Best Publishers Quotes | Short & Famous Sayings Page 5

“A publisher is simply a useful middle-man.”

“Publishing is no longer simply a matter of picking worthy manuscripts and putting them on offer. It is now as important to market books properly, to work with the bookstore chains to getterms, co-op advertising, and the like. The difficulty is that publishers who can market are most often not the publishers with worthy lists.”

Important Book Matter Offers Difficulty Worthy Lists Advertising Chains Publishing Publishers Bookstores Manuscripts

Book:The Bestseller

Source: The Bestseller

“Publishers are all cohorts of the devil; there must be a special hell for them somewhere.”

Hell Special Devil Publishers

Author:Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“My theory is that, just like with omitting a final comma in a list when not essential for meaning, publishers are trying to save paper and ink or pixels on-screen.”

Trying Theory Essentials Paper Finals Screens Lists Publishers Ink Pixels Omitting

Author:Bill Walsh

“I was dropped by my publisher after my first two books. But I always believed in myself.”

Firsts Two Book Publishers Always Believe

Author:John Boyne

“Your book may be a masterpiece but do not suggest that to the publisher because many of the most hopeless manuscripts that have come his way have probably been so described by their authors.”

Way May Book Hopeless Publishers Masterpiece Manuscripts

Author:Stanley Unwin

“I should be sorry to think it was the publishers themselves they got up this entire little flutter to enable them to unload a book that was taking too much room in their cellars, but you can never tell what a publisher will do. I have been one myself.”

Thinking Should Littles Has Beens Book Rooms Too Much Sorry Publishers Cellars

Book:Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Source: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

“I believe that all brands will become storytellers, editors and publishers, all stores will become magazines, and all media companies will become stores. There will be too many of all of them. The strongest ones, the ones who offer the best customer experience, will survive.”

Believe I Believe Company Media Offers Customers Stores Magazines Brands Strongest Editors Storyteller Publishers Customer Experience

Author:Natalie Massenet

“Authors by the hundreds can tell you stories by the thousands of those rejection slips before they found a publisher who was willing to 'gamble' on an unknown.”

Stories Found Willing Rejection Slips Publishers Gamble

Author:Zig Ziglar

“You had censorship. If you brought a manuscript to the publisher, you knew he would suggest changes. If you wanted to write and speak what you thought had to be written and spoken, you had to act against all these suppressive rules.”

Ifs Writing Wanted Speak Written Censorship Publishers Manuscripts

Author:Stefan Heym

“Music is everybody's possession. It's only publishers who think that people own it. If you were going to give Rock 'n' Roll another name you might as well call it Chuck Berry. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - Rock and Roll or Christianity.”

People Ifs Thinking Knows Giving Firsts Wells Might Jesus Names Christianity Rocks Music Is Possession Rock N Roll Rock And Roll Publishers Chuck Berries

Author:John Lennon

“To aspiring writers, I would tell them that we live in a wonderful time where you're able to make your work visible, easily. If you think about it, even ten years ago or twenty years ago, there was a middle man, there was a publisher, there were studios, there was this world of rejection letters. Now, we're in a place where we have the technology and the ability to go shoot our own movies or to put stuff on YouTube or a blog, if you're a writer, or self-publish.”

“That's absolutely true, but one problem with the digital revolution, which may tie into what I said earlier, is that there can be a collapse of quality. You may not have liked the decisions made by publishers in the past, you may not have liked the decisions made by magazine editors or newspaper editors in the past. At least there was some quality control”

“If the big publishers are doing so well, why do they require writers to send return postage with their manuscripts?”

Ifs Wells Bigs Return Publishers Manuscripts Postage

Book:The Self-publishing Manual: How to Write, Print, and Sell Your Own Book

Source: The Self-publishing Manual: How to Write, Print, and Sell Your Own Book

“During the fifteen or twenty years in which I tried - it was not always easy with publishers, newspapers, etc. - to forbid photographs, it was not at all in order to mark a sort of blank, absence, or disappearance of the image; it was because the code that dominates at once the production of these images, the framing they are made to undergo, the social implications (showing the writer's head framed in front his bookshelves, the whole scenario) seemed to me to be, first of all, terribly boring, but also contrary to what I am trying to write and to work on.”

“I prefer short stories, but publishers would, of course, rather that writers produce novels, since novels are still more commercially viable.”

Stills Stories Courses Novel Produce Short Story Publishers

Author:Charles Baxter

“All my writing-life people kept telling me that I should stop writing short stories and start writing novels: my agent, my Israeli publisher, my foreign ones, my bank manager - they all felt and keep feeling that I'm doing something wrong here.”

People Should Writing Stories Feelings Felt Novel Agents Managers Short Story Publishers Writing Life Israeli Writing Short Writing Short Stories

Author:Etgar Keret

“I had a talk with the president of my publisher, and he averred that e-books are dropping off . So I wonder if the potential advantages are really going to happen as quickly as they ought.”

