I interviewed David Amsden, the author of Important Things That Don't Matter, a couple of weeks ago for Salon. Amsden on being a writer in New York: "The best thing about being in New York is that it really demystifies the publishing industry...Some people get really distracted in New York and want to pursue being famous more than writing. That could really happen. But really, the thing with writing is that you never get, you know, really famous. I mean, even if you are, you're still like... [ES: No one's walking up to you on the street and asking for your autograph.] Yeah. I mean, I've always liked that about it. These things like getting into the New Yorker, publishing a book, seem as palpable as one day going to the moon. And once you're here, you're like, 'Oh, I know—that idiot used to work at X publishing house; now he works at Y. He hates me because I wrote this one thing two years ago,' and you understand that it's like 85 people who have all, to one degree or another, fucked each other over and made love to each other. So shit's gonna come up."

Don't hate David Amsden because he's brilliant, celebrated and 23 [Salon]