A good thread, and I basically agree with everyone....
I was just sat here thinking about;-
1) The web, and...
2) Spending patterns.
1) As far as the web is concerned;- It's a Godsend for an area of arcane interest. Thanks to the web I've tracked-down more information than I would if I'd have camped-out in the PRO 24/7 for several years.
Added to that, I've tracked down a mountain of parts that twenty years ago I frankly never thought I'd ever even clap eyes on. A lifetime spent at car-boot sales would never have yielded these results. Even Wikipedia, for all it's faults (Some of the supposed 'expert editors on there are complete ijits!) is a handy quick reference to suggest lines of further enquiry.
2) Spending patterns;- I try not to spend too much on printed material, but just recently I had to search-out a forty-year old book. Even s/h ex-libris, it cost me £40.00 plus postage. It didn't disappoint either. On the other hand, I recently spent almost as much on a new reference work, (No names no pack-drill.), by a well known author, and it was tosh. Riddled with errors. I suppose what I'm saying effectively is that folks will spend - if they can justify it.
Several years ago, desperate to reduce the amount to pack and move, I dumped a huge number of magazines down at the tip. In trying to decide what to keep, the criteria was simple....which were topical, so out of date, and which held more reference material - which would be unlikely to date. Here we get back to quality again. I'm loathe to spend on stuff that is more likely to go to the tip.
I don't share WH904's pessimism, but am cautiously optimistic. There is no way that we are on some sort of journalistic high. The preservation scene itself is doing very well. Yes the mags are glossy and technically brilliant, and yes, they are rather dumbed-down. Therein-perhaps lies the biggest danger - that they morph into some kind of red-top tabloid equivalent in a downwards race. Do I think that will happen? No. Commercial pressures will tend to push them back towards their prime market. Natural-Selection - thankfully...!
As far as the writers are concerned - I don't think there was ever any real money in it. Most people did - and do write for this market out of interest and a sense of duty to history in some cases. Same-old same-old. If people really want to make money from writing, it's got to be sex, scandal or a craze, but certainly not aviation....! I suppose a book on NATO camouflage might have been entitled 'Fifty Shades of Grey' though.....!