Ifs Book Happens President Wonder Ought Advantage Publishers Dropping

Author:Rick Moody

“I've never signed a contract, so never have a deadline. A deadline's an unnerving thing. I just finish a book, and if the publisher doesn't like it, that's his privilege.”

Ifs Book Privilege Contracts Publishers Deadline

Author:Marchette Chute

“We are not only a civilization of amateur photographers; we are amateur curators, editors, and publishers.”

Civilization Photographer Editors Publishers Curator

Author:Charlotte Cotton

“I don't use the term 'miracle' lightly. I don't believe in God, or reincarnation, or destiny, or the Publishers' Clearinghouse Sweepstakes.”

Believe Use Term Destiny Miracle Don't Believe Believe In God Reincarnation Publishers Sweepstakes

Author:Rick Reynolds

“Never submit an idea or chapter to an editor or publisher, no matter how much he would like you to. Writing from the approved idea is (another) gravely serious time-waster. This is your story. Try and find out what your editor wants in advance, but then try and give it to him in one piece.”

Want Giving Writing Trying Ideas Matter Stories Pieces Serious Like You Editors Submit Chapters Publishers Approved One Piece

Author:John Creasey

“Literary success of any enduring kind is made by refusing to do what publishers want, by refusing to write what the public wants, by refusing to accept any popular standard, by refusing to write anything to order.”

Want Writing Kind Made Order Accepting Standards Endure Publishers

Author:Lafcadio Hearn

“Maybe just as many women writers as male writers could be billed as the next great American writer by their publisher. Maybe book criticism sections could review an equal amount of female and male writers. Maybe Oprah could start putting some books by women authors in her book club, since most of her audience is women.”

Book Next Audience Amount Equal Female Criticism Males Clubs Reviews Sections Publishers Great American American Writer Book Club Females And Males

Author:Jami Attenberg

“Every writer has his own voice. Other than that I'm always trying to do change-ups and publishers haven't always been happy about that.”

Trying Voice Havens Publishers Always Trying

Author:Dean Koontz

“Sometimes many publishers prefer that you write the same book every time, but I have a low boredom threshold so that isn't going to happen.”

Writing Book Sometimes Happens Lows Boredom Publishers Threshold

Author:Dean Koontz

“I've had good publishers and bad publishers, and you've got to learn when the advice is sensible and when it's not.”

Advice Sensible Publishers

Author:Dean Koontz

“Coming after all the bullshit related to A Million Little Pieces, nobody was expecting anything from me. No publisher, no agent, no one. Just me and the book. It was great.”

Littles Book Millions Pieces Agents Related Expecting Bullshit Publishers Million Little Pieces

Author:James Frey

“I wrote a little autobiography about how luck has to do with everything. It's called "My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business." A publisher came to me and said write a book so I did. I wanted to call it "Everybody Else Has Got a Book."”

Writing Littles Said Book Shows Wanted Lucky Luck Autobiography Publishers Show Business

Author:Dick Van Dyke

“The true experimenters are there but no-one hears about them - the critical/review system tends to concentrate on the handful of 'major' writers and their promising successors; bookshops tend not to sell them; publishers don't promote them. It's the same fate as has befallen poetry.”

Fate Majors Sells Critical Reviews Publishers Handful Successors Bookshops

Author:John Scott

“When I worked at Microsoft, I got to go and visit a bunch of different companies. Probably a hundred different companies a year. You'd see all the different ways they'd work. The guys who did Ventura Publisher one day, and then United Airlines the next. You'd see the 12 guys in Texas doing Doom, and then you'd go see Aetna life insurance.”

Way Years Different Guy Next United Company One Day Hundred Bunch Different Ways Texas Publishers Doom Microsoft Airline

Author:Gabe Newell

“I don't like that word [memoir]. Whenever my publishers have wanted to use it, I've told them to take it away.”

Use Wanted Memoir Publishers

Author:Paul Auster

“[Mark] Twain was a publisher. He published General Grant's Memoirs (a big success) and had a hand in the publishing of many of his own books. He would, I think, be very keen about the question of how a book would sell.”

Thinking Book Hands Bigs Mark Sells Memoir Grants Publishing Publishers General Grant

Author:Hal Holbrook

“As a publisher and author, I'm a big fan of historical fiction and also memoir.”

Bigs Fiction Fans Historical Memoir Historical Fiction Publishers

Author:Andrea Davis Pinkney

“When I'm not writing or working on books as a publisher, I'm doing things that make me happy. One is skiing with my kids and husband. I love sports.”

Writing Book Kids Sports Husband Publishers Make Me Happy Skiing

Author:Andrea Davis Pinkney

“When I finish a book, I'll go to that file and look through them. And I'll say, these are three that really excite me and I want to do them next. You have the business part; of those three, is the publisher excited about one? Is the agent?”

Want Looks Book Three Next Excited Agents Publishers Files

Author:Matt de la Pena

“I think the path to becoming a writer has become more through the novel. It's easier to get a novel published than a book of stories, obviously, especially through big publishers.”

