one more defanged obedient writers group-- there are hundreds out there like that-- making no waves; obediently complying with the status quo way of behaving?
As we have no resources, no connections, no credentials, we have to do things differently.
Besides, who else will expose the corruption of literature today if not the ULA?
I exist. I'm a person. My name's Jimmy.
Miss Snark exists. She's a person.
It's unlikely her actual name is "Snark," but I can't imagine that matters to a man calling himself "King."
But I'm accountable for everything I say. Anyone by looking at the ULA site, or googling, knows my legal name is Karl.
Miss Snark is merely a ghost.
Sure, there's a real person somewhere behind the name (or a brainwashed humanoid robot). Or maybe it's a couple people. Maybe a rotating line-up. Who's playing James Bond this week? Maybe they're paid by a publishing company. I don't know. Neither do you.
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