Literary Representation

Why Selling Books to Publishers Is Hard
The book-publishing industry has experienced radical changes over the last ten to twenty years. Besides the obvious changes wrought by the digital and online revolutions, the transformation of major trade houses into subunits of large multimedia conglomerates has significantly altered the nature of the industry. Editors are often now corporate managers who may not be thoroughly familiar with the literary or intellectual worlds and may not even be thoroughly familiar with their own lists. In the face of narrow profit margins, they tend to be increasingly risk averse. And with the growing importance of electronic—as opposed to print—media in shaping tastes and driving sales, publishing executives have become loathe to sign up authors who do not have, or could not plausibly obtain, substantial online exposure and a viable digital platform.

In addition, a narrow focus on pursuing best-sellers has further contributed to an environment in which it is difficult to sell traditional mid-list books, books by new authors (or authors new to the trade), books that do not fit prevailing political categories, and books that make considerable demands on readers. It is an especially challenging environment for scholars trying to make the transition from academic to trade publishing and thereby reach a larger audience.