Mike Shatzkin has been a consultant to the book publishing industry and its trading partners on supply chain and digital change issues for more than four decades. His clients have included every major US publisher, many non-US publishers, retailers including Borders and Barnes & Noble, wholesalers including Ingram and Baker & Taylor, and a variety of printers, literary agencies, and digital startups.

Robert Paris Riger (1961 - 2018) was a longtime publisher and author. He ran both major book club organizations before he was 30, co-founded the publishing consulting firm Market Partners International, and spent several years at Barnes & Noble building and leading the marketing for their Spark Notes program. He was most recently VP and Director of Pimsleur Language Programs at Simon & Schuster. Robert was fluent in several languages, including German and French, and experienced publishing's digital transition on the frontlines with Spark Notes and Pimsleur. He died unexpectedly a month after this book's manuscript was completed.

"There are at least a dozen books that distinguish themselves by offering a broad perspective on the undertaking. The starting point has to be Mike Shatzkin's (and [Robert] Riger's) The Book Business: What Everyone Needs to Know...It's intended to be breezy—'a succinct and insightful survey of the industry in an easy-to-read question-and-answer format.' It succeeds." -- Publishers Weekly

"In a remarkably concise, clear-eyed fashion, the authors sum up the history and future of book publishing, and demystify its arcane processes for the novice. Even those in the business would benefit from reading this primer." - Lorraine W. Shanley, President of Market Partners International

"Mike Shatzkin and Robert Riger have written the essential guide to trade publishing in the United States. The Book Business: What Everyone Needs To Know provides a concise, timely, and engaging overview of how books are conceived, planned, sold, and (sometimes) returned. The book offers well-formed perspectives on bookselling, the rise of digital books, the growth of online sales, and the future of book publishing. This book sets the table for anyone interested in how publishing works and how the industry may yet evolve."--Brian O'Leary, Executive Director, Book Industry Study Group

"In a remarkably concise, clear-eyed fashion, the authors sum up the history and future of book publishing, and demystify its arcane processes for the novice. Even those in the business would benefit from reading this primer."--Lorraine Shanley, President of Market Partners International

"For years publishing professionals turned to Riger and Shatzkin for answers to difficult questions. Now writers, students, and others with basic questions about the book business can access their diligent research and knowledgeable answers"--Michael Cader, Founder, Publishers Lunch and PublishersMarketplace.com