The Business of Books (Magill’s Literary Annual 2001)
At a glance:
- Author: André Schiffrin
- First Published: 2000
- Type of Work: Current affairs
- Time of Work: 1920-2000
- Setting: The United States
- Genres: Nonfiction, Current affairs
- Subjects: 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s, United States or Americans, Twentieth century, 1940’s, 1920’s, 1930’s, 1980’s, Books, Publishing or publishers, Business or business people, 1990’s
- Locales: United States
Allan Lefcowitz, the founder of the Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland, once made the following observation in the center’s newsletter. “Why do editors reject manuscripts?” he asked rhetorically. “Because,” he goes on, “they can.” His point is simple: Editors decide what to include in journals, or in the books they select for publication.
André Schiffrin, former editor of Pantheon Books, would no doubt suggest a corollary truism: Book publishers, whether trade or literary, exercise the same authority. Unfortunately, in Schiffrin’s view, during the...
[The entire page is 1933 words long]
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