Authorial Intent

Authorial intent is a captivating and almost controversial subject. How much does an author really contribute to the meaning of his own work? With so many diverse opinions, most likely the question will never be sufficiently answered. Many readers want to solely rely on their interpretation of the text, and while this is one way of approaching a work, it sometimes does not seem completely satisfactory.  I have heard arguments both admonishing the author's input and praising it.  While I can understand that readers can pick up on elements of a work that an author did not intentionally include, it does not make sense to remove him from the process completely.  I can only imagine creating a novel or poem, making a point that I thought was really important and having the public completely skip over it or change it into something else. I can't say I wouldn't write a preface myself.