For those outside the publishing industry, the inner workings of the industry are wrapped in mystery.

How do books get published?
Who decides which books to publish?
How well are books selling?
How much money do authors really make?

In secretive industries, information is typically leaked through hacks, whistleblowers, and court cases. Cases involving big publishers rarely go to trial because big companies dislike having their secrets publicized.
But when one of the largest publishers in the history of publishing was taken to court by the Department of Justice, we got a rare peek behind the scenes.
Some of the best journalistic coverage of the DOJ v. PRH case came from Jane Friedman’s Hot Sheet newsletter, and in this week’s episode, I interviewed Jane Friedman about the trial and what we learned.
You’ll find out

The scoop behind some astonishing and controversial stats
How publishers decide which titles are allotted a marketing budget
The biggest challenge traditional publishers have to solve soon

Listen in or check out the blog post for insight into traditional publishing secrets, challenges, and methods.

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Publishing Industry Secrets Revealed at the Penguin Random House Trial