Thank You for Not Reading
ISBN-13: 9781948830454
Author(s): Dubravka Ugresic
Subjects: JH
Publisher: Open Letter
Publisher Imprint: Open Letter
Publication Date: 12-04-2022
Format: Paperback / softback
Availability: In stock
£15.99
About the book
A blistering, laugh out loud takedown of every aspect of the book industry - from editors to agents to booksellers to best-selling celebs. Thank You for Not Reading is a biting critique of book publishing: agents, subagents, and scouts, supermarket-like bookstores, Joan Collins, book fairs that have little to do with books, authors promoted because of sex appeal instead of merit, and editors trying to look like writers by having their photograph taken against a background of bookshelves. Nowadays, the best strategy for young authors wanted to publish is to become famous in some other capacity first - as a sports star, an actress, or an Ivana Trump. One of the most interesting and paradoxical comparisons coming out of Ugresic's dissection of book culture is the similarity between the art of socialist realism (as prescribed by the Soviets) and the nature of the contemporary marketplace to produce and promote art that appeals to everyone. Thanks to cultural forces like listicles and celebrity book clubs, the publishing machine neglects literature in favor of accessible, entertaining books for the masses.