Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty-First Century

by John B. Thompson

Overview

"All you need to know about the industry at a time of momentous change."
-Drake McFeely, chairman and president, W.W. Norton & Company

For nearly five centuries, the world of book publishing remained largely static. But at the dawn of the twenty-first century, the industry faces a combination of economic pressures and technological change that is forcing publishers to alter their practices and think hard about the future of the book.

John Thompson's riveting account dissects the roles of publishers, agents, and booksellers in the United States and Britain, charting their transformation since the 1960s. Offering an in-depth analysis of how the digital revolution is changing the game today, Merchants of Culture is the one book that anyone with a stake in the industry needs to read.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780452297722
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	03/27/2012
Pages:	464
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

John B. Thompson is Professor of Sociology at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Second Edition vi

Preface to the First Edition viii

Introduction 1

1 The Growth of the Retail Chains 26

2 The Rise of Literary Agents 59

3 The Emergence of Publishing Corporations 101

4 The Polarization of the Field 147

5 Big Books 188

6 Extreme Publishing 223

7 Shrinking Windows 238

8 The Wild West 292

9 The Digital Revolution 313

10 Trouble in the Trade 377

Conclusion: Facing an Uncertain Future 403

Appendix 1 Selected Imprints of the Main Publishing Corporations 410

Appendix 2 Note on Research Methods 415

Bibliography 425

Index 430