Under the Cover: The Creation, Production, and Reception of a Novel

Jarrettsville, a historical novel by Cornelia Nixon, was published in 2009 and based on an actual murder committed by an ancestor of Nixon's in the postbellum South. Clayton Childress' book Under the Cover explores how the book was shepherded across three interdependent fields and how it was transformed by its journey. It covers all aspects of the life of a book, including the author's creative process, the role of the literary agent, how editors decide which books to acquire, how publishers build lists and distinguish themselves from other publishers, how they sell a book to stores and publicize it, and how authors choose their next projects. Childress looks at how books get selected for the front tables in bookstores, why reviewers and readers can draw such different meanings from the same novel, and how book groups across the country make sense of a novel and what it means to them.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 19 March 2019
Publisher: Princeton University Press

Under the Cover explores the journey of a single work of fiction, tracing its inception from its initial inspiration to its reception by reviewers and readers. The focus is on Jarrettsville, a historical novel by Cornelia Nixon, published in 2009 and based on an actual murder committed by an ancestor of Nixon's in the postbellum South. Clayton Childress takes readers on a behind-the-scenes exploration of how Jarrettsville traversed three interconnected fields: authoring, publishing, and reading. He delves into various aspects of a book's life, including the author's creative process, the role of literary agents, the selection process by editors, the marketing strategies employed by publishers, the sales efforts to stores and the public promotion of the book, and the authors' considerations when choosing their next projects.
Childress examines how books are selected for display on bookstore shelves, explores the diverse interpretations readers can draw from the same novel, and investigates how book groups across the country interpret and derive meaning from a work of literature. Drawing on original survey data, in-depth interviews, and groundbreaking ethnographic fieldwork, Under the Cover uncovers the decision-making processes, perpetuation of inequalities, and the construction of novels that are designed for travel within the realms of culture creation, production, and consumption.

Weight: 522g
Dimension: 232 x 156 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691191874