Questions for: Will Atkinson

How has the industry changed since your first job?

Everything and nothing. The two tectonic plate shifts of the Net Book Agreement going and the arrival of American tech companies into the industry significantly changed everyone's behaviour. The arrival of Richard and Judy (which I have down as a very good thing, because it was the first time TV did books well) started the stacking of sales into bigger clumps of a smaller number of titles. This kickstarted an increase in the rate that titles failed, and I think that is still accelerating. The bestsellers and the backlist always had to pay the bills, and it used to be an 80/20 industry. I now think it is 98/2.

Prioritisation of titles and real focus have always been the watchwords for successful publishing, and that is now utterly critical. More people working on fewer books is vital. The market is ferociously competitive, but if you "win" there are bigger rewards. Publishing is about managing a portfolio - so how you manage the writers and books that are making their way but not paying their way has got more complicated and more sophisticated.