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‘Merchants of Culture is an eye-opening tour of both American and British trade publishing. Veterans in the publishing world will learn a lot, and novices will feel welcome, in this behind-the-scenes examination of how book publishing works in an age of mass marketing and digitization. Thompson knows more about contemporary publishing than any other scholar and he asks just the right questions of his sources. Theoretically sophisticated but not burdened by academic apparatus, this is a landmark work.’

Michael Schudson, Columbia University

‘Thompson’s ground-breaking research into the world of consumer book publishing provides a fascinating insight into the high-risk culture on both sides of the Atlantic. Revealed is the world of agents and scouts, of auctions and deals, often with large sums of money paid out to authors, as publishers gamble in the hope of signing the next Harry Potter or Dan Brown. Thompson’s work is of the highest quality and should be read by all those concerned about our literary culture and its future.’

Angus Phillips, Director, Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies

‘For the uninitiated, Merchants of Culture provides a very perceptive, thorough and in-depth view of how trade publishing really works in the English-speaking world today. For those of us in the business or for writers who are mystified by their publisher’s behavior, it offers a penetrating account of our business by a very shrewd, analytical observer. This book is the only thing I’ve ever read about our industry that has really got it.’

William Shinker, President and Publisher of Gotham Books and Avery Books, Penguin Group USA

‘Thompson’s analysis of UK and US trade publishing is extraordinarily acute and insightful. It should be required reading for new entrants to the industry – but it will also illuminate many things for old publishing hands.’

Helen Fraser, Former Managing Director, Penguin Group UK

‘This uncommonly perceptive and thorough study tells you all you need to know about the publishing industry at a time of momentous change.’

Drake McFeely, Chairman and President, W.W. Norton & Company

‘Merchants of Culture is one of the most intelligent and accessible accounts of the curious business of trade book publishing I have read. Anyone interested in knowing more about how our industry works – and where it might be headed – will find this book invaluable.’

Morgan Entrekin, CEO and Publisher, Grove Atlantic

‘A must-read piece on publishing history … The only history of publishing we’ll need.’

Richard Nash, former publisher of Soft Skull Press and founder of Cursor

‘Excellent and fascinating study of the book business at this critical time … Superb stuff. This is why we have academies and academics.’

West Cork Times

‘The single most impressive fact to drive home about this remarkable book is that Thompson displays a rare gift, that of presenting a world of the most heart-stopping complexity in short, simple, inter-related steps … a tour de force … this is a book to buy and use and keep on your shelf.’

Tribune Magazine

‘[Thompson] draws on valuable interviews and the mass of statistics that the field itself devours in search of success. He offers a calm, relatively sanguine account of contemporary publishing, a world dominated by the $6 million advance, the blockbuster and the buzz.’

Times Literary Supplement

‘Merchants of Culture – in-depth, perceptive, profound – will remain the industry benchmark for years to come.’

Publishing Research Quarterly

‘Professor Thompson has written a seriously good, almost monumental work, one that will quickly become required reading for seasoned practitioners and newcomers alike, whatever segment of the book trade they find themselves in or are about to commit to. It’s a highly readable, absorbing account of a culturally important industry in the throes of transition.’

Logos

‘Thompson is prudent in his method, generous with generalization, and sympathetic to his subject … [his] attention to different segments of the trade offers something new for everyone.’

Journal of Scholarly Publishing

‘Thompson’s work, well-researched and documented … should be required reading for anyone interested in books, publishing, and their impact on popular culture.’

Journal of Electronic Publishing

‘Excellent … a gift for those of us working to publish books that will matter to readers and to posterity, regardless of where in the field we practice our craft.’

The Exchange: The Newsletter of the Association of American University Presses

‘Anyone fascinated with publishing will find no end of insight in this meticulously researched volume. I went so far as telling a friend of mine who chairs a graduate program in publishing and editing that if the students in his program aren’t reading this book, they’re not getting the education they’ve paid for. I can’t recommend it highly enough. If you want to understand the publishing industry, read this book.’

