Marketing Literature: The Making of Contemporary Writing in Britain [Hardcover]

Claire Squires (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 27, 2007 | ISBN-10: 140399773X | ISBN-13: 978-1403997739 | Edition: First Edition

Marketing Literature examines the conditions of, contexts for, and some key instances of, the publishing of contemporary writing in Britain. It considers the changing social, economic and cultural environment of the publishing industry in the 1990s-2000s, and investigates its impact on genre, format, packaging, authorship and reading. This innovative study of recent publishing history includes case studies of novels including Trainspotting, Bridget Jones's Diary, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, The God of Small Things and the His Dark Materials trilogy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'...accessible, yet scholarly...set to become the leading textbook for a new generation of scholars interested in the history of the book.' -Times Higher Education

'Claire Squires has written a fine work on contemporary UK publishing and marketing. Her clear, superbly engaging analyses of the histories behind recent best-sellers adds immeasurably to our understanding of contemporary publishing structures and book promotion activity. It deserves to be required reading for those keen on learning how books and authors make their way through todays complex literary marketplace.' - David Finkelstein, Research Professor of Media and Print Culture, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

'A timely, thoughtful, brilliantly researched and extremely clearly written account of the importance of marketing within contemporary publishing. Utilising a breathtaking variety of oral and written sources, Squires displays invaluable knowledge of and insight into the sometimes byzantine publication strategy of the trade publishing industry. If it is true that the quality most sought after in a publisher is hindsight then this book can help provide all those connected with or interested in contemporary literary fiction with a sense of this very precious resource.' - Peter Straus, literary agent

'Claire Squires's Marketing Literature should, of course, be required reading for everyone who works in publishing, but its much better than that. It is also a nimble and deeply well-informed guide to the key cultural issue of our time: how do we tell the good from the merely successful?' - John Mitchinson, Director, Quite Interesting Ltd

''Marketing does not simply sell books, it constitutes their meaning' argues Claire Squires, who brilliantly demonstrates how this complex process operates by focusing on bestsellers such as Zadie Smith's White Teeth, Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials and Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary to illuminate contemporary practices of writing, publishing and reading. This is an informed, thought-provoking and immensely satisfying book that will be essential reading for everyone who is concerned with literature in Britain today.- Juliet Gardiner, author and historian

'Enlightening and thought-provoking. Squires presents complex ideas with clarity, intelligence and a refreshingly wry humour. This topical book deserves a wide readership and is relevant to anyone who has an interest in literary fiction.' The Bookseller

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

CLAIRE SQUIRES is Senior Lecturer in Publishing at the Oxford International Centre for Publishing Studies at Oxford Brookes University, UK, and Programme Leader for the MAs in Publishing. Her previous books include Philip Pullman, Master Storyteller: A Guide to the Worlds of His Dark Materials (2006). She previously worked at Hodder Headline publishers.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; First Edition edition (November 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140399773X
• ISBN-13: 978-1403997739
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,790,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.