Today a panelist from the "New Think for Old Publishers" discussion at the SXSW Festival replied to the Twitter writers who criticized the panel.

Peter Miller (Bloomsbury publicity director and owner of Freebird Books in Brooklyn) joined the SXSW panel discussion earlier this week that included Putnam president Ivan Held, Penguin marketing director John Fagan (Penguin's marketing director), author Clay Shirky, and moderator Deborah Schultz. The panel was criticized by blogging attendees, setting off a round of Internet fireworks.

Today Miller responded in a point-by-point study of the ideas that were buried under the Twitter-versy about the panel: "Though John, Ivan, and I--hardly the self satisfied, backslapping executives depicted in a recent Harper's article--were nervous to speak in front of the overflow crowd, we were prepared to hear what the attendees had to say about our business model ... The rest of us (including Deb and Clay) chose to address the audience unplugged. Our only weapons would be crude pens and pads of paper." (photo via SXSW)