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BIG FICTION by SINYKIN, DAN NEW Paperback
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Item specifics
- Condition
- Brand New: A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages. See all condition definitionsopens in a new window or tab
- Book Title
- BIG FICTION
- Topic
- Books
- Genre
- Modern & Contemporary
- Original Language
- English
- Intended Audience
- Young Adults
- ISBN
- 9780231192958
About this product
Product Identifiers
Publisher
Columbia University Press
ISBN-10
0231192959
ISBN-13
9780231192958
eBay Product ID (ePID)
28061248126
Product Key Features
Number of Pages
328 Pages
Language
English
Publication Name
Big Fiction : How Conglomeration Changed the Publishing Industry and American Literature
Publication Year
2023
Subject
Publishing, Communication Studies, Modern / 21st Century, Modern / 20th Century
Type
Textbook
Subject Area
Literary Criticism, Language Arts & Disciplines
Series
Literature Now Ser.
Format
Trade Paperback
Dimensions
Item Height
0.7 in
Item Weight
17.7 Oz
Item Length
9.2 in
Item Width
6.1 in
Additional Product Features
Intended Audience
Scholarly & Professional
LCCN
2023-009636
Reviews
[ Big Fiction ] teaches us to see contemporary fiction as a field riven by contradiction: conglomeration is poisonous and generative, conservative and democratizing, a force of both austerity and abundance. And while it presents obstacles for nearly all writers, many--especially our best--have found unexpected sources of energy within it., Big Fiction 's ambitious project and keen analysis will make it a classic in criticism of contemporary US fiction . . . The grand effect of this grand study is to halt any theorization of contemporary fiction that doesn't first consider the publishing landscape at that point in time., As a former bookseller, I appreciated seeing a scholar finally treat the aesthetic and material trends in the mass market fiction that sustains so much of the industry . . . the book paves the way for a more concrete form of literary criticism that is attentive to the world that produces literature without reproducing the generic distinctions that imprints and academics insist on., Full of cogent analysis, ambitious argument, juicy quotes from insiders and a demonstration of the central role of Catholics in American publishing., This is the best kind of criticism: a book that told me things I didn't know . . . illuminated things I thought I knew . . . and made me want to argue back against some of its claims and descriptions., The two most remarkable things about Dan Sinykin's history of how corporate conglomeration in publishing has changed the course of literature are 1) it's never been written before and 2) there was a time, not so long ago, when the merging and acquisition of publishing houses was unthinkable. Sinykin teaches how to read "through a colophon," and that "our outsize attention to the author alone is a trick of history." Sinykin's fascinating history is underlineable on every page., This is the book we've all been waiting for. Now more than ever, it's important to grasp how the books that come to shape our imaginations and our understanding of the world are made. Sinykin's elegant prose and careful analysis pull the curtain back, allowing us new perspectives on book making, book selling, and book promoting. It turns out that everything we thought we knew is a big fiction., Big Fiction tackles a big subject with deep research, great ambition, and broad mindedness. Sinykin pulls together stories of famous authors and obscure yet central behind-the-scenes players to tell the complex and compelling history of modern publishing. This is essential reading for anyone interested in the too-often-overlooked forces that shape what is published, what is written, and what the future of books might hold., The fluency, anecdotes, and lightness with which Sinykin delivers what is clearly the product of rigorous research makes for a highly readable book., Big Fiction provides a fascinating overview of American publishing over the past sixty or so years, with many interesting titbits about a large number of significant players and many notable publishing deals., Dear Reader, you should read Big Fiction . It's the best treatment of why fiction is the way it is that I've ever read. And the stories too!, Its unexpected novelty is what gives Sinykin's project its unique insights, making it a real contribution to our understanding of recent American literary history., Sinykin writes with verve and narrative flair as he documents the consolidation of the major publishing houses -- and, along the way, overturns the myth of "the romantic author," that lone genius unfettered by social circumstances or material constraints. . . . The result is a fascinating and informative account of the convulsions roiling the American publishing industry for the past half-century -- and a devastating reckoning with the ways in which conglomeration has altered American fiction., Big Fiction takes the notoriously exclusive and counterintuitive industry of U.S. book publishing and gives its recent history a lucid and unsparing treatment . . . [The book] makes for a demystifying and ultimately empowering read--one of particular value for anyone who feels shut out of the publishing milieu--and will help facilitate our understanding of the culture we have. That understanding is critical as we fight for the culture we want ., Big Fiction is a very ambitious book, and the story it tells is sweeping and persuasive. . . . It's the rare book of literary scholarship that may appeal to readers outside the academy., For some people, thrill rides are found at Disneyland. For certain types of readers, a thrill ride can be found in Big Fiction: How Conglomeration Changed the Publishing Industry and American Literature , Dan Sinykin's scintillating take on the David and Goliath battle, in which free-spirited publishers fought to hold their own against corporate giants., Sinykin's Big Fiction is a book of major ambition and many satisfactions. Come for the comprehensive reframing of a key phase in US literary history, stay for the parade of interesting people, the fascinating backstories of bestsellers, the electrically entertaining prose. The story of literary publishing in the postwar period has never been told with such verve., "The Conglomerate Era" emerges as a new periodizing category capable of uniting blockbuster bestsellers, postmodernism, the rise and fall of brick-and-mortar bookstores, the expansion of creative-writing education, Oprah's Book Club, philanthropic nonprofit lists, and the literary prize industrial complex., Throughout, Sinykin deftly interweaves archival finds with trade journal sources and interviews with a focus on narrating them engagingly....Sinykin's book has already captured the attention of a wide readership in academia and beyond., Big Fiction is sharply written and sharply argued, part of a wave of cutting-edge works of literary history put out by Columbia