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Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty-First Century by John B. Thompson (University of Cambridge, and Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge) at Abbey's Bookshop,
Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty-First Century
— —
John B. Thompson (University of Cambridge, and Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge)

Merchants of Culture

The Publishing Business in the Twenty-First Century

John B. Thompson (University of Cambridge, and Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge)

$103.95

Hardback

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English
Polity Press
13 December 2013
Publishing industry
These 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.

In 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.

This

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.
By:  
Imprint:   Polity Press
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Edition:   2nd edition
Dimensions:   Height: 229mm,  Width: 152mm,  Spine: 32mm
Weight:   765g
ISBN:   9780745663616
ISBN 10:   0745663613
Pages:   456
Publication Date:  
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
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

John Thompson is professor of sociology at Jesus College, University of Cambridge.

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

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. The Kelvingrove Review


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