Bookish Diversions: The Puzzle of Publishing

Dueling Takes on the Industry, How the Numbers Really Work, Learning the Trade, Enormous Book Advances, Interview with Yours Truly, More

Dueling takes on the publishing industry. Publishing is a closed book for most. As a result, anything that shines a light on the current state of the trade can prove irresistible. Hence the viral sensation of Elle Griffin’s recent essay “No One Buys Books.” For her piece Griffin scoured the antitrust trial revelations emerging from the thwarted purchase of Simon & …