University Press., In Big Fiction, Dan Sinykin tells the messy, sprawling story of American publishing in the postwar era through the voices and memories of many of its major figures--editors, agents, executives, authors--creating a rich cultural history any observer of the current literary scene will learn from. Through careful and incisive reading, he insists that books like Ragtime, Beloved, and Infinite Jest have much to tell us about the conditions under which they were published. Following through on Bakhtin's famous phrase--novels are the genre that represents "the zone of maximum content with the present"--Sinykin wants us to think of novels themselves as conglomerations, shaped by many influences, and in some cases by many hands. Big Fiction is provocative, smart, and disturbing; it deserves a big audience., Sinykin's Big Fiction is a book of major ambition and many satisfactions. Come for the comprehensive reframing of a key phase in U.S. literary history, stay for the parade of interesting people, the fascinating backstories of bestsellers, the electrically entertaining prose. The story of literary publishing in the postwar period has never been told with such verve., Revelatory . . . Book lovers curious about how the proverbial sausage gets made will want to check this out., Big Fiction feels like a major contribution: to our understanding of contemporary literature and literary publishing as an industry, definitely; to literary criticism as a whole, probably; and maybe to our conception of how culture, in general, is made. It is a thoroughly researched, engagingly written, and clear-sighted cultural materialist analysis of the sort that feels almost verboten within the formal and professional fields of artistic production., In its engaging tone, comprehensive research, and bold vision for a literary study that is more attuned to the realities of literary production, Big Fiction is an essential contribution to an American literary history shaped by the forces of commerce, education, and government., If you're interested in the history of book publishing in America, Big Fiction is indispensable. It's brimming with well-researched information, entertaining anecdotes, and delightful tidbits of literary gossip., Ten years from now, Publishing Studies will be central to English departments, and Big Fiction will be a foundational text. Sinykin is precisely the critic I have been waiting for, with the intellectual range to bring rigor to the everyday processes by which publishing shapes how we write, read, and think., This book offers a rich, detailed background explicating the everyday reader's experience of why books published by big commercial presses seem so much like ... books big commercial presses would publish. . . . Any student of publishing would benefit from reading this book. In its pages, publishing seems fascinating and action-packed, but myths that readers might harbor about the industry's glamor, its sincerity, or the purity of its relationship to art will probably get dispelled.
Dewey Edition
23
Dewey Decimal
070.509730904
Table Of Content
Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Mass Market (I): How Mass-Market Books Changed Publishing 2. Mass Market (II): How the Mass Market Won the World, Lost Its Soul--Then Lost the World 3. Trade (I): How Women Resisted Sexism and Reinvented the Novel 4. Trade (II): How Literary Writers Embraced Genre 5. Nonprofits: How Rebels Found Funding and Rejected New York 6. Independents: How W. W. Norton Stayed Free and Housed the Misfits Conclusion Glossary of Publishing Figures Notes Index
Synopsis
Dan Sinykin explores how changes in the publishing industry have affected fiction, literary form, and what it means to be an author., Shortlisted, 2024 SHARP Book History Book Prize, Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing In the late 1950s, Random House editor Jason Epstein would talk jazz with Ralph Ellison or chat with Andy Warhol while pouring drinks in his office. By the 1970s, editors were poring over profit-and-loss statements. The electronics company RCA bought Random House in 1965, and then other large corporations purchased other formerly independent publishers. As multinational conglomerates consolidated the industry, the business of literature--and literature itself--transformed. Dan Sinykin explores how changes in the publishing industry have affected fiction, literary form, and what it means to be an author. Giving an inside look at the industry's daily routines, personal dramas, and institutional crises, he reveals how conglomeration has shaped what kinds of books and writers are published. Sinykin examines four different sectors of the publishing industry: mass-market books by brand-name authors like Danielle Steel; trade publishers that encouraged genre elements in literary fiction; nonprofits such as Graywolf that aspired to protect literature from market pressures; and the distinctive niche of employee-owned W. W. Norton. He emphasizes how women and people of color navigated shifts in publishing, arguing that writers such as Toni Morrison allegorized their experiences in their fiction. Big Fiction features dazzling readings of a vast range of novelists--including E. L. Doctorow, Judith Krantz, Renata Adler, Stephen King, Joan Didion, Cormac McCarthy, Chuck Palahniuk, Patrick O'Brian, and Walter Mosley--as well as vivid portraits of industry figures. Written in gripping and lively prose, this deeply original book recasts the past six decades of American fiction.
LC Classification Number
Z480.F53S56 2023
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- eBay automated feedback- Feedback left by buyer.Past monthOrder delivered on time with no issues
- s***a (0)- Feedback left by buyer.Past yearVerified purchaseI had a wonderful experience buying from this seller! They quickly replied to my messages, answering questions that I had on the books. The item description was exactly what I received. The seller also packaged the book set with bubble wrap to make sure there was no damage during shipment. The shipping was quick and I received the item 4 days early! 10/10 experience with this seller!Boys of Tommen 5 Books Set Binding+Keeping+Saving+Redeeming+Taming by Chloe (PB) (#285966862660)
- e***_ (110)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchaseShipping took a bit longer than expected BUT when the book arrived it was in perfect condition and was wrapped very well. Seller did communicate about the delay as well. I needed this as a required text for school and was exactly what I needed but for a fraction of the price. Thank you!
- e***s (4)- Feedback left by buyer.Past 6 monthsVerified purchasethey arrived quickly, sooner than i even expected! they were very nicely and thoroughly wrapped, and in excellent condition. they looked exactly as pictured in the photo and they’re worth the price, considering they’re typically more from big retailers! good, trustworthy seller!Stephanie Garber Once Upon a Broken Heart Series 3 Books Set (Paperback) (#286060170124)