Thinking Book Stories Bigs Novel Path Becoming Easier Publishers

Author:Jess Walter

“These words "accessible" and "emotionally available" get thrown at us from agents and editors and publishers - or the reverse - if it's not all goo-ey and sentimental we're told it's "cold" or "uncaring" or "emotionally vacant." In other words, responses to women's writing in particular continue to be "gendered."”

Ifs Writing Particular Cold Response Available Agents Thrown Editors Reverse Sentimental Publishers Vacant Uncaring

Author:Lidia Yuknavitch

“The professions of novelist and journalist are very separate. As a novelist, you are ultimately working for yourself. Yes, you need the approval of a publisher and an audience, but what is valued in fiction writing - style, individual voice, insight - is scorned by the editor who is combing through your newspaper article.”

Needs Writing Individual Voice Fiction Audience Style Insight Profession Newspapers Journalist Novelists Editors Articles Approval Publishers Fiction Writing Writing Style Scorned

Author:Jon Weisman

“Publishers have in-house editors, but I hire my own before I submit the work to publishers. They appreciate it and I feel more confident about the material.”

Feels House My Own Materials Appreciate Editors Submit Publishers

Author:Rigoberto Gonzalez

“I got signed with the songwriting deal when I was sixteen and they were really great - my publishers, who to this day are still my publishers and are like my musical family, my second family - they took me in and taught me what a good song is.”

Stills Song Deals Taught Musical This Day Songwriting Really Great Publishers Sixteen Second Family

Author:Lights

“I tell my students all the time is, for better or worse, no publisher is going to come wrench your story out of your hands before you're ready to let it go. You will have time to take stuff out. You don't have to show it to anybody. That's what I did.”

Stories Shows Hands Stuff Students Ready Publishers Let It Go Wrenches

Author:Melissa Febos

“When a colleague of mine had a notable New York Times book, I said, turn one of the chapters in the collection into a pitch for a novel and sell it to your publisher.”

Said Book Turns Novel New York Mines Sells Collections Chapters Colleagues Publishers Notable New York Times

Author:Julianna Baggott

“As a publisher what you are trying to build is a long life for a book, to help it find its readers in many different ways, whether or not it made this list or got that review, etc. I'm sure some of that thinking has been useful to me as a writer as well.”

Thinking Way Trying Wells Long Has Beens Made Book Different Helping Reader Lists Different Ways Etc Reviews Publishers Long Life

Author:Danielle Dutton

“One of the first TV shows that I did was this prank show. And we did a prank where we took a Michael Jackson impersonator and I played his publisher.I was just really good at my job.We were just about to go onto the field to throw out the first pitch just two weeks after 9\11. It was a huge security breach, and we made a lot of cops look really dumb. Producers of the show thought it would be really funny and I didn't think about it because I was a young dumb comedian. So I got arrested and went to jail in the Bronx, and now I can never go back to Yankee Stadium.”

“No matter what, I'm never going to get an anthology from an actual publisher, though I could always score another music anthology. But if this is going to be a document of a multiplicity of my writings, it'll do. It feels like a birthday party or something.”

Ifs Feels Writing Matter Party No Matter What Score Documents Publishers Multiplicity Anthology Birthday Party

Author:Richard Meltzer

“I think, to its credit, this is one of the last forms of popular entertainment that I don't sense to be discriminatory in any way. I think there's this general hunger for greater diversity, where publishers are really excited about finding different voices than what has been done.”

Thinking Way Has Beens Different Done Lasts Form Voice Greater Diversity Findings Hunger Entertainment Excited Credit Publishers Different Voices Popular Entertainment

Author:Adrian Tomine

“I never go home and take out those business cards and go to those websites. But if there was a mini-comic here in my hand, I'd read it while I ate my lunch. I'm also probably one of the few remaining holdouts who hasn't consented to making the e-book versions of all my work, which is annoying to some of my publishers.”

Ifs Book Home Hands Versions Cards Comic Lunch Annoying Publishers Website Business Card

Author:Adrian Tomine

“Though the blame cannot be placed entirely on publishers, I do think a more diverse pool of editors would go a long way toward broadening the perspective. Our role is to work together to create books that act as wide-open doors - books that allow all children to walk through and feel safe enough to stay.”

Thinking Way Feels Children Long Book Enough Together Walks Roles Doors Perspective Safe Blame Wide Working Together Editors Pool Diverse Publishers Long Way

Author:Jerry Pinkney

“I always think about Katharine Graham - she was the publisher of The Washington Post. In her autobiography she talks about the way her parents met. Her father was, I think, in New York just walking by on his way home and looked into a store and saw the lady that became his wife. It was just pure luck. And she said that it once again reminds her of the role that luck and chance play in our life. I really believe that, too.”

Thinking Way Believe Said Play Home Father Parent Chance Roles Saws Our Lives Wife New York Walking Mets Pure Luck Stores Posts Autobiography Publishers Way Home

Author:Owen Wilson

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Publishers Quotes