Monthly Archives: June 2014

27Jun | '14

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MFA vs. NYC vs. A Trendsetter Roundtable

By Trendsetter Editors | Published: June 25, 2014

When MFA vs. NYC (n+1/Faber and Faber, 2014) first was published, it ruffled some feathers, probably because of the subtitle: The Two Cultures of American Fiction. The collection of essays featured insights from authors who have completed MFAs, those who have not, and pieces from those who work inside the publishing industry. How do these stories stack up? And do MFA graduates and NYC writers really comprise “the two cultures of American fiction?” Your Publishing Trendsetter editors, Kimberly, and Samantha sat down and discussed the book with Livia Nelson, former Trendsetter intern […]

0 Comments | Category: Industry Insight | Tags: Alexander Chee, Chad Harbach, Emily Gould, George Saunders, Iowa Writer's Workshop, Keith Gessen, Kimberly Lew, Livia Nelson, MFA vs. NYC, n+1, Randall Kenan, Samantha Howard, Yeah Write

20Jun | '14

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Small Press, Not Small Time: A Look at Young People in Small, Indie Publishers

By Sam Howard | Published: June 19, 2014

Both Graywolf Press and Little, Brown published books that received Pulitzer Prizes this year. Little, Brown posted a photo of their staff celebration: a seemingly endless sea of glasses of red wine. While there wasn’t any photographic evidence, I imagine Graywolf celebrated similarly. Though, if there had been a photo, there would have only been 12 glasses of wine. Small presses are just that, small. While the likes of Penguin Random House or HarperCollins can claim thousands of employees and the title of one of the “Big” Five, small presses […]

0 Comments | Category: Industry Insight, Professional Paths | Tags: Akashic Books, American Short Fiction magazine, Bellevue Literary Press, Brown, Crystal Sikma, Graywolf Press, HarperCollins, independent press, indie press, Little, Pulitzer Prize, Random House, Rudy Martinez, small press, Soho Press, Susannah Lawrence

13Jun | '14

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A Publishing Career by the Books: Reading My Mistake, Hothouse, and Lord of Publishing

By Thomas Collins | Published: June 10, 2014

All too often I read articles proclaiming “the death of the novel,” “the death of the book,” or other such dread-inducing pronouncements. But everything that dies was once alive, and given the tremendous (and unsuccessful) effort to declare books dead, they must currently be wide-eyed, scratching out holes in their coffins, wriggling up through the still-loose dirt. I’ve seen that the undertakers and gravediggers are often those who remain rooted in the pre-digital past. I recently read three books by or about established publishing veterans, at the summits of their […]

0 Comments | Category: Industry Insight, Professional Paths | Tags: Boris Kachka, Cambirdge, CBS, Daniel Menaker, Farrar Straus & Giroux, Fifty Shades of Grey, Hothouse: The Art of Survival and the Survival of Art at America's Most Celebrated Publishing House Farrar Straus and Giroux, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Jack Kerouac, Ken Kasey, Ken Kesey, Lord of Publishing, My Mistake, Open Road, Robert Giroux, Roger Straus, Simon & Schuster, Sterling Lord, Sterling Lord Literistic, The Nation, The New Yorker

6Jun | '14

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Rise to the Top: Quotable Wisdom from Successful Women in Publishing

By Sam Howard | Published: June 3, 2014

One of my favorite panels at Book Expo America this year was put on by the Women’s Media Group called “New Success Tracks for Women, Publishing Careers in a Time of Change.” It hosted 4 female industry heavyweights and asked them questions about rising to the top. The panelists were Jane Friedman, CEO and Co-Founder, Open Road Integrated Media; Janet Goldstein, SVP, Editorial Director, National Geographic Books; Libby McGuire, SVP, Publisher, Ballantine, Bantam, Dell; and Tina Weiner, Director, Yale Publishing Course, moderated by Jane von Mehren, Literary Agent, Zachary Shuster Harmsworth. Unsurprisingly, these […]

0 Comments | Category: Industry Insight, Professional Paths | Tags: Ballantine Bantam Dell, BEA, BEA14, BookExpo America, Jane Friedman, Jane von Mehren, Janet Goldstein, Libby McGuire, National Geographic Books, Open Road Media, Tina Weiner, Yale Publishing Course, Zachary Shuster Harmsworth

2Jun | '14

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BEA 2014: A Trendsetter Roundtable

By Trendsetter Editors | Published: June 2, 2014

Last week was a busy time for all people in the book business as BEA 2014 kicked off its programming on Wednesday, May 28th and culminated in Saturday’s BookCon. Professionals from all over the industry were represented, including your Trendsetter Editors, BEA pro Kimberly Lew and first timer Samantha Howard. They sat down to talk about their experiences and observations from this year’s Book Expo America. Kimberly: Last week was a crazy week of BEA goodness. Let’s discuss. Samantha: Yes. My first time! Kimberly: Your first time. How does it feel to no longer […]

1 Comment | Category: Industry Insight | Tags: BEA, BEA14, Belzhar, Chronicle Books, Greil Marcus, Hold the Dark, James Frey, Jane Friedman, Jane Lynch, Janet Goldstein, Jason Allen Ashlock, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Weiner, Kimberly Lew, Libby McGuire, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Liveright, Market Partners, Meg Wolitzer, Publishers Launch, Quirk Books, Random House, Robert Gottlieb, Ryan Graudin, Samantha Howard, Sylvia Plath, The History of Rock 'N' Roll in Ten Songs, The Javits Center, The Walled City, This Is Where I Leave You, Tina Fey, Tina Weiner, Trident Media Group, William Giraldi, Women's Media Group, Wonder, YA Buzz Panel, Yale University Press