The Untold Story of Books: A Writer's History of Publishing

by Michael Castleman

“People don’t read books anymore. Who has the time nowadays?” –Lesley’s Weekly (1913)
From Gutenberg to Amazon, Michael Castleman’s The Untold Story of Books is the first and only history of publishing told from a veteran author’s point of view. Witty, entertaining, and full of remarkable new insights, it’s a deeply researched, fascinating history of the idiosyncratic book business—aimed at authors, aspiring authors, booksellers, industry professionals, and everyone who loves to read books.

The Untold Story of Books organizes the 600-year saga of publishing into three distinct book businesses, all defined by the evolution of printing: Gutenberg-style hand presses (1450-1870), industrial printing (1870-2000), and digital publishing (2000-?). Castleman explores how each new book business upended its predecessor, forcing authors, publishers, and booksellers to adapt to ever-changing circumstances. It’s a story full of surprises. Why did books become favored Christmas presents? Because of a poem written in 1823. Why is New York the nation’s publishing capital? Because of the Erie Canal. Why are book endorsements are called “blurbs”? Because of a satirist’s joke in 1907. And why is copyright often an illusion? Because publishing was founded on book piracy, which today is easier and more rampant than ever.

Arriving at the present day, Castleman paints a compelling portrait of an evolving book business full of new promise and peril. He unpacks the many myths surrounding the writer’s relationship to publishers. As tensions in an increasingly disrupted industry mount, Castleman offers a refreshing perspective, grounded in a truth that few would care to admit: writing and publishing have always been incredibly difficult professions— callings more than livings. Ultimately, The Untold Story of Books equips today’s authors with the understanding they need to survive— and maybe even thrive.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Books About Books, Writing, Book Club, Business, Crafts

270 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2024

About the author

Michael Castleman is the author of three previous Ed Rosenberg novels: The Lost Gold of San Francisco, Death Caps, and A Killing in Real Estate. He lives in San Francisco.

Reviews

[Peridot · Rating 4 out of 5]

As much as I adored this book, I find myself with little to say about it. It was an quick and easy read that was surprisingly humorous. I learned a lot, I have a new respect for humanity's dedication to thievery and an urge to spend more money on books.

I'm a relatively new reader, around the 10 year mark, so I don't know much about the history in the industry before then. I mean, everyone knows the vague generics right? But I loved how this book would bring out names, authors and work, and numbers how well they sold. I looked up multiple new names that used to be quite big names in the past and even considered giving it a spin.

My only real pet peeve with this book, (other than the actual file given to me by Netgalley being full of typesetting errors), was that it was an book extremely focused on publishing in America.

This makes some degree of sense, each region in the world could probably fill their own book dedicated to this subject. But the title doesn't reflect this. At the beginning of the book, there are several small tidbits about how the printing press got started and the impact of it in Europe, and England. But once it hit the US, other than minor mentions of English authors being upset at pirating, we got told very little about what happened in other places in the world.

I'm even further surprised at the fact that globalization and international trade wasn't mentioned at the end of the book. I mean, considering I'm writing this review from a rather small country in Europe and I'm sitting with an ARC copy from Netgalley, I'm pretty sure there is some impact on that on the book industry.

But really, that's a minor complaint I'd easily remove if they'd just smuggle in an sentence in the blurb to give an hint that this book is about 90% America and nothing else. That's not really an reflection of how much I enjoyed this book.

It might even be the very first Netgalley read I get that I'll purchase an edition for myself once it hits the shelves.

[Lena Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Untold Story of Books is a fantastic casual nonfiction read for book aficionados and encompassing research reading on the history of book publishing. Castleman dives into the beginning of book publishing from a primarily American standpoint. The Guttenberg press and the scribes it put out of business were briefly touched upon, but the story really takes off in colonial America. From there, readers are taken on a journey of politics, piracy, and printing spanning centuries. The book is incredibly current in its information (BookTok and social media’s influence in the publishing world are heavily discussed). Castleman is very upfront about his own financial and professional journey as an author. This honesty establishes a genuine author-reader connection that makes this such a great nonfiction read. Additionally, the work is indexed by topic, making this a valuable resource for academic research on the book industry or those interested in snippets of the epic Castleman presents. Topics are presented logically in bite-sized portions that maintain reader attention without sacrificing detail.

