Publishing Quotes

There are three difficulties in authorship: to write anything worth publishing, to find honest men to publish it, and to find sensible men to read it.

To write a book is a task needing only one pen, ink, and paper; to print a book is rather more difficult, because genius often expresses itself illegibly; to read a book is more difficult still, for one has to struggle with sleep; but to sell a book is the most difficult task of all.

books writing

I am a publisher--a hybrid creature: One part stargazer, one part gambler, one part businessman, one part midwife and three parts optimist.

In a world where the time it takes to travel (supersonic) or to bake a potato (microwave) or to process a million calculations (microchip) shrinks inexorably, only three things have remained constant and unrushed: the nine months it takes to have a baby, the nine months it takes to untangle a credit card dispute and the nine months it takes to publish a hardcover book.

The profession of book-writing makes horse-racing seem like a solid, stable business.

writing books

Publishing a book is like stuffing a note into a bottle and hurling it into the sea.  Some bottles drown, some come safe to land, where the notes are read and then possibly cherished, or else misinterpreted, or else understood all too well by those who hate the message.

As repressed sadists are supposed to become policemen or butchers so those with irrational fear of life become publishers.

To publish a book is to talk at the dinner table in front of the servants.