Resources and Professional Organizations
| Resources | ||
| Books | ||
| Educational | ||
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| Professional Organizations | ||
For NetRead's searchable Directory (publishers, wholesalers, booksellers, etc.), click here. To find employment or employees, try our job board; for publishing-related events, searchable by type, city, and date, try our EventCaster.
For editorial reference books, see Editors: Resources.
REFERENCE BOOKS AND DATABASES:
Literary Market Place (LMP). The Literary Market Place, published by R.R. Bowker, has for years been the most complete and up-to-date listing of publishers, distributors, wholesalers, reviewers, associations, book clubs, printers, etc. LMP is available in print, on CD-ROM, or online. Access to LMP's online database costs $389 annually. The international version of LMP is useful for selling rights overseas.
American Book Trade Directory. Also published by R.R. Bowker. Profiles more than 30,000 retail and antiquarian book dealers, plus 1,200 book and magazine wholesalers, distributors, and jobbers.
American Wholesalers and Distributors Directory. Published by Gale Research.
GENERAL BOOKS:
Book Publishing: The Basic Introduction by John P. Dessauer. Though it's a little outdated now, this book is essential reading. Dessauer has been in the business since WWII, and for decades was one of the leading authorities on U.S. book publishing. This is one of the few books that succeeds in giving an overview of this complex industry.
The Complete Guide to Successful Publishing by Avery Cardoza. Solid, blunt advice for small publishers. Cardoza covers just about everything, and never forgets the bottom line.
Kirsch's Handbook of Publishing Law. By Jonathan Kirsch. Clear and comprehensive. Includes a clause-by-clause breakdown of an author-publisher contract.
The Self-Publishing Manual: How to Write, Print and Sell Your Own Book, by Dan Poynter. Though this is aimed at self-publishing authors, Poynter's thoroughgoing explanations and advice apply equally well to small publishers.
This Business of Publishing by Richard Curtis. Curtis, a successful literary agent and author, provides a well-written insider's rant against the state of publishing today. This book provides recent historical perspective for a range of topics about which people outside the industry have little knowledge, including: the demise of the independent wholesaler, the pressures faced by editors and agents, and the effects of mergers, acquisitions, and bankruptcies on the state of literature today.
PERIODICALS:
Publishers Weekly. The dominant news and trend source for the industry, and possibly the most influential book reviewer in print.
Book Marketing Update by John Kremer. A highly-regarded, informative newsletter. If you order through the Web site (or mention the site when you order at 1-800-796-6130), it's $197 a year for 12 issues. Sample and order form.
PMA Online Newsletter. From the Publishers Marketing Association, a member organization with over 3,400 independent publishers.
Publishing Poynters. Self-publishing king Dan Poynter's newsletter is apparently also available by mail, but this is free and updated earlier.
UC Berkeley Extension. Lists extension courses in editing and publishing at University of California at Berkeley.
American Booksellers Association Convention. (Links to ABA's "about" page.) The ABA Convention is the biggest book trade convention in the U.S., and not to be missed.
American Library Association Conferences and Events.
Book Industry Study Group. The best source of industry data for "publishers, manufacturers, suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, librarians, and anyone who's involved in the world of books."
Canadian Booksellers Convention.
Copyright Clearance Center. The largest licenser of photocopy reproduction rights in the world. CCC manages rights relating to over 1.75 million works and represents more than 9,600 publishers and hundreds of thousands of authors and other creators. This is the place to clear the rights for reprints of articles and book excerpts.
ISBN Agency Info. Good info on what an ISBN is and how to get one from R.R. Bowker.
Para Publishing. Dan Poynter is the guru of self-publishing. His site is full of useful information, and is itself a model of how to use content-heavy Web sites to sell books.
United States Copyright Office. All you need to know about copyrights, including how to register.
Publishers Marketing Association. A trade association of more than 3,400 independent publishers. Provides cooperative marketing programs, education, and advocacy within the publishing industry. Membership fee on a sliding scale.