Grumpy Old Bookman, Michael Allen, writes today about a performance he attended by Taylor Mac, "the most talented solo performer that I've seen in a long time."

Taylor "talks a bit, and he sings songs, accompanying himself on the ukulele. And he changes his clothes once in a while." One of his outfits apparently was made from surgical rubber gloves.

Mr Allen draws parallels between Mr Mac's writing and performance, and the activities of self-published writers. Both, he points out, have the freedom to do just about whatever comes into their heads. In Mr Mac's case he advertises his appearances on the web. Writers today can put their work their for readers to discover.

Mr Allen concludes:

Now it may be, of course, that Taylor Mac dreams of becoming a Broadway star. And he might. But he probably realises full well that it is more likely that he will remain something of a cult figure, known mainly to the gay community, but also admired, from a safe distance, by elderly Englishmen with very odd tastes. And so it will be with self-publishers. The best -- the very best -- that they can reasonably expect is that they may become known to a small coterie of readers (with exquisite sensibilities, naturally). But they will, with luck, find an audience.

However, there is one other point that I am morally obliged to mention. And it is one which is frequently overlooked in enthusiastic paeans to the new publishing paradigm. It is that, to succeed even in the most modest manner that I have described, a performer or writer does need to be very, very talented. In fact very to the power of ten or so. The talent may not be immediately obvious. Indeed the wise performer/artist will not flash it around and thrust it down people's throats. But it's gotta be there. Otherwise it ain't gonna work.

These are some of the wisest words about writing I have ever read. There are a lot of writers who are convinced they should be making a million dollars from their efforts or fretting over someone stealing their golden phrases. These writers are convinced that the masses crave their literary gifts, await their profound messages.

The plain fact is the world is crammed full of incredibly talented people. No one needs my book. Or yours. Or anyone's. There's always another book and just as good or better. Those of us who engage in any sort of creative endeavor are fortunate indeed if we can even find a small audience let alone fame and fortune.

I've been very lucky in that I've never had to write strictly for the drawer (or, I guess today, my hard drive) I've always found venues in which a few people would pay attention to what I was doing. And I don't imagine that connecting with huge numbers of readers feels any different than connecting with a few.

Over the years I've written a lot of articles for sf fanzines. And, in fact, Dave Burton has published Pixel 13 in which entries from this blog figure prominently. The price is the minute it might take you to go over to eFanzines and download it.