Book Business: Publishing Past, Present, and Future: Publishing, Past, Present and Future

This is an amazing book about the subject of books written by one of the great connoisseurs of books. Jason Epstein played a role in introducing quality paperback books, the Library of America, and the New York Review of books. He worked for Doubleday and Random House and this book, more of a reflection on his past than a memoir (I believe it is an adaptation of some lectures he delivered at the New York Public Library), is full of tons of anecdotes featuring Faulkner and Edmund Wilson and a parade of publishers and booksellers. He recounts the arc of the book business-mainly publishing and bookselling-beginning after WWII when he got his first job, almost by accident, in publishing up until the turn of the century during which he was simply marinated in a kind of New York bookishness. Much of the book is a celebration of a past where great publishing houses reflected the eccentricities of their owners and founders and were staffed by learned people who labored on behalf of books more than anything, not giving much thought to such things as material gain. He also celebrates a bookstore past where independent bookstores had shelves overflowing with books and staff who could find any title with their eyes closed and he rues the way that this bookselling situation was slowly replaced by malls and suburban shopping landscapes. If you love books I suggest you treat yourself by reading this one, for it is a celebration of the book by someone who really knows what he’s talking about.

Publishing is a notoriously conservative, unprofitable, non-linear line of business. The most fascinating parts of Epstein's book are his accounts of how he did something a little differently ("thought outside the box," to use a current cliche) and helped create something truly innovative and worthwhile--like quality paperbacks (Anchor Books) and the Library of America (uniform editions of carefully edited American classics on acid-free paper). While this book is essentially an extended essay on where publishing is going (as publishing houses become lesser components in larger media companies, and author advances for the turner-outers of blockbuster titles sap publishers of their resources and makes them unwilling to take risks on more significant literary voices), there are some interesting portraits of key figures from publishing's past, such as Horace Liveright, Bennett Cerf, and Donald Klopfer.His key thesis, that the future of publishing lay in being able to obtain printed books on demand from ATM-like kiosks, is both hopeful and scary. It means that there will be no need for any title to ever go out of print, no matter how limited its audience. (Hopeful.) But will books produced in this manner be as satisfying to read, hold, and collect as any single title in the Library of America? (Scary.)

Given that this was the compilation of 3 lectures given in 1999, that the Afterwards was from an article in 2001 and that the `Preface to the Paperback Edition' was written in 2002 this book is interesting as a historical footnote to the impact of various communication and information storage technologies on the publishing industry. As far as analysis, there is very little of that, and what there is is more like an `executive summary' type commentary. Nothing really trenchant or substantive. As a memoir of Epstein's work history and a general history of trends and structure in the U.S. publishing industry it is fairly interesting though not in any way comprehensive.Why two stars? There were a couple of problems I could not get around. Epstein wants his book and to edit it too. He is neither a business analyst nor an academic, and it shows. Though he repeatedly cites the numerous structural and business process inefficiencies of the publishing industry he defends the necessity and role of the editor, that is to say, by turns he criticizes writers, agents, publicists, retailers, corporate owners of publishing houses, and readers (consumer trends) but he reiterates the necessity of professional editors and expresses the belief that book publishing does not well conform to conventional business models and practices.Epstein displays a superficial understanding of basic business principles (his work with The Reader's Catalog and his commentary [...] as well as his consortium idea are just a laugh-riots, he should have taken some business courses at Columbia) and a lack of anything remotely approximating an academic, much less a high level business analysis of the industry, "Trade book publishing is by nature a cottage industry, decentralized, improvisational, personal; best performed by small groups of like minded people, devoted to their craft, jealous of their autonomy, sensitive to the needs of their writers and to the diverse interests of readers.", "During this time book publishing has deviated from its true nature by assuming, . . .the posture of a conventional business." First of all, his understanding of a cottage industry is flawed and romanticized. The penchants of a cottage industry are scarcity of resources, brutal efficiency, and filling a specific and exact need for a customer. Epstein admits to the inefficiency of the current methods that describe finding a manuscript (and writer) through editing/finishing a manuscript for publication but notes this as a necessary part of the process rather than one of the inherent flaws. If 80% of commercial fiction FAILS to make a profit isn't that as much of an indictment against the selection/editing process as a failure of distribution outlets??Epstein completely dismisses the transformative aspects of communication technologies with respect to process and overemphasizes the impact on distribution methods. "It is highly improbable that from this clutter (literary web sites that offer publishing-on-demand) works of value will emerge. . . The filter that distinguishes value is a function of human nature, not of particular technologies." I think I can forgive this because at the time he was writing this, fan fiction, via message boards (most notable Harry Potter related) were just starting to emerge large scale and the peer review through specific social networking was probably way out of Epstein's realm of understanding. He fails to anticipate any sort author to reader selling through social networking. He does not mention blogging in any detail in the book. The power of various functionalities of advancing technology to narrow and in most cases eliminate the distinction between amateur and professional in the catagory of selecting/editing a book is nonexistent. **I would bet the if at the publication of this book Mr. Epstein had been given a one paragraph explanation of a free online dictionary edited by anyone (Wikipedia) he would have scoffed. In the same vein if you suggested to him now that groups of non-professional reviewers could edit a novel he would also scoff**Here is the capper, "For readers who are accustomed to an orderly literary marketplace the much less disciplined digital future may seem as threatening as widespread literacy seemed to the priests of the 15th century." Ohhhhh Mr Epstein, if only you had gone to just a few business classes. The consumer of today is NOT frightened of expanded choice and they willing embrace anything that expands their choices, and they reward producers and companies who make it easy for them to choose among hundreds of choices [...].Other than a memoir, a broad overview of the book industry, and a example of professional bias this book misses as any sort of substantive analysis of transformation in the publishing industry.

Jason Epstein paints a picture of the transition of the book publishing and selling trade as it transitioned from independent book sellers and publishers to today's fully-optimized book trade. He also discusses the imminent eBooks revolution (from the early 2000 perspective) and sheds light on the reasons why Amazon was successful.A quick, enjoyable read, and definitely one worth reading if you want to understand the recent history of the book business from the insider perspective.

Great history of book publishing.

Although Epstein gets his points across about the changing face of publishing, they are buried beneath personal tales which are interesting but distract from the pertinent information.

The book was a requirement for my class about publishing. I found the information very informative, even interesting.However, if someone interested in the publishing business as a career, this book would be a must.