Robinson Crusoe was an instant bestseller in 1719, yet Daniel Defoe never became rich from it. Why not? In this episode, we look at how authors made (and failed to make) money in the early 18th century, and how printers like William Taylor profited far more than the writers themselves.

Books Discussed

Robinson Crusoe (1719) — Daniel Defoe
The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1719) — Daniel Defoe
Serious Reflections During the Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1720) — Daniel Defoe
Journal of the Plague Year (1722) — Daniel Defoe
Moll Flanders (1722) — Daniel Defoe
Frankenstein (1818) — Mary Shelley
The Martian (2014) — Andy Weir

People Referenced

00:16 - Daniel Defoe — Author of Robinson Crusoe, pamphleteer, journalist, and one of the early writers of the novel
00:55 - William Taylor — London printer and bookseller who published Robinson Crusoe
01:25 - Nathaniel Mist — Printer and publisher of Mist’s Weekly Journal, for whom Defoe worked while secretly reporting to the government
13:15 - Mary Shelley — Author of Frankenstein
15:30 - Charles Dickens — 19th-century novelist who published many works as serials
15:35 - Louisa May Alcott — Author of Little Women, also serialized before book publication
15:20 - Rose Wilder Lane — Daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder, who targeted serialization markets in the 1930s
15:40 - Andy Weir — Author of The Martian, first published as a serialized story on his blog

Episode Links

Episode 11: Defoe, the Pillory, and Seditious Libel
Episode 3: Laura Ingalls Wilder (part 1)
Episode 4: Laura Ingalls Wilder (part 2)

Piatkus Books started as a small U.K. publisher focused on supplying books to libraries. Judy Piatkus founded her second publishing company in 1978, while still in her 20s. This episode tells the story of the company's founding and early days, up through its growth into fiction, international sales, and £10M in revenue before selling in 2007, just ahead of the global financial crisis.

People Discussed

00:00 | Judy Piatkus — Founder of Piatkus Books; author of Ahead of Her Time
06:42 | Edwin Buckhalter — Co-founder with Piatkus of Severn House (sold to him in 1978)
13:14 | V. C. Andrews — Bestselling Gothic/romance novelist
13:19 | Danielle Steel — Prolific romance novelist and perennial bestseller
16:51 | Mary Berry — British baking icon; author of multiple Piatkus cookbooks
19:25 | Nora Roberts — American author and perennial bestseller
19:25 | J. D. Robb — Nora Roberts’s pen name for the “In Death” series
14:33 | James Patterson — Thriller writer, covered in Episode 7 and Episode 8

Bibliography

Ahead of Her Time (2021) by Judy Piatkus:
https://www.amazon.com/Ahead-Her-Time-Judy-Piatkus/dp/1786785315

The Great Crash 1929 (Piatkus 2008 edition) by John Kenneth Galbraith:
https://www.amazon.com/Great-Crash-Market-Plunged-Depression/dp/0749909870

“Marketing James Patterson” (2002) — Harvard Business School case by John Deighton:
https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/505029-PDF-ENG

Episodes Referenced

Episode 9 - Covering Ingram Book's start as the Tennessee Book Depository
Episode 8 - Covering James Patterson's Marketing on ALong Came a Spider, including patterson's view of book clubs.

The author of Robinson Crusoe, started his professional life as the 1700s equivalent of a blogger and a hot-take merchant. Daniel Defoe’s satirical pamphlet The Shortest Way with the Dissenters landed him in the pillory. Listen to learn about the early career of the author of one of the great early English novels, why Queen Anne’s government treated political criticism as treason, and how a booming London led to a vibrant press despite political crackdowns.

Books/Works Discussed

The True-Born Englishman (1701) by Daniel Defoe:
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/30159/30159-h/30159-h.htm

The Shortest Way with the Dissenters (1703) by Daniel Defoe:
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?cc=ecco;idno=004844761.0001.000;node=004844761.0001.000:2;rgn=div1;view=text

Robinson Crusoe (1719) by Daniel Defoe:
https://www.amazon.com/Robinson-Crusoe-Wordsworth-Classics-Daniel/dp/1853260452

Daniel Defoe: His Life (1989) by Paula R. Backscheider:
https://www.amazon.com/Daniel-Defoe-Paula-R-Backscheider/dp/0801845122

People Referenced

00:48 | Daniel Defoe — Prolific English pamphleteer, satirist, and later author of Robinson Crusoe.

