An article in today's New York Times describes the quick process for publishing a book about Capt. Chesley B. Sullenberger III's landing of US Airways Flight 1549. Farrar, Straus & Giroux expect a November release “Fly by Wire: The Truth About the Miracle on the Hudson,” by William Langewiesche.
A quote from editor, Jonathan Galassi: “In the old days, it would be ideally a year from delivery of the manuscript to publication, but now I’m hoping we can do books in four months,” he said. 'Because today readers’ interest is intense and immediate — and sometimes it dissipates.'”
Good. A faster process will make books more relevant. Decades ago, (and I'm talking maybe 40 years), books were an intregal part of public discussion. These days, quickie books are usually a rehash of news reports. If these books/ebooks present something new, then this is an exciting development. Let's hope that the words 'quick' and 'quality' go hand-in-hand.
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