5 Novels That Reveal Publishing World Secrets

Three-Martini Lunch, by Suzanne Rindell
Set in the vibrant, Beatnik-infused world of 1950s New York and San Francisco, this is the story of three people with intense literary ambitions. Cliff sees himself as a bold novelist, but enjoys living the lifestyle more than actually writing. Eden wants to shed her Midwest Nice and become Holly Golightly, seeking a job as an editor but finding a secretarial position—and Cliff—instead. And Miles, black and gay in the 1950s, struggles to find inspiration for his own writing. As the three characters’ lives become increasingly intertwined, the bygone era of midcentury New York publishing is explored to fascinating effect, detailing the often unspoken price of pursuing literary dreams.

The Nest, by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
As much a study of a certain economic and social strata of tony New Yorkers as a glimpse into the world of publishing, Sweeney’s novel introduces the four Plumb siblings, two daughters and two sons who have been waiting impatiently for the trust fund set up by their late father—which they refer to as “the nest”—to finally become available. Although the nest has grown far beyond their father’s humble expectations for a bit of midlife financial security for his children, all four siblings have looming financial disasters that make the money essential. Then brother Leo raids the trust fund to deal with a personal situation, enraging everyone else. The Plumbs are deeply plugged into the publishing industry, dating literary agents, writing books, returning advances on books they can’t finish, and generally illuminating the often ruthless nature of an industry that has a constantly churning front list.

The Accident, by Chris Pavone
Any novel that can make a character a “subsidiary-rights director” without boring the pants off the reader is a great achievement—but Pavone, who surely lost a friend or two in the publishing industry with this thriller, pulls it off and much more. Literary agent Isabel Reed receives an anonymous manuscript called The Accident that reveals dirt on a powerful media magnate, and finds herself at the center of a ruthless effort to keep the book from being published—an effort that include killing Isabel herself, if necessary. Throughout the tense, fast-moving story, Pavone sprinkles in wonderful observations and revelations about publishing clearly sourced from his own experiences. This not only lends the book an aura of realism that serves the thriller plotting well, it makes it a secret guidebook to modern publishing.

The Man on the Third Floor, by Anne Bernays
Another novel that explores the fascinating world of book publishing from the remove of several decades, Bernays’ 10th novel is set in the New York publishing world of the 1950s, where closeted Walter Samson is an ideal man: a successful book editor for a respected publisher, discoverer of a bestselling right-wing author, and family man. When Walter meets the blue collar Barry, also closeted, he hires him as live-in handyman and chauffeur, and the two begin a covert affair. Although Walter knows his relationship with Barry is the most satisfying of his life, his world falls apart as a direct result of their relationship. Through it all the world of publishing is shown to be as cutthroat as any other industry, adding an extra layer of tension and drama as Walter fights for survival in an intolerant time.

Cyberbooks, by Ben Bova
Ben Bova has published more than 120 books. His 1990 novel Cyberbooks hasn’t aged well in terms of technology, but Bova’s clear writing style and inventive plotting keep the book fresh even in the modern age—and the fact that much of the story’s inspiration comes from his own direct experience in book publishing makes it a fascinating glimpse into the industry. Tracing the fate of a terrible but provocative horror novel, a sincere but editorially shredded memoir of a war veteran, and a literary novel that gets no response from editors, Bova offers a glimpse at the often grim reality of publishing as a business.