The ‘self-cancellation’ trend taking over the literary world

[IwantToRetire]

... this new ‘self-cancellation’ trend ... is highly manipulative.

It is illiberal activism dressed up as righteous self-sacrifice. It is designed to put pressure on all other writers to do the same, or risk guilt-by-association. It is aimed at disrupting the programme so much that the festival may feel no choice but to give into activist demands, lest their entire operation become unviable. As much as FFB’s campaign encouraged all festivals to fear mass disruption should they fail to suitably berate their main sponsor, it is also to signal to other festivals that they will face similar action should they dare programme a ‘gender critical’ author.

This is ‘cancel culture’ at its most extreme. While in the past some writers may have quietly backed out of panel events where they were appearing alongside someone with opposing views, the idea of demanding an entire festival programme shares one worldview is in my view, mind-bogglingly arrogant. ...

Full article at https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/the-self-cancellation-trend-taking-over-the-literary-world/

Can also be read in full at https://archive.is/FIksF

Exactly

It’s because the publishing industry itself has become so skewed. Publishing companies choose people with a big platform as authors, or those with a “special identity” that they think will appeal to the young, instead of those who have spent years honing their craft, who love writing and would not set out to destroy the industry they worked so hard to enter.

Inevitably, if the big platform did not come from writing, and book deals were handed to them on a plate, they will not be valued.

The article is about something else.

It is about how audiences are manipulating who is heard / published and is actually about Joyce and Bindel bucking the trend and / or Oxford Literary Festival not being intimidated..

ie it is a good news story.