{"product_id":"merchants-of-culture-the-publishing-business-in-the-twenty-first-century-paperback-softback-9780745661063","title":"Merchants of Culture; The Publishing Business in the Twenty-First Century (Paperback \/ softback) 9780745661063","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eMerchants of Culture\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eThe Publishing Business in the Twenty-First Century\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eJohn B. Thompson (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780745661063, Polity Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 16 March 2012\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e464 pages\u003cbr\u003e22.5 x 15.8 x 3.5 cm, 0.68 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\"A fine-grained snapshot... of the terminal struggle of traditional publishers. [Thompson's] mordant picture of an industry in crisis gives publishers, writers and readers much to think about.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eJason Epstein, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/articles\/archives\/2011\/feb\/10\/books-onward-digital-revolution\/\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New York Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e  \u003cp\u003e\"Enlivened by pseudonymous interviewees who are remarkably and tantalisingly candid.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.guardian.co.uk\/books\/2012\/apr\/17\/merchants-culture-john-b-thompson-review#start-of-comments\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"[Thompson] draws on valuable interviews and the mass of statistics that the field itself devours in search of success. He offers a calm, relatively sanguine account of contemporary publishing, a world dominated by the $6 million advance, the blockbuster and the buzz.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/entertainment.timesonline.co.uk\/tol\/arts_and_entertainment\/the_tls\/article7172116.ece\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eTimes Literary Supplement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"Thompson bring forensic keeneness, acuity, breadth, depth and wit to this page-turning study of the book trade, its denizens, demons and deities. [Merchants of Culture] ought to be prescribed reading for publishers, booksellers, writers, authors, reporters, reviewers and critics.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/mg.co.za\/article\/2011-02-07-publish-and-be-damned\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eMail \u0026amp; Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e, South Africa\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"John B. Thompson's research has produced an excellent history and analysis; it's a wonderful book, highly recommended.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eAustralian Book Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"The single most impressive fact to drive home about this remarkable book is that Thompson displays a rare gift, that of presenting a world of the most heart-stopping complexity in short, simple, inter-related steps ... This is a book to buy and use and keep on your shelf.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.tribunemagazine.co.uk\/2011\/01\/chapter-and-verse-on-business-at-the-heart-of-our-intellectual-culture\/\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eTribune\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"A superb history and analysis of publishing and bookselling, from the 1960s to the present, against the background of the rapidly expanding digital media. A salutary, scary read.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eJohn Conwell for \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.newstatesman.com\/non-fiction\/2010\/11\/books-john-lrb-media\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New Statesman\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"A thorough and thoughtful analysis of publishing as a relatively self-contained world - a 'field' obeying rules that are ultimately economic, but in ways refracted through maneuvers and conflicts that defy simple cost-benefit analysis. Anyone interested in publishing will want to read it.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.insidehighered.com\/layout\/set\/popup\/views\/mclemee\/mclemee305\"\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eInside Higher Ed\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"For some time to come, this is bound to be the definitive thing to read for anyone trying to understand the infrastructure of book culture - especially as it has taken shape over the past two or three decades.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.thenational.ae\/arts-culture\/books\/merchants-of-culture-a-study-of-modern-publishing?pageCount=0\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe National\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"This impressively comprehensive and revealing analysis of the structures and processes of modern publishing is timely as the industry faces its digital future.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eKatharine Reeve, \u003ca href=\"http:\/\/www.timeshighereducation.co.uk\/story.asp?storycode=413351\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eTimes Higher Education\u003c\/i\u003e Book of the Week\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"Thompson's study is one of the most valuable studies on publishing in recent decades, and promises to be the new reference point for sociological research on the publishing industry.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eCultural Sociology\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"A very valuable book that is likely to become the standard reference on the Anglo-American publishing industry for many years to come.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMedieKultur\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"For the uninitiated, \u003ci\u003eMerchants of Culture\u003c\/i\u003e provides a very perceptive, thorough and in-depth view of how trade publishing really works in the English-speaking world today. For those of us in the business or for writers who are mystified by their publisher's behavior, it offers a penetrating account of our business by a very shrewd, analytical observer. This book is the only thing I've ever read about our industry that has really got it.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eWilliam Shinker, President and Publisher of Gotham Books and Avery Books, Penguin Group USA\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"Thompson's analysis of UK and US trade publishing is extraordinarily acute and insightful. It should be required reading for new entrants to the industry - but it will also illuminate many things for old publishing hands.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eHelen Fraser, Former Managing Director, Penguin Group UK\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"This uncommonly perceptive and thorough study tells you all you need to know about the publishing industry at a time of momentous change.