The writing game that authors play is full of such zero-sum battles: limited spots in newspaper review pages; ‘new release’ displays in book shops; positions in numbered sales ranks and the status of ‘lead title’ at publishing houses. From our first day at school right up to retirement, most of us find ourselves warring over status-freighted prizes. Life in the tribe would have featured far fewer such contests. Though I can’t prove it, I suspect our massively increased exposure to formal zero-sum play is responsible for much of the misery, anxiety and exhaustion we experience as
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