02:56 | John Baker — London printer who paid Defoe per 500-copy pamphlet run, giving the author an unusually high royalty share.

06:24 | Queen Anne — British monarch (1702-1714) whose ministers prosecuted Defoe for seditious libel.

12:44 | William III (William of Orange) — Took the English throne after the 1688 Glorious Revolution, shaping the political landscape Defoe inherited.

15:36 | Jonathan Swift — Tory-leaning contemporary satirist and author of Gulliver’s Travels.

This episode tells the story of how Ingram transformed from a regional schoolbook depository into the go‑to wholesaler for U.S. trade books. Learn about how Harry Hoffman and Ingram expanded the company's reach in books and prepared the way for Amazon and its business model.

Books Discussed

The Family Business: How Ingram Transformed the World of Books (2021) by Keel Hunt
https://www.amazon.com/Family-Business-Ingram-Transformed-World/dp/1682753124

Big Fiction: How Conglomeration Changed the Publishing Industry (2023) by Dan Sinykin (Columbia University Press)
https://cup.columbia.edu/book/big-fiction/9780231192958/

People Referenced

04:07 | Bronson Ingram — Ingram family leader who backed the book venture; introduced in Episode 9.
04:14 | Jack Stambaugh — Early partner in the Tennessee Book Depository; featured in Episode 9.
04:20 | Harry Hoffman — CEO who built Ingram’s trade wholesaling and spearheaded the microfiche program.
27:51 | Ben Thompson — Analyst and writer behind “Aggregation Theory” (Stratechery)
31:12 | Jeff Bezos — Founded Amazon in 1995; early operations benefited from proximity to Ingram’s Eugene, OR warehouse and deep title catalog.

Learn about how a family owned oil company came to run one of the most important companies within book publishing. Here the story of the start of Ingram Books.

People Discussed

03:32 | Laura Ingalls Wilder – Author of the Little House series; covered in Episodes 3 & 4
03:54 | Orrin Henry Ingram – Lumber-baron patriarch (1850s-1890s)
04:24 | Orin “Hank” Ingram Sr. – Orrin’s grandson; shifted the family wealth into oil refining, barge transport, and textiles between the 1930s-60s
05:45 | E. Bronson Ingram II – Took control of the family firm at 31 (1963); bought half of the Tennessee Book Depository in 1964, seeding Ingram Book Company
11:22 | Jack Stambaugh – Former Eisenhower aide; co-owned the Tennessee Book Depository with Bronson Ingram
16:40 | Harry Hoffman – Publishing executive; CEO of Ingram Books and Walden Books
21:37 | Keel Hunt – Nashville journalist; author of The Family Business, the episode’s principal source

Bibliography

The Family Business: How Ingram Transformed the World of Books (2021) by Keel Hunt:
https://www.amazon.com/Family-Business-Ingram-Transformed-World/dp/1682753124

Interview with Jack Stanbagh, Eisenhower Presidential Library:
https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov/sites/default/files/research/oral-histories/oral-history-transcripts/stambaugh-john-372.pdf

James Patterson has built a publishing juggernaut. His publishing success all started with Little, Brown publishing Along Came a Spider in February 1993. In this episode we look at how he marketed his breakout hit. From cover design to targeted TV advertising, Patterson brought his expertise as CEO of a major advertising firm to book publishing.

Listen to Episode 7 to hear the begining of the story.

Bibliography

Along Came a Spider (1993) by James Patterson:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/along-came-a-spider-james-patterson/1100307468?ean=9780316693646

The Bridges of Madison County (1992) by Robert James Waller:
https://www.amazon.com/Bridges-Madison-County-Robert-Waller/dp/0446364495

The Client (1993) by John Grisham:
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/72156/the-client-by-john-grisham/

Jurassic Park (1990) by Michael Crichton: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jurassic-park-michael-crichton/1100400615

Marketing James Patterson (2002) Harvard Business School case by John Deighton: https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/505029-PDF-ENG

James Patterson by James Patterson (2022) by James Patterson:
https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/james-patterson/james-patterson-by-james-patterson/9780316397537/

“The James Patterson Business” (2002) by Jeff Zaleski, Publishers Weekly:

