The Literary Saloon points to an article out of England titled, “Can intelligent literature survive in the digital age?” The answer to that is probably mixed, but the Saloon quotes a small bit that claims the new crop of British writers have never heard of Twitter and are embarrassed by blogging. When will most literary folk have a good perspective on technology? Maybe after another 40 years in the desert when the older ones have died off, we’ll get around to understanding where and what the Internet is good for.

But I don’t blame them much. “Now, many serious writers complain, challenging fiction doesn’t appeal; ‘difficult’ novels don’t sell.” That’s got to bite, and online writing or other new media are good whipping boys for that pain.

But there’s more too. Literary agent Clare Alexander is quoted saying:

There’s also the other side of the digital revolution – that original ideas filter through to print from the internet. Yes, occasionally a blog becomes a book – about sex, usually – and the really original ideas percolate through, but most stuff online is crap!

I don’t believe the publishing industry will have an ‘iPod moment’. People say that the new generation isn’t interested in reading books, but they forget that this is the generation that grew up reading Harry Potter.

They won’t have an iPod moment because they appear to need whole bottle of Wodehouse’s Buck U-Uppo. A breath of fresh air is what can stay outside the door as far as publishers are concerned. Still I doubt all is lost. In several years, no doubt, a bunch of homeschoolers will take over the industry.