I’m still a bit under the weather, so I won’t offer much commentary on these posts about book publishing. There was a big shakeout yesterday at Random House and layoffs at Simon & Schuster. Along with last month’s announcement that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt was “freezing” acqusitions — leading to the resignation of its publisher — the industry looks like it’s reeling.
Kassia Kroszer thinks that imprints don’t mean much and that independent publishers have a great opportunity ahead, since they don’t need to worry about generating profits that would satisfy a multinational corporation.
Eric Wolff thinks that publishing needs to return to its roots as a hobby for literary rich folk.
Oh, and here’s a link I’ve been sitting on for a little while: Theodore Dalrymple on used bookshops and inscriptions.
Talk amongst y’selves . . .
