Merchants of culture. The publishing business in the Twenty First Century

Preface. Introduction. 1 The Growth of the Retail Chains. 2 The Rise of Literary Agents. 3 The Emergence of Publishing Corporations. 4 The Polarization of the Field. 5 Big Books. 6 Extreme Publishing. 7 Shrinking Windows. 8 The Wild West. 9 The Digital Revolution. 10 Trouble in the Trade. Conclusion: Facing an Uncertain Future. Appendix 1 Selected imprints of the main publishing corporations. Appendix 2 Note on research methods. Bibliography.