For thirty years André Schiffrin was the publisher of Pantheon Books. Over those three decades, he observed the conglomeration of the book industry, a process he analysed in The Business of Books. In 1990 he left Pantheon to develop a new, non-profit model of book publishing, founding The New Press. Last year, Verso published Words and Money, in which Schiffrin turns his eye to media corporatisation and consolidation, describing the crisis and evaluating the alternatives.
The White Review—itself an example of non-profit media—spoke to Schiffrin about his own groundbreaking publishing history and what might be the way forward, out of the current, dire state of books and news.
For all those who missed André Schiffrin in conversation with Keith Gessen at The New School in New York: C-Span's taped coverage is now live online. Schiffrin, founder of The New Press, and Gessen, editor-in-chief of n+1, spoke about Schiffrin's career in publishing, how today's publishing moment feels different from those of the past, alternative publishing models, and Schiffrin's acclaimed new book, Words and Money.
Visit C-SPAN's Book TV to watch the interview.
André Schiffrin speaks to Ruadhán Mac Cormaic, Paris Correspondent of the Irish Times about Words & Money and whether publishing companies continue to support serious writing with "the printed word under siege."
Tune in to "Media Matters" on WILL am this Sunday the 12th at 2 PM ET for what's sure to be a provocative conversation on the current media crisis. André Schiffrin, author of Words and Money, has been a leading figure in the book publishing world for nearly 50 years. Robert McChesney, host of "Media Matters", is the author of a number of award-winning books on media reform, including Rich Media, Poor Democracy for The New Press.
Visit WILL.com for more information.