“Entertaining, fascinating, deeply researched, and crisply written, The Untold Story of Books is full of surprises. I worked in publishing for thirty years and was amazed how much I learned about the industry. No other book provides such a comprehensive and witty overview. The Untold Story of Books is a must-read for authors, aspiring authors, and anyone who loves books. The publishing industry is often shrouded in mystery. This book lifts the veil and provides a fresh, new, compelling perspective.” —Mark Chimsky, former editorial director of Harper San Francisco, former director of trade paperbacks at Little Brown, and former editor-in-chief of the trade paperback division at Macmillan

“Castleman has created a unique, highly readable title… It’s delightful the way he relates the history of the technological innovations that have propelled book publishing. One of my favorite elements is the way he explains the economics of publishing from a writer's point of view. I’ll be telling many people about The Untold Story of Books. It’s a tremendous contribution.” —Laura Lent, former chief of collections at San Francisco Public Library

“Quirky, comprehensive, opinionated, and massively entertaining, The Untold Story of Books combines Castleman’s fifty years of bittersweet experience as an author with his vivid, amusing history of book publishing. Castleman beautifully conveys the essence of writing—of creating—today.” —Daniel Ben-Horin, author of Substantial Justice

“The Untold Story is excellent: fun, amazingly comprehensive, surprisingly informative, and often amusing. A great read.” —Jeffrey Klein, author of The Black Hole Affair, and former editor-in-chief of Mother Jones magazine

“The Untold Story of Books is full of fascinating and entertaining history, most of which was new to me, plus a comprehensive and realistic (if sometimes discouraging) picture of what is happening in book publishing today. Past and present—all informative and enjoyable!” —Gillian Roberts, author of the Amanda Pepper mysteries