Who Said Book Publishing Wasn’t Fun?
By Jerry D. Simmons | August 14th, 2009 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)

If you are an avid reader, working in the office of a New York publisher is heaven. Sure the stress of having too much on your plate, pressure of meeting deadlines and getting books out the door is intense but if you want to surround yourself with thousands of books and manuscripts, working in Manhattan for a publisher beats the library. 

Anyone who follows the business of publishing knows that times are tough. I’m not talking Detroit autoworker tough, but difficult.  Sales are down, editors are buying fewer manuscripts, companies are laying off long time employees, and it’s much harder for new talented writers to break in. Those who have spent their entire adult lives selling books are worried.

But nobody said it would be easy and if you enjoy curling up with a good book, browsing the shelves of bookstores, and generally being around creative and talented people that live and breathe publishing, New York is the place to be.  It’s expensive and the commutes are a killer, but nothing matches the energy of the City of New York and working inside a publishing company.

Everyone involved with writing, editing and publishing hope the business can find a way to overcome the problems. Sales may never be where they once were and cover prices will always seem unreasonably high, but if we all get back to focusing on good writers and quality books and move past the fascination with celebrity, book sales might just start to rebound.

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