I'm so glad you posted this. I am reading the 2007 Best Of Short Stories that this essay prefaces and was very taken by it as an introduction. It is truly alarming to hear his perspective on the state of the art and to know it may well be accurate.

I also highly recommend the book - the stores are inspirational and evocative with the unexpected constantly occurring.

Not only is he a master, he's a true-blue Red Sox fan. :-D

He wrote about me in the fourth from last paragraph. That was me. I ALMOST made it into the 2oo7 Best.... probly had something to do with me telling him he's lost my respect writing for the money and not the story a few years back.

Paybacks can be a real bummer...

I don't regret it (yeah right), but it's true: when writers start writing for anyone but the READER, whether it's for money, fame, adulation, whatever, the writing suffers... This is one reason I wish Milt T and MaryS were still on board... I'd like to tell them, forget the petty politics, it's the STORY, and you,

YOU, yes you,

you need to write more for us to read ... and pay for to read... because the laborer is worthy of hire.

BMichael, akabukowski, MiltT, MaryS, DeeCross, Yanna, Westerly, Don, and even moi,are worthy of hire at prevailing rates.... even CarolT, though she doesn't believe it (as a critic, you shine)

Read this a few weeks back; it made me want to buy the book and read his selections. Glad to know otter354 found it worthwhile. Maybe someone will get it for me for Christmas. A private response will get you my mailing address.

Shameless hussy!

I love most of what Mr. King writes. Did you guys read the Gunslinger series? It was great. I didn't like Cell as well. I still have more of his stuff to read, and am looking forward to it. I'm a HUGE fan. I do not think he's writing for just profit now - he certainly has enough money to retire. As for short stories, maybe they will come back in the future as more people go digital with ebooks and ebook readers.

I'm a limited fan of King - my all-time favorite is 'The Stand', a story that still hangs with me some 20 years later. I did delve into the Gunslinger series a bit, but never completed any of it. However,I recall what I read as being truly imaginative and quite exceptional.