First published 1988
Jonathan Margin sits across from his nemesis at Newbold Press, the publishing house executive who draws mockery from everyone in literary circles. Between them lies the future of their book review magazine. Margin wants to maintain editorial independence and literary standards. Newbold Press wants commercial viability and broader appeal. Each meeting becomes a chess match of compromise and resistance. Margin must navigate office politics, financial pressures, and his own principles as he fights to preserve what he believes a serious literary publication should be. The magazine's survival hangs in the balance, but so does Margin's integrity. This is a story about the collision between art and commerce, where every editorial decision carries weight beyond the pages.
Genres: american-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, 21st-century, books-about-books, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, office-politics
Setting: Newbold Press
176 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books