The Three Percent Problem

$2.99

by Chad W. Post

ebook (epub)
September 6, 2011
essays | 326 pgs
5.5" x 8.5"
978-1-934824-63-4

"Opinionated, entertaining, insightful, and never a bore, Three Percent has single-handedly transformed the way readers in the United States think and feel about translation, international literature and the future of publishing. Read it and you'll understand why those-in-the-know scoff at the piles of gold embossed big books piled up in bookstores and opt for the more engaging fare by authors with tricky-to-pronounce names and squiggly lines surrounding their vowels." 
—Ed Nawotka, Publishing Perspectives

The Three Percent Problem: Rants and Responses on Publishing, Translation, and the Future of Reading is a collection of occasional essays, a series of meditations on the book industry as it transitions to its electronic future, and a reader on modern publishing. Taken from Open Letter's literary blog, Three Percent, The Three Percent Problem examines the publishing industry from a the perspective of a publisher who specializes in bringing international authors to a North American audience.

With pieces on ebooks, selling literary books in an increasingly commercial world, and insider views on international book fairs, The Three Percent Problem stands alongside Andre Schiffrin's The Business of Books and Jason Epstein's Book Business as primers on the publishing industry.

About the Author: Chad W. Post is the director of Open Letter Books, a press at the University of Rochester dedicated to publishing contemporary literature from around the world. In addition, he is the managing editor of Three Percent, a blog and review site that promotes literature in translation and is home to both the Translation Database and the Best Translated Book Awards. His articles and book reviews have appeared in a range of publications including The Believer, Publishing Perspectives, the Wall Street Journal culture blog, and Quarterly Conversation.