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20021104/21533-the-james-patterson-business.html

People Discussed

00:15 | James Patterson – Best-selling thriller author; also covered in Episode 7
01:16 | Bill Clinton – 42nd U.S. President; co-author with Patterson
13:21 | Robert Gottlieb – Famed book editor, former editor-in-chief at Knopf, covered in Episode 5
16:00 | John Grisham – Legal-thriller novelist, author of The Client
16:30 | Michael Crichton - Scientific thriller writer, author of Jurassic Park, covered in Episode 6
17:47 | John Deighton – Harvard Business School professor; author of the HBS case on Patterson
21:20 | Burt Manning – Former CEO of J. Walter Thompson
22:31 | Jeff Zaleski – Publishers Weekly journalist; wrote “The James Patterson Business” article

It took James Patterson seven attempts before he found the right formula for a successful thriller. In this episode, we focus on Patterson break out commercial success, Along Came a Spider and answer the question of how he changed his writing, to find commercial success in his seventh book.

Bibliography:

Along Came a Spider (1993) by James Patterson: https://www.amazon.com/Along-Came-Spider-Alex-Cross/dp/031606637X

The Thomas Berryman Number (1976) by James Patterson: https://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Berryman-Number-James-Patterson/dp/0316473528

Season of the Machete (1977) by James Patterson: https://www.amazon.com/Season-Machete-James-Patterson/dp/0446600603

The Day of the Jackal (1971) by Frederick Forsyth: https://www.amazon.com/Day-Jackal-Frederick-Forsyth/dp/0425276116

The Exorcist (1971) by William Peter Blatty: https://www.amazon.com/Exorcist-40th-Anniversary-William-Peter/dp/0061007226

The Silence of the Lambs (1988) by Thomas Harris: https://www.amazon.com/Silence-Lambs-Hannibal-Lecter/dp/0312924585

Mrs. Bridge (1959) by Evan S. Connell: https://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Bridge-Evan-S-Connell/dp/1619027349

The Day America Told the Truth (1991) by James Patterson & Peter Kim: https://www.amazon.com/Day-America-Told-Truth-Shocking/dp/0446516383

James Patterson by James Patterson (2022) by James Patterson: https://www.amazon.com/James-Patterson/dp/0316274001

People Discussed:

00:35 | James Patterson – best-selling thriller author and focus of the episode
03:50 | Francis Greenburger – literary agent who sold Patterson’s debut novel
06:45 | Stephen King – horror writer who was once critical Patterson’s work
12:10 | Richard Pine – agent who negotiated the million-dollar Along Came a Spider deal
12:20 | Larry Kirshbaum – then head of Time Warner Book Group backing the acquisition
12:25 | Charles “Charlie” Hayward – publisher leading Little, Brown
12:40 | Fredi Friedman – Patterson’s editor on Along Came a Spider
15:50 | Peter Kim – co-author of The Day America Told the Truth and J. Walter Thompson colleague

Michael Crichton had his first hit book in 1969 when he was in his 20s. But 20-years later he was in a rut. Jurassic Park got him out of is rut, and his friend Michael Ovitz helped turn it into a Steven Spielberg directed Hollywood blockbuster.

Hear the story of the creation of Jurassic Park, both the book and the movie that made Crichton one of the wealthiest writers in publishing and Hollywood.

Bibliography:

The Andromeda Strain (1969) by Michael Crichton: https://www.thriftbooks.com/browse/?b.search=crichton#b.s=mostPopular-desc&b.p=1&b.pp=50&b.oos&b.tile

Travels (1988) by Michael Crichton: https://www.amazon.com/Travels-Vintage-Departures-Michael-Crichton/dp/0804171270

Jurassic Park (1990) by Michael Crichton: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/jurassic-park-michael-crichton/1100400615

Who Is Michael Ovitz? (2018) by Michael Ovitz: https://www.amazon.com/Who-Michael-Ovitz/dp/1591845548

People Discussed:

00:37 | Michael Ovitz - Hollywood super-agent, co-founder of Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

00:52 | Michael Crichton - Novelist and screenwriter, author of Jurassic Park

09:43 | Steven Spielberg - Film director tapped to helm the Jurassic Park movie

10:11 | Kate Capshaw - Actress and Spielberg’s wife

13:50 | Charlie Rose - PBS interviewer