AI, Amazon, and the Lasting Value of Literature: Independent Publishing in Uncertain Times

What’s publishing like when AI is everywhere, Amazon decides what people see, and attention spans are… oh, shall we say…microscopic?Howard Aster, publisher of Mosaic Press, shares his take after trips to the Frankfurt and Guadalajara book fairs. From AI panic to poetry, small markets to formula-driven books, he gives a candid, globe-trotting look at where publishing is headed…and almost lets slip the “secret” to keeping an independent press alive for 50 years.This episode covers it all: Books, risk, creativity, and why small presses matter more than ever.