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

John B. Thompson

Penguin Group US, Mar 27, 2012 - Business & Economics - 464 pages

"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.

What people are saying

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

User Review  - Jay McNair - Goodreads

A fantastic intro to the publishing world, good probably for writers as well as would-be publishers. Very well-researched, with the insights depending on hundreds of interviews with people in the ...

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

User Review  - Amy - Goodreads

I think this would be a good book for anyone thinking of joining the publishing industry to read, as it has good explanations of how some important relationships in the industry work. I can see it ...

About the author

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

Bibliographic information

• Title: Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty-First Century
• Author: John B. Thompson
• Publisher: Penguin Group US, 2012
• ISBN: 1101576987, 9781101576984
• Length: 464 pages
• Subjects: Business & Economics / Corporate & Business History; Business & Economics / Industries / Media & Communications