MY BACK PAGES (MY BACK PAGES: An undeniably personal history of publishing 1972-2022)

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How long does it take from an editor’s enthusiasm for a book to the point of offering the terms of a contract?

Richard Charkin: Brexit Ushers British Publishing Into New Richard Charkin: Brexit Ushers British Publishing Into New

And the United Kingdom’s Publishers Association kindly lent me their offices for a place to thank friends and family for all their support. This means Charkin has closer relationships with his authors than he had in posts at Bloomsbury and Oxford University Press, for example, and is always at the end of the phone when needed. “Because there isn’t anyone else to talk to,” he says, laughing. “Which is why I restrict the number of titles that I publish. So, I have a one-on-one relationship with every author.” At George Richardson’s funeral service, St. John’s Oxford. Richardson’s contemporaries from Oxford University Press. Image: Nigel Portwood So the menschlichkeit concept has been with me for ages. I have definitely inherited [it], not in DNA but socially, in the way you behave to people.”Who might publish it? It might seem strange that a publisher would embark on such a project without a contract or at least an idea of who might publish it. I was relieved of any decision-making by one of my “referees,” Francis Bennett of Marble Hill Publishers, who—rather than critiquing the book—offered to publish it. What’s it like publishing a fellow professional? If all publisher/author relationships worked like this, our lives would be much easier than my experience tells me they are. I have worked in publishing for most of my adult career (30+ years), but all on the editorial side and never gave much thought to the business side. That might be as inconceivable to you as it is to me (after having read your book). And loved reading about Mensch Publishing (love the name, the concept, and the “mission statement”). My friends and I have a tradition of giving a “mensch rating” to the partners that our various children bring home. Anyway, thank you so much for this book and for all your work and knowledge. All best with sales and distribution. I see you have an event tonight and wish I were in London to attend it. However, I WILL be in London for a few days in the fall (I think it’s early Nov) and would love to meet you if you’re around. Of course there are stories about well-known personalities he has encountered - Madonna, Jeffrey Archer, Robert Maxwell, Paul Hamlyn, Mohammed Al-Fayed and many more. But his primary purpose is to provide an insider’s account of the social, technological, commercial and geographical developments as seen through the eyes of a gifted all-round publisher who has made a very significant contribution to the profession. Reading between the lines Charkin is aware that he was not great as a trade publisher, although it is clear that Reed the real problem was the corporate culture. Charkin’s boss at Reed, Ian Irvine raved about how the profits of consumer book publishing added up to “the square root of bugger all”, but never questioned the extraordinary extravagance of Reed at the holding company level. Irvine had a chauffeur-driven Bentley to take him to work and indeed so many other executives enjoyed similar perks that there was a drivers’ waiting room at Reed HQ to house them all.

MY BACK PAGES : An undeniably personal history of publishing

George Richardson was secretary to the delegates—the chief executive—of Oxford University Press (OUP) from 1974 to 1988. I worked there from 1975 to 1988 so we were almost exact contemporaries. Scientific publishers will abandon any semblance of print production including the age-old tradition of printed offprints of an author’s article. In today’s world this would, of course, be utterly unacceptable, but then it was the norm in many British institutions, particularly those close to establishments such as Oxford University. One of the purposes of the business, apart from keeping me occupied and testing out some of my publishing theories, was for me to relearn the business at the micro level. So what have I learned and which of my prejudices have been confirmed or undermined? Complexity and Tight MarginsIs it at all accurate? How embarrassing to be wrong about key issues. Somebody has, for instance, written to me that I’d named the wrong print union at one point—forgivable given the acronyms (ASTMS, NGA, SOGAT) and the tedium of long pointless negotiations with them at the time. Fortunately I had the good fortune to identify a dozen “referees” to read the manuscript from their points of view and with their critical eyes. They were brilliant and saved me from any number of errors.

Richard Charkin: A 2022 Publishing Resolution Richard Charkin: A 2022 Publishing Resolution

From Reed Charkin went on to the Current Science Group, Macmillan, then Bloomsbury, where he built hugely successful businesses largely on the academic side. He doesn’t present himself as a publishing genius however. Rather he comes across as someone with infectious enthusiasm, bundles of energy and most of all a love of the people he worked with. This biographical article is written like a résumé. Please help improve it by revising it to be neutral and encyclopedic. ( March 2015)His experiences of phenomena such as Harry Potter will no doubt be of great interest, but his knowledge of the social and technological shifts in the industry also make this one for writers, insiders and anyone considering a career in publishing. Of course there are stories about well-known personalities he has encountered in his career - Madonna, Jeffrey Archer, Robert Maxwell, Paul Hamlyn, Mohammed Al-Fayed and many more. But his primary purpose is to provide an insider's account of the social, technological, commercial and geographical developments as seen through the eyes of a gifted all-round publisher who has made a very significant contribution to the profession. Authors can meet resistance when they go off piste as Smith did with a personal tome about “the phenomenon of existence”. rather than yet another book of reliable recipes. With more people working from home, how can our industry justify typical midtown offices? How can senior executives justify large offices for themselves and battery-hen cubicles for lower-level staffers?