Background
Shatzkin, Leonard was born on July 16, 1919 in Warsaw, Poland. Son of Isaac and Helen (Feiman) Shatzkin. came to the United States, 1920, naturalized, 1922.
(What has happened to book publishing in America? Trade pu...)
What has happened to book publishing in America? Trade publishing is moving toward a crisis. One should expect to see a number of respected publishing houses quietly exit the scene. Where do book profits come from and where did they go? Hardcover publishers could live comfortably amid the symptoms of poor performance because the sugar-daddy paperback publishers made up all the deficits. But the subsidy is drying up. If the trade publisher does not learn soon to make a profit from his editions, he will have no profit at all. Who suffers most from a publisher's lack of publishing skill? Authors' incomes are low for an embarrassingly simple reason: publishers do not sell enough copies of their books. When management calls for less productivity on the part of its staff, editors are rarely encouraged to do more, though frequently warned to do better. There are no rubdowns in the editorial locker room, and certainly no pep talks. And the players are frequently tripped up by their own coach on their way to the field. Why is the publishing industry in such a perilous financial condition? For every copy of a hardcover book sold at its normal retail price, one book is sold as a remainder-- a book that goes from the publisher to the remainder dealer for less than the cost of producing it and with zero income to the author. No other industry can make this claim.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0395346436/?tag=2022091-20
(What has happened to book publishing in America "Trade ...)
What has happened to book publishing in America "Trade publishing is moving toward a crisis. One should expect to see a number of respected publishing houses quietly exit the scene." Where book profits came from and where they went "Hardcover publishers could live comfortably amid the symptoms of poor performance because the sugar daddy paperback publishers made up all the deficits. But the subsidy is drying up. If the trade publisher does not learn soon to make a profit from his editions, he will have no profit at all." Who suffers most from a publisher's lack of publishing skill "Authors' incomes are low for an embarrassingly simple reason: publishers do not sell enough copies of their books." When management calls for less productivity on the part of its staff "Editors are rarely encouraged to do more, though frequently warned to do better. There are no rubdowns in the editorial locker room, and certainly no pep talks. And the players are frequently tripped by their own coach on their way to the field." Why our publishing industry is in such a perilous financial condition "For every copy of a hardcover book sold at its normal retail price, one book is sold as a remainder-- a book that goes from the publisher to the remainder dealer for less than the cost of producing it and with zero income to the author. No other industry can make this claim."
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0878380264/?tag=2022091-20
Shatzkin, Leonard was born on July 16, 1919 in Warsaw, Poland. Son of Isaac and Helen (Feiman) Shatzkin. came to the United States, 1920, naturalized, 1922.
Student, City College of New York, 1935-1938; Bachelor of Science, Carnegie Institute Technology, 1941.
Production manager, House Beautiful Magazine, New York City, 1941-1943;
research scientist, Manhattan Project, New York City, 1943-1945;
production manager, Viking Press, New York City, 1945-1950;
assistant to director manufacturing, Doubleday & Company. New York City, 1950-1955;
director research, Doubleday & Company, 1955-1960;
vice president, Crowell-Collier Macmillan Company. New York City, 1960-1963;
director manufacturing, McGraw-Hill Book Company.
New York City, 1963-1968;
vice president, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1968-1970;
president, Planned Production, New York City, 1970-1978;
president, Two Continents Public Group, Ltd., New York City, 1972-1978;
principal, Shatzkin & Company (Cons.), Croton-on-Hudson, New York, since 1979. Instructor division general studies New York University, 1948-1953. Board directors Yates Industries, 1965-1972.
Instructor Pratt Institute, 1971-1972. Consultant George Banta Company, Avon Industries, Macmillan Company, Orbis Books, Doubleday & Company, Grove Press, St.Martin's Press, Thomas Nelson, Grolier, Inc., Columbia Broadcasting System International, Dodd Mead, New York Botanical Garden, Pahlavi National Library., Teheran, Iran., Ford Foundation, General Mills, United States Information Agency, Raben & Sjogren, Stockholm, Sweden, National Endowment for Arts, John Wiley & Sons, Ediouro Public Company, Rio de Janeiro, Curio Bookstore, Rio de Janeiro, International Trademark assosiation, New York. Consultant to Christian Literature Association of Malawi, International Executive Svc.
Corps re-book distribution in Russia. Consultant to libraries de Nacha, Caracas, Venezuela.
(What has happened to book publishing in America? Trade pu...)
(What has happened to book publishing in America "Trade ...)
(First edition. Important look at modern publishing proble...)
Member American Institute Graphic Arts (treasurer 1952-1959), Trade Book Clinic, Christian Literature Association, Publishers Round Table, Tamiment Institute, Amnesty International.
Married Eleanor Oshry, August 4, 1940. Children: Michael, Karen, Nancy.