Is There a Perfect Balance Sheet for Publishing?

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"I will never be able to look at publishing the same way after observing that trial," King says. "There's not a perfect balance sheet for publishing, and I really want Simon Schuster to stick around." The writing is the writing and the publishing is the publishing: they're not ever going to match up perfectly.

A conversation with literary critic and publishing insider Bethanne Patrick about the future of books, book publishing, authors and readers.

Shermer and Patrick discuss: her memoir Life B • trends in treatment of depression and other mental diseases • why memoirs by authors who have suffered traumas and stresses in their lives sell so well • non-fiction, fiction, and quasi-nonfictional fiction • censorship and cancel culture in publishing • why the New York Times bestseller list is so influential • the trial over the acquisition of Simon & Schuster by Penguin Random House over whether it will lead to a monopsony • the future of publishing and book stores • how writing compares to more accessible forms of content such as film or podcasting • what advice she would give to new would-be authors.

Bethanne Patrick is the ultimate literary insider. If you read book reviews, you undoubtedly know Bethanne. Her endorsements in venues like the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, NPR, and the Boston Globe have moved hundreds of thousands of copies. Check your shelves: chances are you own a book (or three) with a Bethanne blurb on the cover. An influencer in the book world, Bethanne (@TheBookMaven) has over 200K Twitter followers and originated the popular #FridayReads hashtag. The author of two books for National Geographic and editor of an anthology for Regan Arts, Patrick’s debut memoir Life B will be published by Counterpoint in May 2023.