A moderated discussion with a representative publisher, reviewer, editor, bookseller and writer.

Debating the efficacy of Twitter as a marketing tool is the equivalent of spending time deciding whether to send review copies out by Priority Post or Express Post. There are more substantial issues to be discussed than mostly transitory media, the purview of old people desperate to keep up, and young people desperate to get a foot in a door, any door. One of these is the cultivation of writers - is it possible, or does it just happen? Another is the financial relationship among writers, publishers, booksellers, search engines, agents and governments. A third is the critical culture. Even before the Globe lost its standalone section, decent mainstream literary discussion was pretty thin on the ground. Does this matter? If not, no worries. If so, what's the relationship between a critical and a creative culture, and how can ours be fixed?