19 Comments
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Ray Edwards's avatar

A most enlightening and well-crafted piece - thank you, Joel!

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Joel J Miller's avatar

Thanks, Ray! Glad you liked it!

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adam hill's avatar

Man! This is a stellar one. Loved reading it. I want more!

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Joel J Miller's avatar

Thanks, man! It was fun to write. I’ve got squirrelly little Cormac McCarthy story I’m working on now. I’ll probably post midweek. Need to wrap up a review first.

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Jeff Goins's avatar

I love when you talk publishing. I always learn something.

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Joel J Miller's avatar

Me too! Half the fun is digging in and learning something new. I didn’t really know anything about Richard Snyder until last week.

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Jill's avatar

This was a great read. Thank you 🙏

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Joel J Miller's avatar

My pleasure!

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Terry Freedman's avatar

Fascinating. Thanks for this. In Britain too publishing used to be a family affair, as indeed was running a bookshop (which it often still is!)

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Joel J Miller's avatar

I think that’s mostly because it took leisured money to fund a publishing operation and manage the poor margins. It was an elevated hobby. Like the Houghton Mifflin exec said, there was nothing businesslike about the business. Then people like Allen Lane showed up and shook up all the old assumptions.

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Terry Freedman's avatar

Yes, sounds right. Over here (UK) we had "gentleman booksellers", same sort of thing

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Michael Mohr's avatar

Interesting, especially about McCarthy. It reminds we writers that it’s often the Long Game, and most of us never make any real/much money. Labor of love, as they say. I dig your writing style. You communicate very clearly. Orwell would be proud.

I did a Cormac McCarthy essay on No Country for Old Men:

https://michaelmohr.substack.com/p/no-country-for-old-men

Michael Mohr

‘Sincere American Writing’

https://michaelmohr.substack.com/

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Joel J Miller's avatar

Thank you, Michael! That makes me happy to hear! And thanks for sharing your McCarthy essay. He was a singular talent. I’m glad a market existed that allowed his books to keep coming for so long. After his death, I’m thinking about everything I love in his work. I lost my copy of All the Pretty Horses. I just bought another; I’m looking forward to reading it again.

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David George Moore's avatar

The Turn Every Page documentary about the relationship between Pulitzer winning writer, Robert Caro and Gottlieb is absolutely sensational.

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Joel J Miller's avatar

It’s on my list. I need to see that!

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David George Moore's avatar

You will not be disappointed. And if you have not read Caro's utterly fascinating book on how he conducts research and does his writing, simply titled Working, I offer that as a second recommendation! :)

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Joel J Miller's avatar

Many thanks! I’ve seen but haven’t picked it up yet. I’ll have to remedy that.

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Frederick Woodruff's avatar

Great read, Joel! Thank you.

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Joel J Miller's avatar

Very kind, Frederick. Thanks and glad you enjoyed it!

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