Former Scribner senior editor Colin Robinson wrote a long diary entry for the London Review of Books about his firing last December--a gloomy, insider look at what has become known as Black Wednesday.

His essay takes a personal look at some familiar problems confronting publishers in the recession: decreasing sales, excessive returns from booksellers, and the rise of the digital book. Robinson concluded with an interesting point about the declining quality of readership. Here's more:

"Electronic communication has generally made life easier for writers and harder for readers ... Books have become detached from meaningful readerships. Writing itself is the victim in this shift. If anyone can publish, and the number of critical readers is diminishing, is it any wonder that non-writers--pop stars, chefs, sports personalities--are increasingly dominating the bestseller lists?"