Illustration by Greg Clarke, New York Times
Mary Beard has an essay in this weekend's Books section at the New York Times:
“My book is thumbed by our soldiers posted overseas, and even in Britain people quote my words. What’s the point? I don’t make a penny from it.” This is not the complaint of some young American author who has suddenly discovered that his contract pays him nothing for foreign sales. These are the words of the Roman poet Martial, first-century satirist and defender of authors’ rights. read on
Hat tip to David Meadow, who adds [...] If I think about it too hard, I start thinking of the ancient literate slave as the Roman equivalent of an iPod Touch, with a longer battery life.
Marcus Didius Falco, in Lindsey Davis' Ode to a Banker (just reissued) has plenty of experience with Roman Publishers.
