"If it weren't for received ideas, the publishing industry wouldn't have any ideas at all"

This quote by Donald E. Westlake is a commentary on the publishing market and its dependence on existing concepts. He is recommending that without the ideas that have already been developed, the publishing market would be unable to come up with any new ideas. This implies that the industry is not especially creative or ingenious, and instead relies on the concepts that have currently been established. This might be seen as a criticism of the industry, as it suggests that it is not pressing the borders of creativity and instead is content to just repackage existing concepts. It might also be viewed as an alerting to the market, as it recommends that without new ideas, the market will eventually become stagnant and dull.