The Untold Story of Books is an intriguing read for all book lovers that will not disappoint in its premise!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

The one thing that impressed me most about this book was that the author spent 18 years trying to get it published!! While it was critical of Amazon, without Amazon we wouldn't have Goodreads, so I guess I can't really venture to say more in that regard. The book takes a look at three phases in book publishing and details the events that differentiated each phase. Overall a very satisfying read and well worth the time!!

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mortal enemy is a man named Kent, one of the assistant directors of my college marching band. In our first sit-down conversation my freshman year, I mentioned that I was an English major hoping to work in publishing. His response was along the lines of “Do you think that’s a viable option? Book publishing probably won't exist much longer.” (Two years later, he also broke my piccolo. But that’s irrelevant here.) While he probably forgot my name the minute we parted ways, that one response has sat with me since. Did him saying that ever make me consider a different career? Not even for a second. And this book illustrated exactly why: people who make books aren’t doing it to make millions. We do it because we love books. And also, “Long-form reading is resilient. Nothing can kill books.” So take THAT, Kent.

This was a comprehensive yet entertaining history of book publishing and the practices that got the industry to where it is now. As someone who has taken classes about this subject and worked in publishing for two years now, I learned so much more than I expected. The whole discussion surrounding piracy and its (massive!) role in the origins of many if not all publishers and the tooth and nail fights for who should maintain the rights for written works was both in-depth and interesting. Illustrating how we went from seeing 1700 new books published a year to something like 2.6 million?? Insane! And to no one’s surprise, I was reminded of how much I hate Amazon and it’s loss leader practices.

This book made me want to go out and buy a print copy of every single book at my local indie. Since I am but a simple, tiny cog in the ruthless machine that is publishing, that will never happen. Alas, I love my job, I love working with writers, and I love reading. And so I will make do!

[Karla Huebner]

This is an excellent, highly readable history of publishing (primarily following publishing in the UK and US). It goes back centuries in its analysis of how publishing has developed, revealing that book piracy has historically played a much larger role in the development of publishing than one might have expected (publishers that are now respected and decry piracy may have their origins in 18th or 19th-century piracy!).
One of the things I find most valuable here--not necessarily for the average interested reader, but for authors and anyone working in or hoping to work in publishing--is the way this book reveals that the publishing "norms" most of us grew up with were only norms for a relatively short period of time. That is to say, what was usual for most of the twentieth century was not typical of publishing in the nineteenth century, and is no longer all that typical in the twenty-first.
I would have liked to see greater depth/more data relating to the changes we've seen occurring since 2000 (the rise of e-books and the new ease for anyone with a computer to publish a book), but of course we're in the midst of massive change and the present century occupies only a small part of the overall scope of this book.

[Emily Ferman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end of this book reveals how resilient long-form reading is, how “nothing can kill books”, and how, no matter what, “authors will continue to write.”

The last part of this book really stood out to me as representing what reading, writing, life, and everything in between is all about: No one can predict the future. But life unfolds like a good book. We keep turning pages to see what happens next.

And boy, I can’t wait.

[Brandi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a detailed-yet-accessible history of the (mostly) U.S.-based publishing industry. It was interesting to see that piracy was baked into the creation of books since the beginning and how the big publishing houses were created and evolved.

[David Wogahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended regardless of whether or not you are in the publishing business. The big takeaway is that what we call traditional publishing--where publishers pay all expenses and sometimes an advance to the author--has been around for only about 80 out of 400+ years.

[Matthew Noe · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful, and at times funny, overview.

That said, I did find the author a little... antagonistic at times and towards the wrong people and structures if you ask me.

[Mal Warwick · Rating 4 out of 5]

NOBODY MAKES MONEY FROM BOOKS

Few people have any idea how many new books there are every year. According to Steven Piersanti, Founder and Senior Editor at Berrett-Koehler Publishers, quoting a 2023 report in Publishers Weekly, 2.3 million books were self-published in the US in 2021. And a recent industry estimate is that each year “between 500,000 to 1 million . . . new titles are published through traditional publishers.” That means the total number of new books published every year is now about three million in the United States alone.

