It seems to me that one of the problems of the publishing industry at large is the desire of manufacturers (publishers) and retailers (book outlets) to treat books - stories - as a consumer commodity. A five minute wonder that sells like hotcakes today and is forgotten tomorrow, like the latest fashion items.

Books aren't like that. A good book stays with you long after you've read it; sometimes for life. I was sufficiently taken with a series of tales read in my childhood to name my daughter after one of the characters. The stories (the Punchbowl Farm series by Monica Edwards) were about a family trying to reclaim a farm that had been left to run wild. The backdrop was the conflict between the boy who wanted to bring in modern farming methods to make it a going concern, and his loyal sister who liked the wilderness it had become. It may of course be just coincidence that the young lady I named after the sister went on to do a degree in environmental science and now works for a British wildlife trust.

Stories are a vital part of the glue that holds society together - a good book can shape your thinking. We need to hear our own stories - everyday tales of love, loss and struggle. We need to hear other peoples' stories, to see how this global village of ours looks from their perspective. We need stories of wild imagination that test our capacity for excitement, horror, and romance. We need the "what if" stories that encourage us to imagine the unimaginable.

We need writing that entertains, but also that moves and inspires us. The pile 'em high and sell 'em cheap mentality does not give us these stories. Writing like most things is one part inspiration to nine parts perspiration, and serious writers need encouragement, support, training and investment to deliver their best work. It is my contention that the industry which makes its living from writers' talents is selling them short. In the process, I believe it is also damaging its own means of production.