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Are large publishing companies dying?
By admin | July 31, 2008
By Ana Parker Goodwin
Are large publishing companies dying? It seems to me the more important question to ask is whether, at present, these companies truly serve us, the American reader. Are the books they issue relevant to our needs? Will what they publish help create a better world?
When I first sold my book, Sandplay Therapy, to W.W. Norton in 2000, my editor bemoaned that Norton was one of the last large publishers still accepting books just because they needed to be out there. They needed to be read. I must confess that although I had worked with people for years and didn’t consider myself naïve, I was shocked. Why did publishers no longer follow their hearts?
What I found when I investigated was that there were only approximately six, large, independent publishing houses left in America. “But,” you say, “I’ve seen the names of loads of different companies on the spines of book jackets.” Most of the old companies have merged and are now subsidiaries of a larger publishing house that sets down the rules. “So what?” you say.
Of course this is merely a theory, but I propose, “It‘s all about priorities.” As the companies have grown, their priorities have shifted. When people, or a group of people, change priorities, their actions change as well. There was a time when you and I the reader came first. Profit came second. But I think that’s been reversed and money is now number one.
Because of this, publishing houses buy mostly known winners such as Stephen King and John Grisham, who are then pressured to write endless sequels to their first successful book or novel. I don’t blame the publishers. Many of the authors are excellent writers. But what happens to our reading options? They are narrowed to a few, often politically correct, viewpoints. Where are the creative, original thoughts of the many that have in the past made this country great?
I’m afraid I’ve probably brought up more questions than answers but I’ll leave you with one more. Can any corporation survive over time when it forgets about the people it serves? I’m not sure but I hope not.
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