So, you might think somebody must be making money from all that activity. Well, the facts, as Michael Castleman reveals in The Untold Story of Books, don’t support that. It turns out that practically nobody makes money from books. Only the biggest companies turn even modest profits, and they do so by paying their employees poorly. Many are subsidized by the major media companies that own them. And books contribute only a minuscule amount to Amazon’s growing wealth. Meanwhile, apart from a few superstar authors, the people who are making the least are ones who write all those books.

FEW AUTHORS MAKE MUCH MONEY FROM WRITING BOOKS

And things aren’t any better elsewhere in the world. It’s difficult to tell how many millions more new books appear in print every year in other countries. But there are robust publishing industries in China, Japan, and Europe. For example, Chinese publishers alone brought out some 500,000 new titles in 2022. And another 180,000 to 200,000 come out in the UK every year now. Chances are, though, that, with the exception of a handful of number one bestselling authors, nobody anywhere in the world is making much money from writing books.

THE EVOLUTION OF PUBLISHING AS A BUSINESS

THE FIRST 450 YEARS

Over the six hundred years since Johannes Gutenberg published the first book in Europe, the relative relationship of authors and publishers has varied greatly. Castleman describes “three distinct epochs with three different economic strategies (‘business models’).” During the first 450 years through the end of the nineteenth century, it was an author-centric cottage industry, ‘author-centric’ because entrepreneurial writers formed its core. Publishers, as we know them, did not exist.” However, thinking of authors as “entrepreneurs” was misleading. In fact, it was several hundred years before some—emphasis on some—writers began to make a living from their craft. Nearly all writers paid printers to publish their work. And the printers

THE 20TH CENTURY

“During the late nineteenth century,” Castleman writes, “publishing industrialized, and literacy grew. Over several decades, Gutenberg-style hand-operated presses yielded to huge steam-driven machines that could print thousands of books in the blink of an eye. By World War I, industrial publishing produced the second book business, now called ‘traditional publishing,’ though it lasted only eighty of the book business’s six hundred years [until the end of the 20th century]. The new model was publisher-centric.” In other words, publishers called the shots. Even after writers earned the right to demand contracts and fixed royalties, it was many years before publishers yielded to the courts to allow writers to audit their books when they suspected their publishers were cheating them. And, since such audits cost a great deal of money, only a handful of supremely successful authors managed to arrange them.

THE 21ST CENTURY

“From 1970 through the millennium, publishing witnessed more than three hundred mergers. During that period, the number of ‘major’ publishers, the New York houses with familiar names, decreased from several dozen to just five, the Big Five.” Then, “around the millennium, the digital revolution launched the third book business. Computer technology—digital book design, desktop publishing, e-books, and print-on-demand—powered a streamlined model that once again dramatically reduced books’ unit cost” as industrial printing had done more than a century ago. And now, “publishing has become increasingly sales-and-distribution-centric, dominated by Amazon.”

No doubt you’re aware that some authors have grown rich from writing—and they’re all novelists. J. K. Rowling, Dan Brown, James Patterson, Danielle Steele, John Grisham, Stephen King, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Nora Roberts, Jeffrey Archer, and a handful of others have amassed fortunes from selling millions of copies of their novels. Perhaps a few thousand, even tens of thousands, have managed to support themselves and their families from writing books. (However, many of them may well have earned far more from selling movie rights or writing screenplays for Hollywood rather than from their publishers.) For the rest of us, writing books can have been only a sideline. And there are millions upon millions of us.

ON A PERSONAL NOTE

As you might be aware if you’ve been reading my reviews for awhile, I’m deeply involved in the world of books. But you probably don’t know the extent of that involvement. You know I review books—more than 2,200 of them since 2010—and that I’ve written some of my own. (Depending on how you might choose to count, the total number is about twenty if you include late editions in which I pretty much rewrote the whole book.) And they’re all nonfiction. In fact, I wrote almost all those books for professional audiences (nonprofit fundraisers and business executives). None have been novels that might have stood a million-to-one chance of making me money. And in reality I’ve never made more than $10,000 in a single year from book royalties.

By the way, those books appeared under the imprint of eight different publishers. So I’ve had broad experience in dealing with the publishing industry. But I’ve also edited a lot of books, sometimes for friends, and sometimes for publishers. Probably about two dozen to date. I also served for a year on the board of Berrett-Koehler Publishers, and I even ran my own tiny publishing venture more than thirty years ago, producing and selling not just a few of my own books but also several by other authors. So, yes, my connections to the publishing industry are robust, to say the least.

