/lit/ - Literature

>>15573281
Walt Whitman came from a different time, so I'm not sure if it's accurate to compare him to contemporary self publishing.

The Shack and The Martian are exceptions that prove the rule. The former was written by a man who but considerable effort into having it edited and looked over by a supportive group of friends, and the latter had a background in Science which disposes one to being well read and thorough.

The issue is ultimately that with self-publishing there's no oversight unless you seek it, and most people aren't mature enough to seek that oversight, and if they are mature enough to seek it, aren't usually going to be in a situation to find it.
>>15573293
A lot of this political stuff you're mentioning is mostly drummed up hysteria by right and left wing reactionaries. In most traditional publishing the situation is as normal. Also, the bottom rung has always been pulpy novels with cheap premises.
>>15573314
Why do you need to bother with politics to begin with? There's a problem of narcissism among people these days where they assume their opinions or thoughts matter enough to scream across the world. If you feel the need to shout your politics from the rooftops, you should be ready to fight for them, and if you're unwilling to do that, shut the fuck up and keep looking at the ground. You want to be an author? Learn some decorum.