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eDrake McFeely, Chairman and President, W.W. Norton \u0026amp; Company\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"One of the most intelligent and accessible accounts of the curious business of trade book publishing I have read. Anyone interested in knowing more about how our industry works - and where it might be headed - will find this book invaluable.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eMorgan Entrekin, CEO and Publisher, Grove Atlantic\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"An eye-opening tour of both American and British trade publishing. Even veterans in the publishing world will learn a lot, and novices will feel welcome, in this behind-the-scenes examination of how book publishing works in an age of mass marketing and digitization. Thompson knows more about contemporary publishing than any other scholar. He asks just the right questions of his sources, and their responses offer unique and illuminating testimony from an array of publishing insiders. Theoretically sophisticated but not burdened by academic apparatus, this is a landmark work.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eMichael Schudson, Columbia University\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"Thompson's ground-breaking research into the world of consumer book publishing provides a fascinating insight into the high-risk culture on both sides of the Atlantic. Revealed is the world of agents and scouts, of auctions and deals, often with large sums of money paid out to authors, as publishers gamble in the hope of signing the next Harry Potter or Dan Brown. His work is of the highest quality and should be read by all those concerned about our literary culture and its future.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eAngus Phillips, Director, Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"From now on whenever anyone asks me how they can get published or get a job in publishing I'm going to tell them to buy this book because it is simply perfect at summing up how the whole messy business works and explaining why it very frequently doesn't work. It teaches a careful reader as much as any three year degree course on the subject.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eAndrew Crofts, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Freelance Writer's Handbook\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"As soon as I tore open the box, I had to start reading...It's frank, comprehensive, well-researched, with lots of interviews with people who know - and it pulls no punches. Want to know about the rise of the literary agent or why your mid-list books aren't marketed properly or what the digital revolution means for the author in the street? Then buy this book.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eKaren Ball, author of \u003ci\u003eStarring Me as Third Donkey\u003c\/i\u003e and several other children's books\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\"The book is written in a style that is both elegant and easy to follow. There is a good balance between, on the one hand, dry numbers and figures and, on the other, colourful anecdote and informative metaphor. Thompson’s own book is a comprehensive and rigorous history of trade publishing, which will lead both scholars, editors or people with a more general interest in publishing to think about books in new and more complex ways.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eHelena Agustí-Gómez, University of Glasgow\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eThese are turbulent times in the world of book publishing. For nearly  five centuries the methods and practices of book publishing remained  largely unchanged, but at the dawn of the twenty-first century the  industry finds itself faced with perhaps the greatest challenges since  Gutenberg. A combination of economic pressures and technological change  is forcing publishers to alter their practices and think hard about the  future of the books in the digital age.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this book - the first  major study of trade publishing for more than 30 years - Thompson  situates the current challenges facing the industry in an historical  context, analysing the transformation of trade publishing in the United  States and Britain since the 1960s. He gives a detailed account of how  the world of trade publishing really works, dissecting the roles of  publishers, agents and booksellers and showing how their practices are  shaped by a field that has a distinctive structure and dynamic. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis  new paperback edition has been thoroughly revised and updated to take  account of the most recent developments, including the dramatic increase  in ebook sales and its implications for the publishing industry and its  future.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003ePreface to the Second Edition vi\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePreface to the First Edition viii\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIntroduction 1\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e1 The Growth of the Retail Chains 26\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e2 The Rise of Literary Agents 59\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e3 The Emergence of Publishing Corporations 101\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e4 The Polarization of the Field 147\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e5 Big Books 188\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e6 Extreme Publishing 223\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e7 Shrinking Windows 238\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e8 The Wild West 292\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e9 The Digital Revolution 313\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e10 Trouble in the Trade 377\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eConclusion: Facing an Uncertain Future 403\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAppendix 1 Selected Imprints of the Main Publishing Corporations 410\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAppendix 2 Note on Research Methods 415\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBibliography 425\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIndex 430\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eSubject Areas: Society \u0026amp; culture: general [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on Society \u0026amp; culture: general\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22Society%20\u0026amp;%20culture:%20general%20%5BJF%5D%22\"\u003eJF\u003c\/a\u003e]\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Polity","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52711908409624,"sku":"9780745661063","price":14.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/2037\/5320\/files\/9780745661063.jpg?v=1789776888","url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/merchants-of-culture-the-publishing-business-in-the-twenty-first-century-paperback-softback-9780745661063","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}