All told, I suspect I’ve lost money from writing and publishing books.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amazon tells us that “Michael Castleman is a journalist and novelist, author of more than 2,000 newspaper, magazine, and Web articles, 14 consumer health books, and four mystery novels. . . For 35 years, he has been a prolific freelance medical journalist focused on optimal health, mainstream medicine, alternative therapies, nutrition, fitness, and sexuality. His nonfiction books have a combined total of more than 2.25 million copies in print.” Yet, as he discloses in this book, there have been many years when his income from his books has been vanishingly small, far below what might support him for a month, let alone a year.

Castleman holds an MA in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism, where he later taught medical journalism. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, who is a family physician. They have two adult children.

[Joyce Yarrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pleasure to read, this witty and thoroughly researched overview of the history of publishing starting with ancient times is packed with fascinating and idiosyncratic details that will fascinate readers. Who knew that the first author known by name was a woman, and a princess-priestess at that? Or that writers and inventors are the only two occupations granted protection by the US Constitutional? Curious about how blurbs originated or how the romance genre got its start? Look no further.

Michael Castleman draws connections with modern times, pointing out that wherever printing presses are in the world they spur social change and generate controversy-just like generative AI challenges us today. Since publishing was founded in book piracy it’s no surprise that authors are still struggling to assert rights over their intellectual property.

A must read for aspiring authors and anyone else who wants to ground themselves in the realities, pitfalls, and new possibilities of the book business.

[Bandit · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a part of the industry (the tiniest of cogs) and an analytical by nature person, I have, on my own, come to the disappointing realization that book business is mostly business. This book reaffirms that fact resoundingly, with historical background and numbers to back it up.
This is a terribly disheartening but an absolutely essential read for writers and an informative one for all book lovers out there.
I wasn't sure how much to expect from the book that featured quite possibly the largest amount of blurbs I've ever seen, a full 4% of the total page count. But it turned out to be an excellent read. Castleman pulls no punches as he pays out exactly what the industry was and is, using research, data, and frank shares of personal experiences. It's certainly eye-opening, though you may not like what you see. I'm not sure how I feel about his assessment of self-publishing, as in my experience its main contribution is flooding the market with crap, diluting the overall quality, and lowering readers' expectations. But all in all, there's plenty of food for thought in this (traditionally published) book.
Lamentably, the Netgalley ARC doesn't feature the photos, but the text alone is enough. Reader beware, you may never look at books the same way again.
With the mechanisms of the tricks revealed and the curtain pulled back, some of the magic inevitably dissipates. Still, it is an absolutely worthy read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/

[Dan Trefethen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very informative book about the world of book publishing. The author breaks it down into three periods: The early period from Gutenberg to the late 19th century, which he calls the 'author-centric' period where authors or their patrons paid to have their books published; the 80 years or so through the 20th century when 'publisher-centric' publishing became the norm (what we now call traditional publishing), and the late 20th (1990s) to now, where the sales-and-distribution period began, Amazon changed the game and self-publishing became truly viable.

He's done his research: There's lots of good information about the true nature of the industry, mainly the economics in various periods of time. He has a few tables that show statistics that support his points, for instance that only about 6% of new releases sell over a thousand copies.

There's lots of info about the changing role of agents, the rise and fall of independent bookstores and chain bookstores, and the machinations of the major publishers (now consolidated to five in America – four of which are owned by foreign conglomerates).

He also talks about how opaque the industry still is - publishers don't reveal sales data (especially not to authors), the bestseller lists don't say how they compile their lists, etc.

Throughout the book he has examples of his own forty year history in writing. Some of them are superfluous, but many of them showcase the point he's making.

For those of us who are the consumers of books, this is an eye-opening look into the industry, not just today but historically.

