“There are plenty of people who will write for free.”

Jason Boog has heard this argument before.

“‘Writers are complaining? There are more pressing issues in the world today.”

He’s heard that one too.

“The publishing industry is scaling right back. Newspapers are disappearing. Stores are undercutting publishers’ prices. Jobs are non-existent. New formats are slashing prices.”

Boog is quoting arguments that were spoken not yesterday, or last year – but more than 80 years ago, during the Great Depression. This was a time when the publishing seemed to be about to collapse, yet writers believed in a new kind of industry, and helped to build it through organized dissent.

As he works on a new book exploring parallels between then and now, Boog is wondering if such moves could be possible today – and if writers could ever organize themselves in such a manner again.

Read the full article in The Huffington Post