Recommended Readings about the Literary Publishing Industry
About Literary Magazines - General
Burt, "The Persistence of Literary Magazines"
Kuebler, "Literary Magazines in Context"
History of the CLMP
Careers in Editing
Demary, "This Is How You Become an Editor"
Diversity, Inclusion, and Publishing
Aiello, "Equity in Publishing"
Clemmons, "What It Means to Be an Inclusive Literary Journal"
Milan, "Speaking Up Against Systemic Racism in the Publishing Industry"
Rankine, "What's In a Number? Diversity Quotas in Publishing"
Salesses, "We Need Diverse Diverse Books"
Willoughby, "Where Have All the Black Editors Gone?"
Data About the Industry
2015 Baseline Diversity Results
VIDA Count
Pew Research Center Book Reading Report
Association of American Publishers Trade Publishing Report
Author Earnings Report
Author News Penguin House
Publishers Marketplace
Publishers Weekly
Bibliography: Additional Readings on Publishing
Calaso, The Art of the Publisher.
Coles, Blueprints: Bringing Poetry into Communities.
Collins, Bring on the Books for Everybody.
Conroy, Muse in the Machine.
Endsley, The Fifth Element: Social Justice Pedagogy through Spoken Word Poetry.
English, The Economy of Prestige.
Epstein, Book Business: Publishing: Past, Present, and Future.
Farr and Harker, eds., The Oprah Effect.
Hartley, Reading Groups.
Hungerford, Making Literature Now.
Kurowski, ed., Paper Dreams: Writers and Editors on the American Literary Magazine.
Licona, Adela C. Zines in Third Space: Radical Cooperation and Borderlands Rhetoric.
Long, Book Clubs.
Mathieu, Parks, Rousculp, Circulating Communities: The Tactics and Strategies of Community Publishing.
Miller, Prufer, and Kurowski, eds., Literary Publishing in the Twenty-First Century.
Morris and Diaz, The Little Magazine in Contemporary America.
Morrison, Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination.
Philip, Frontiers: Essays and Writings on Racism and Culture.
Rankine, Loffreda, and King Cap, eds. The Racial Imaginary: Writers on Race in the Life of the Mind.
Robinson, The Book in Society: An Introduction to Print Culture.
Rooney, Reading with Oprah.
Schiffrin, The Business of Books: How the International Conglomerates Took Over Publishing and Changed the Way We Read.
Striphas, The Late Age of Print.
Siegfried, The Insider's Guide to A Career in Book Publishing.
Thaxton, Creative Writing in the Community.
Thoburn, Anti-Book: On the Art and Politics of Radical Publishing.
Thompson, Merchants of Culture.
Burt, "The Persistence of Literary Magazines"
Kuebler, "Literary Magazines in Context"
History of the CLMP
Careers in Editing
Demary, "This Is How You Become an Editor"
Diversity, Inclusion, and Publishing
Aiello, "Equity in Publishing"
Clemmons, "What It Means to Be an Inclusive Literary Journal"
Milan, "Speaking Up Against Systemic Racism in the Publishing Industry"
Rankine, "What's In a Number? Diversity Quotas in Publishing"
Salesses, "We Need Diverse Diverse Books"
Willoughby, "Where Have All the Black Editors Gone?"
Data About the Industry
2015 Baseline Diversity Results
VIDA Count
Pew Research Center Book Reading Report
Association of American Publishers Trade Publishing Report
Author Earnings Report
Author News Penguin House
Publishers Marketplace
Publishers Weekly
Bibliography: Additional Readings on Publishing
Calaso, The Art of the Publisher.
Coles, Blueprints: Bringing Poetry into Communities.
Collins, Bring on the Books for Everybody.
Conroy, Muse in the Machine.
Endsley, The Fifth Element: Social Justice Pedagogy through Spoken Word Poetry.
English, The Economy of Prestige.
Epstein, Book Business: Publishing: Past, Present, and Future.
Farr and Harker, eds., The Oprah Effect.
Hartley, Reading Groups.
Hungerford, Making Literature Now.
Kurowski, ed., Paper Dreams: Writers and Editors on the American Literary Magazine.
Licona, Adela C. Zines in Third Space: Radical Cooperation and Borderlands Rhetoric.
Long, Book Clubs.
Mathieu, Parks, Rousculp, Circulating Communities: The Tactics and Strategies of Community Publishing.
Miller, Prufer, and Kurowski, eds., Literary Publishing in the Twenty-First Century.
Morris and Diaz, The Little Magazine in Contemporary America.
Morrison, Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination.
Philip, Frontiers: Essays and Writings on Racism and Culture.
Rankine, Loffreda, and King Cap, eds. The Racial Imaginary: Writers on Race in the Life of the Mind.
Robinson, The Book in Society: An Introduction to Print Culture.
Rooney, Reading with Oprah.
Schiffrin, The Business of Books: How the International Conglomerates Took Over Publishing and Changed the Way We Read.
Striphas, The Late Age of Print.
Siegfried, The Insider's Guide to A Career in Book Publishing.
Thaxton, Creative Writing in the Community.
Thoburn, Anti-Book: On the Art and Politics of Radical Publishing.
Thompson, Merchants of Culture.
For those trying to write and one day become published, it’s crucial to understand the publishing industry and the review process your work(s) will undergo. With this information you can only improve your writing and increase your chances for publication. As well, those who aren’t so much interested in being published but working as a publisher, the experience you receive on a university literary magazine is that foot in the door you need when applying for jobs. You will learn skills that will put you ahead of those who’ve never worked for a literary magazine, plus you will have familiarity with the publication process, what’s expected of your role, and the jargon used daily. The best part is reviewing and actually reading what makes it into a journal, what issues prevent a piece from being published, etc. It’s a continual process of “not this because….” and “yes, this one because…” which helps you understand quality writing versus writing that still needs improvement. It’s never too late to join, but I wish someone had told me as a freshman to join the Toyon staff.
~Bri Lucero, Toyon Staff Member in 2015-16 and 2016-17