[Shari · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author of this book loves books. On page 18, Castleman states that, "To me, books are the bricks that form the foundations of culture." Since you're reading this, you probably love books too, as I do. This story of books is a fascinating look at how books have been printed and distributed--it's a history of book publishing from Gutenberg' manual printing press, through the era of mechanized industrial printing, to the present digital age. The author tells us that the purpose of the book is "...to provide authors and book lovers with informed perspective on an industry often shrouded in mystery and mythology. This book is my attempt to lift the veil, to demonstrate how the book business actually developed and continues to evolve today." (p 19) He succeeds admirably at this task. I found the book to be very informative, highly entertaining, and highly readable. I learned a lot. I am not an author, but if I was I would have found the book very useful as well. I found the ways in which the book industry has changed over the centuries and how power shifted within it as these changes came about to be extremely interesting. Castleman includes examples from his own publication history to illustrate the realities of today's book business. If you're someone who is aiming to publish or to work in the industry in some other capacity, or if you just love books, I highly recommend this book.

I thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a digital review copy.

[Ja · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent read for anyone curious about the history of books and, more specifically, the publishing industry. Publishing got its start through piracy, and its ironic that we live in an age where book piracy is still just as frequent. But everything that happened in between is full of interesting facts about how the publishing industry has changed. Castleman breaks it down in three distinct eras of book business, from the early days of writing and hoping someone might read it to the era of sending manuscripts to publishers hoping they will market it and distribute it, to our current world of the Big Five publishers.

Castleman clearly has had his own issues with the business, but is polite enough not to call them out on it. But after working on this book for eighteen years, I'm glad that he finally had the chance to get this published for the world to see. It's fascinating to see where we are at in the business, and many wonder where we're going with the industry. But one thing's for certain, there will continue to be new books published and new authors writing for as long as humanity exists.

For all the bibliophiles out there that want a good history on books, this is a fascinating read.

[Nicola Ranson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extraordinarily comprehensive book on the history (and present state) of publishing and how we got here. It is packed with nuggets of historical detail which made for an entertaining and fascinating read. As a writer, I was grateful to learn about the evolution of publishing. Almost no one understands today's complex landscape of self-publishing versus traditional versus hybrid etc. But Castleman shows that the pressures influencing the book business are nothing new and that the industry has been in transition ever since it began. Somehow this made me feel better! The one constant is that the author remains at the bottom of the pile as a supplier of material for a ravenous and (often) uncaring business. However, protections have evolved in the game of whack-a-mole that is the publishing industry - now they are needed to confront the challenges of AI! Castleman's book will be fascinating for anyone in the business of creating or reading books.

[Sally Kilpatrick]

At turns both fascinating and depressing, Castleman's book gives you the skinny on publishing from the beginning up til now. Quick and informative read, although I had some quibbles toward the end.

Basically, the Internet has made it very difficult to charge for entertainment or information. It's also really difficult to sift through the chaff to get to the wheat. On the one hand, self-publishing has given a platform to those whose voices have been ignored. On the other, we now have a market absolutely glutted with books. Even worse? Now folks are using AI to write books. We do not need that. But here we all are.

Castleman's conclusion is that writing will become more and more for self-actualization because the vast majority of authors won't be able to earn anything close to a living from the occupation. (I can't confirm that)

Insert my TED Talk on how we value all the wrong things these days and how capitalism will be the death of us.

[Caleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book even more than I expected. I'm intrigued by humanity's desire to facilitate the production, consumption, and sometimes destruction of books. This book did an excellent job of exploring the history of publishing but also making it humorous, engaging, and still comprehensive.
The book focuses a great deal on American publishing and book culture, but even so, I found it engaging and worth reading for those interested in books on a conceptual level, like myself as a librarian, but I also think the common lay reader would find it equally as enthralling.

Thank you to the author, The Unnamed Press, and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my review. 4/5 stars

[Ezra Brand · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book overall, but tendentious

Overall a good book, good structure, engagingly written, and well-researched.

However, there are a few notable flaws:

- explicitly coming from the perspective of an author; fairly opinionated throughout from that perspective, as opposed to those of readers and publishers

- overall the tone is overly negative, especially when discussing modern advances in tech

- the author clearly tends politically progressive; this manifests in it being fairly anti-tech, and very wary of big publishers and businesses. Another place it manifests is in discussions of supposed lack of women and minorities; while not mentioning that modern publishing is dominated by women

[Kateryna Sternberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book, it provided a great in depth look into the evolution of publishing. But it the first part dragged too much and the third part, while interesting, felt lacking; there could be many other topics to add: the emergence of book boxes turned publishers, the overconsumption of books: with books coming full circle from leather-bound expensive times to cheap mass market paperbacks back to the costly special editions, the cult status of some books that allows book boxes to raise their prices unchallenged and are the trendsetters and the herald of next bestsellers.
So while enjoyed the book, the edition of more current content would have made it infinitely more entertaining.

