The Shatzkin Files: 2012

Your essential, insightful guide to the past, present, and future of book publishing

In his 50-year career, Mike Shatzkin has worked in every area of the publishing industry: writing, editing, agenting, packaging, selling, marketing, and production. Since 2009, his blog, The Shatzkin Files, has been essential reading for publishing executives, indie authors, journalists covering the industry, and academics, as well as for people just plain interested in book publishing.

Covering everything from the rise of the ebook and serious self-publishing to the trade’s growing internationalism, the birth of vertical marketing and dramatic changes in retailing, Shatzkin combines deep knowledge of publishing’s history with keen—and at times controversial—analysis of the challenges and opportunities posed by digital change.

This volume of The Shatzkin Files includes every post published in 2012, a new introduction summarizing the year in publishing and reflecting on its impact, and a foreword by series editor Simon Collinson. It has been lightly edited and carefully proofread, and the posts have been newly categorized for easy reference.