Small Press Reviews

‘For some time to come, this is bound to be the definitive thing to read for anyone trying to understand the infrastructure of book culture – especially as it has taken shape over the past two or three decades.’

The National

‘A thorough and thoughtful analysis of publishing as a relatively self-contained world – a “field” obeying rules that are ultimately economic, but in ways refracted through maneuvers and conflicts that defy simple cost-benefit analysis. Anyone interested in publishing will want to read it.’

Inside Higher Ed

‘Superbly researched and presented, Merchants of Culture is a seminal addition for academic library collections and essential reading for members of the publishing industry (including authors and book reviewers!) seeking to adapt to the constantly changing influences of modern technologies upon the art and economics of trade publishing.’

Midwest Book Review

‘Read this in one afternoon, was so riveted by it. One of the most intelligent and accurate discussions of the publishing world I’ve read. As an author, I think it’s so necessary to try to understand the world I work in. This book not only debunks a number of myths about publishing, but provides a real insider’s view. It is a must-read for anyone hoping to become a published writer, or who already is one.’

Jean Kwok, author of the New York Times bestseller Girl in Translation

‘As soon as I tore open the box, I had to start reading … It’s frank, comprehensive, well-researched, with lots of interviews with people who know – and it pulls no punches. Want to know about the rise of the literary agent or why your mid-list books aren’t marketed properly or what the digital revolution means for the author in the street? Then buy this book.’

Karen Ball, author of Starring Me as Third Donkey and other children’s books

‘Just completed a first class degree course in trade publishing and the “making of a bestseller” – at least I feel like I have after reading Merchants of Culture by John B. Thompson … From now on whenever anyone asks me how they can get published or get a job in publishing I’m going to tell them to buy this book because it is simply perfect at summing up how the whole messy business works and explaining why it very frequently doesn’t work.’

Andrew Crofts, author of The Freelance Writer’s Handbook

‘A must-read for anyone interested in books and the publishing industry, this is an easy-to-understand, fascinating account of the history of the publishing industry in the UK and US and a coherent explanation for the current pressures facing the main players … A fascinating book and one that I would heartily recommend.’

Caroline Hooton, writer and blogger for Quippe’s Journal

‘By an order of magnitude, this is the best book on the economics of contemporary publishing.’

Tyler Cowen, George Mason University and blogger for The Marginal Revolution

‘Fascinating … a tremendous primer into the political economy of the publishing industry. Highly recommended.’

Displacement Activity

‘A must-read for any writer trying to get a handle on what the future portends.’

Erik Olsen, wewantedtobewriters.com

‘Anyone who is interested in our shared cultural well-being ignores the implications of [Thompson’s] work at their peril.’

Ben Bennetts, Things Unrespected

‘A compelling and necessary new book.’

Maria Popova, Brain Pickings

‘Merchants of Culture is crisp and clear, and does a great job in both describing and understanding changes in this strange business … Thompson’s study is one of the most valuable studies on publishing in recent decades, and promises to be the new reference point for sociological research on the publishing industry.’

Cultural Sociology

‘The richness of Thompson’s analysis … his fascinating ethnographical descriptions and … the remarkable clarity of his demonstration … shows the benefit that economic sociology could derive from the study of cultural industries.’

Economic Sociology

‘[This] book updates the documentary record for sociologists and will rivet any wannabe author … Even though corporations like Borders file for bankruptcy, the book will survive, and Thompson describes the conditions, some menacing but others safeguarding its always-uncertain future.’

American Journal of Sociology

‘Thompson’s study of book selling makes compelling and sometimes troubling reading.’

Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly

‘For anyone seeking to understand the industry, I know of no better resource. Merchants of Culture deserves to become an established text on publisher education courses.’

British Journal of Educational Studies

‘Thompson has written a very valuable book that is likely to become the standard reference on the Anglo-American publishing industry for many years to come.’

Mediekultur: Journal of Media and Communication Research