[Jann Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and informative

For a lifelong reader who’s an author just beginning to be published, Michael Castleman’s nonfiction look at the book publishing world was page-turning. From the invention of moveable type through the piracy of AI training, Untold is a dedicated history of publishing with many little-known tidbits, while also being a major overview of where publishing began, where it stands now, and where it’s likely to go—with a depth of research to back it up. Untold is a worthwhile read for any beginning writer, published author, or an owner of an indie bookstore or small press.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended for anyone who is curious about the book business now, and how we got here. Breezy and highly informative, fun to read but steeped in MANY years of research (40 years, according to the author, and I believe him), this book is perfect for someone who wants an introduction to the topic. But also well worth reading for anyone involved in publishing, and for prospective authors who need some advice, too.

I got this from the library, but now that I've read it, I suspect I'm going to want to own a copy.

[Ron Lichty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having authored/coauthored five books, the last four issued by major publishers, you’d think I’d know something about publishing - not as much as Malcolm Gladwell, perhaps, but something. Well, I do. But gee whiz did I learn a lot more about publishing reading Michael Castleman’s new book, The Untold Story of Books: A Writer's History of Publishing. Fascinating stuff. Furthermore, it sports a coda on today’s choices of publishing that’s so insightful, I’ve sworn to consult it once more before pledging how I publish my next.

[Ekta · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must-read for writers who want to jump into the whirlpool of getting published. No matter what route you choose -- self, hybrid/indie, or traditional -- it's crucial to know how the publishing industry developed and got to where it is today in order to make the most informed decisions about one's career going forward. Michael Castleman's book is informative, accessible, and full of history and trivia (and if you're a nerd about fun facts just to know them, this is an absolute gem.) I strongly recommend this one and will be doing so to all the writers I know going forward.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, which I found entertaining and informative. As a fiction writer whose work is primarily historical, I appreciated this dive into the history of publishing, with many details about which I'd had no idea. I also love how the author points out that history continues to repeat -- new technologies have always created scenarios of doom and gloom combined with exciting new opportunities. That was true with Gutenberg and it's true today. Recommended for authors in any genre, as well as anyone interested in how publishing developed and changed over the years.

[Alanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some interesting things in this book and I enjoyed learning some of the aspects of the publishing industry, however on the whole I struggled to get invested in this book and almost didn't finish it several times. I found that the narrative seemed to jump around a fair bit which was distracting, and think shorter chapters might have helped with this.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions are my own.

[Meghan Duff · Rating 5 out of 5]

If the subject of history of publishing appeals to you, you'll probably enjoy this book. It's funny how there are certain dynamics that keep cropping up, like disruptive technology (in paper, printing, or transportation or communication, like phonographs). Puts now in perspective. Also was amused that US and English publishers fought copyright in part because they were always pirating from one another.

[Kendra Richards Ohmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has a lot of very good and interesting information for those interested in the business side of books. However, it's very biased, full of personal stories and opinions. It also, in my opinion, makes publishers out to be the bad guys and is definitely skewed and targeted toward writers. It does say in the title it's from a writer's point of view, but I was shocked at some of the blatant and sometimes harsh comments. So it put quite a damper on it for me.

[DW Rowlands · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I was torn between giving this book two and three stars...parts of it were quite interesting, or at least contained interesting anecdotes, but it felt like it didn't have a coherent thread tying it together, and the fact that the author makes some historically questionable statements makes me doubt the information I don't know enough to verify...I'm not sure I'm going to keep my copy, even though it's a topic where I'd generally definitely want to keep a book...

[Carrie Dalby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative, enlightening, and humorous. Much about the publishing industry I already knew, but the delivery is wonderful. I read it in about twenty-four hours. Recommended to everyone who loves books, writes, or is thinking about writing as a "living" should read it. Many thanks to Avi for recommending the book on his blog.