Modernity and Print III: The United States 1890-1970

-During this time we see a new rise and shift in publication in the United States. Publishing becomes a purely commercial venture with investors like JP Morgan endorsing the Harper firm. There is a shift in ownership from families, to private investors, and then to public corporations.

-The book industry became more commercialized and associations like the American Publishing and American Booksellers associations formed to promote their own interests. Authors now had agents to help them profit from their work and editors were a lot more involved in shaping the content of novels.

-Before 1891 few American authors could support themselves by writing because European authors were more popular. After the copyright act of 1891 British publishers could no longer compete with American publishers. American authorship surged after World War I and after World War II international demand for American books rose and US publishers' export sales soared.

comment: I really enjoyed this chapter and liked learning about the shift from British authors having control to American authors entering a Golden Age.

question: How does editor and agent involvement affect an author's freedom in being able to write? Would it be better if agents and editors had less control or were non-existent? How would this affect creativity?