What Does It Mean For Readers?

Salon writer Laura Miller has a great piece on self-publishing called When Anyone Can Be A Published Author. She discusses what self-publishing means for readers and has lots of interesting thoughts on the subject. Among other things, she wonders if readers will contract "slush fatigue", because, as she describes it, with self-publishing the slush pile is finding its way into print. If "reading is something you turn to, seeking fun or transcendence, during your precious hours of free time, how long will you persist when book after book has exactly the opposite effect, crushing your spirit instead of refreshing it? How long before you decide to just give up?"