{"title":"Laura B. McGrath","description":"\u003cp\u003eLaura B. McGrath’s work offers insightful explorations into complex educational and social issues, engaging readers with thoughtful analysis and clear prose. Her writing is well-suited for those interested in the intersections of education, economics, and societal structures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith a focus on topics like the roles of intermediaries in education and policy, McGrath’s books provide valuable perspectives for educators, researchers, and readers seeking to deepen their understanding of contemporary educational challenges.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"middlemen-by-laura-b-mcgrath-9780691256160","title":"Middlemen","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMiddlemen\u003c\/em\u003e rewrites literary history from the perspective of one of its most important but least visible figures: the literary agent. Chronicling the story of agents in the United States from the 1950s to today, Laura McGrath uncovers their critical role in the making of American literature. From the famed three-martini lunch to the Frankfurt Book Fair, \u003cem\u003eMiddlemen\u003c\/em\u003e takes readers behind the scenes to show how agents influence what we read. Along the way, it explains why many debut novelists never publish another book, why agents champion short story collections even though they sell poorly, how agents advocate for writers of colour in a system that values whiteness, and why there are so many New York novels.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWeaving together original archival research, data analysis, and interviews with scores of agents and other publishing professionals, \u003cem\u003eMiddlemen\u003c\/em\u003e demonstrates that agents – eighty percent of whom are in fact women – are much more than 'middlemen'. As intermediaries between author and publisher, agents act as advocates, matchmakers, negotiators, and tastemakers, and they must balance artistic values with the commercial imperatives of publishing conglomerates. The book describes the decisive role agents have played in celebrated novels – from Jack Kerouac’s \u003cem\u003eOn the Road\u003c\/em\u003e to Colson Whitehead’s \u003cem\u003eThe Intuitionist\u003c\/em\u003e – but also in the creation of entire literary categories like the debut novel, the story collection, postmodernism, multiethnic fiction, and world literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFeaturing profiles of agents past and present such as Sterling Lord, Lynn Nesbit, Candida Donadio, Marie Brown, and Andrew Wylie, along with perspectives from agents at all stages of their careers, \u003cem\u003eMiddlemen\u003c\/em\u003e is an entertaining and eye-opening account of how literary fiction – and the literary canon – is made.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67711236505836,"sku":"9780691256160","price":49.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780691256160-middlemen-1.jpg?v=1791845665"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/laura-b-mcgrath.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}