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Post-war American publishing has been ruthlessly transformed since André Schiffrin joined its ranks in 1956. Gone is a plethora of small but prestigious houses that often put ideas before profit in their publishing decisions, sometimes even deliberately. Now six behemoths share 80% of the market and profit margin is all. André Schiffrin can write about these changes with authority because he witnessed them from inside a conglomerate, as head of Pantheon, co-founded by his father, bought (and sold) by Random House. And he can write about them with candor because he is no longer on the inside, having quit corporate publishing in disgust to set up a flourishing independent house, The New Press. Schiffrin's evident affection for his authors sparkles throughout a story woven around publishing the work of those such as Studs Terkel, Noam Chomsky, Gunnar Myrdal, George Kennan, Juliet Mitchell, R. D. Laing, Eric Hobsbawm and E.P.Thompson. Part-memoir, part-history, here is an account of the collapsing standards of contemporary publishing that is irascible, acute and passionate. An engaging counterpoint to recent, celebratory memoirs of the industry written by those with more stock options and fewer scruples than Schiffrin, The Business of Books warns of the danger to adventurous, intelligent publishing in the bullring of today's marketplace.… (more)
User reviews
The best parts are where Schiffrin gives personal insights into the lives and personalities of some the great book publishers.
There is no doubt in my mind the
But without that pre-dinner drink in his hand it may all still be a bit dry.
It is definately a must read for anyone interested in publishing and books. Schiffrin posses too much personal experience for us to miss out on.
But if you're just starting to dip your toe into "books on publishing" I'd recommend Anne Fadiman or Gabriel Zaid first.
When I finally found it, the two first reviews were both from people who read this book before setting up their own press. I have no idea if their presses publish things I would consider good, but Schiffrin (R.I.P.) has written that kind of inspiring book. He discusses his father's role in setting up Pantheon, his own travails in publishing, and his own founding of The New Press. He makes me want to start a press of my own, a substantially easier proposition now than when he wrote this one (c. 2000).
As an historical document, this is fascinating, too: only one mention of amazon, nothing (of course) on publishers like NYRB and Europa, only a glimmer of how important Dalkey would become... Not even the occasional "great books I have published" paragraph kept me from finishing this in a day. He published some great books! Good for him.