On arrogance and humility in the rock tumbler of our publishing life

Let's meditate together on the wisdom of Wiktionary.

The publishing industry is a spiritual rock tumbler.

Those of you who have or remember being small, rock-obsessed children will understand the full scope of that metaphor.

Yes, rock tumblers polish rough things into something beautiful. Yes, they require several infusions of grit over the course of many weeks. Yes, opening up and catching sight of the f…