Waiting for the train from Jersey City. Aftermath of the Blizzard of ’88
Sketch by J.P. Kenna

OK, the accompanying sketch–from a photograph of the Pennsylvania Railroad depot in Rahway, New Jersey, following a late-19th Century snow storm (likely the legendary Blizzard of 1888)–might strain the metaphor a bit. Certainly it’s undeniable that in our early 21st Century, the unleashing of digital self-publishing is drowning us in a deluge. But in the sketch, the worst appears to be over and life is getting back to normal. The trains are beginning to run again. While in our present-day onslaught, no shakeout is seen coming down the track. The trains are not going to run again. The times-past abundance of independent publishing houses, willing to take on unproven authors who show promise, is not coming back.

A confession–I sneaked in the sketch to help promote my book. It’s one of three appearing…