How do editors in literary imprints and publishing houses negotiate the economic and symbolic value of manuscripts in the context of market and industry uncertainty? Presenting qualitative data obtained from interviews with editors and agents in the U.S. and UK trade publishing industry, this talk will provide a systematic analysis of the ways in which these cultural intermediaries negotiate the inherently indeterminate value of manuscripts by imagining futures that they do not necessarily believe in. In doing so, I will focus on the ways in which corporate publishing houses differ from indies, how translation-focused publishing programs differ from domestic ones, and what the market for manuscripts stands to teach us about markets more generally.

Photo Credit: Thomas Victor/Courtesy of the Estate of Thomas Victor, LLC / Sony Pictures