--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Book publishing was never a heaven \"run…" description: "\"Book publishing was never a heaven \"run by editors\", and it is by no means today a hell \"run by accountants.\" If our \"sole interest\" was \"instant profi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b3/patrick-nielsen-hayden-32557_accountants_book-publishing-was-never-a-heaven-run-b_625112.jpg" --- # Book publishing was never a heaven "run by editors", and… ![“Book publishing was never a heaven "run by editors", and it is by no means today a hell "run by accountants." If our "sole interest" was "instant profit," not only would we never do any number of the things we actually do every day, we probably wouldn't be in book publishing at all.” quote by Patrick Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b3/patrick-nielsen-hayden-32557_accountants_book-publishing-was-never-a-heaven-run-b_625112.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b3/patrick-nielsen-hayden-32557_accountants_book-publishing-was-never-a-heaven-run-b_625112.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b3/patrick-nielsen-hayden-32557_accountants_book-publishing-was-never-a-heaven-run-b_625112.jpg) > “Book publishing was never a heaven "run by editors", and it is by no means today a hell "run by accountants." If our "sole interest" was "instant profit," not only would we never do any number of the things we actually do every day, we probably wouldn't be in book publishing at all.” [Patrick Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-nielsen-hayden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The industry balances artistic and commercial pressures; neither extreme is ideal. **In simple terms:** Publishing must balance art and profit. Key Takeaway Seek balance, not extremes. Themes publishing business ethics Mood reflective critical Type advice industry insight When to use this quote - author contracts - budget decisions - editorial choices - marketing strategies Key Concepts market dynamics creative integrity Questions to Reflect On - How do you prioritize art over profit? - What safeguards protect editorial integrity? A Different Perspective Profit focus can stifle creativity and long‑term health. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-publishing/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Hell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hell/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Profit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profit/) [Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/publishing/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [“If only I wouldn’t take this book so seriously. It is just a book after all, and a book is very dead in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/if-only-i-wouldn-t-take-this-book-so-seriously-it-is-just-a-book/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Just like you wouldn't give a book to someone who doesn't know how to read, don't give your heart to someone who doesn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-like-you-wouldn-t-give-a-book-to-someone-who-doesn-t-know-how-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Because they feel that without them telling you to do this, you wouldn't have had the characters that you have, you wouldn't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-decarlo/because-they-feel-that-without-them-telling-you-to-do-this-you-wouldn/) [Dan DeCarlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-decarlo/) > [“The grossest offenders are in the field of, in connection with, in order to, in respect of, so far as… is concerned. All sorts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-evans/the-grossest-offenders-are-in-the-field-of-in-connection-with-in/) [Harold Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-evans/) > [Australian SF book publishing has undergone a boom recently, and sometimes it's easier for new writers to sell a book to a local publisher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-egan/australian-sf-book-publishing-has-undergone-a-boom-recently-and/) [Greg Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-egan/) > [“Book publishing is a passion that one hopes eventually becomes a good paying job.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/book-publishing-is-a-passion-that-one-hopes-eventually-becomes-a-good/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [I had a lot of space as a kid. My mother worked with human rights for the government, and my dad had a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yung-lean/i-had-a-lot-of-space-as-a-kid-my-mother-worked-with-human-rights-for/) [Yung Lean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yung-lean/) > [Many writers hate the shilling process, and I understand that. However, it's really the only thing about the publication process you can somewhat control.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/many-writers-hate-the-shilling-process-and-i-understand-that-however/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [Now, almost twenty years since my last job in book publishing, I know that there are far more socially inept people in book than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanya-yanagihara/now-almost-twenty-years-since-my-last-job-in-book-publishing-i-know/) [Hanya Yanagihara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanya-yanagihara/) > [I think I'm gonna attach myself to the sinking ship that is book publishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-clowes/i-think-i-m-gonna-attach-myself-to-the-sinking-ship-that-is-book/) [Daniel Clowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-clowes/) > [When we first did 'Modernist Cuisine,' I think most people in cookbook publishing would have said, 'This is insane.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-myhrvold/when-we-first-did-modernist-cuisine-i-think-most-people-in-cookbook/) [Nathan Myhrvold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-myhrvold/) > [I think that the economics of book publishing favor hits with long book runs. You make all your money on the last bunch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-think-that-the-economics-of-book-publishing-favor-hits-with-long/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Trade book publishing is by nature a cottage industry, decentralized, improvisational, personal; best performed by small groups of like-minded people, devoted to their craft,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-epstein/trade-book-publishing-is-by-nature-a-cottage-industry-decentralized/) [Jason Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-epstein/) > [Book publishing would be so much easier without the authors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/book-publishing-would-be-so-much-easier-without-the-authors/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [I thought, 'Okay, what's going to be my edge, and how am I going to define what I'm doing differently?' Once I had that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trip-hawkins/i-thought-okay-what-s-going-to-be-my-edge-and-how-am-i-going-to/) [Trip Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trip-hawkins/) ## More by Patrick Nielsen Hayden > [“No one goes around suggesting that everyone should become their own autonomous cheesemakers and cheering the death of the cheese industry. Why? Because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/no-one-goes-around-suggesting-that-everyone-should-become-their-own/) [Patrick Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-nielsen-hayden/) > [Tor.com has been a venue for original SF and fantasy since 2008, but we've never formalized our process for submissions. Indeed, for a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/tor-com-has-been-a-venue-for-original-sf-and-fantasy-since-2008-but/) [Patrick Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-nielsen-hayden/) > [Before the Internet, before BBSes and Fidonet and Usenet and LiveJournal and blogs and Facebook and Twitter, before the World Wide Web and hot-and-cold-online-everything,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/before-the-internet-before-bbses-and-fidonet-and-usenet-and/) [Patrick Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-nielsen-hayden/) > [Do we really have to wander around apologizing for enjoying plot, just because James Wood and a few dozen other arch-aesthetes sniff at it?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/do-we-really-have-to-wander-around-apologizing-for-enjoying-plot-just/) [Patrick Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-nielsen-hayden/) > [There's a latter-day notion that artsy hippie types in the 1960s disdained the space program. Not in my experience they didn't. We watched, transfixed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/there-s-a-latter-day-notion-that-artsy-hippie-types-in-the-1960s/) [Patrick Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-nielsen-hayden/) > [I have a severe Google Reader habit. I think people will use blog forms and Twitter to contrive fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/i-have-a-severe-google-reader-habit-i-think-people-will-use-blog/) [Patrick Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-nielsen-hayden/) > [The small visual inconvenience of e-books is made up for with find and search functions, and the fungibility of digital text.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/the-small-visual-inconvenience-of-e-books-is-made-up-for-with-find/) [Patrick Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-nielsen-hayden/) > [Back in 2008, when we were first preparing to launch Tor.com, I knew I wanted Jo Walton to be a regular writer for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/back-in-2008-when-we-were-first-preparing-to-launch-tor-com-i-knew-i/) [Patrick Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-nielsen-hayden/) > [I was ten years old in 1969, and while we lived in Arizona that year, I spent most of the summer staying with family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/i-was-ten-years-old-in-1969-and-while-we-lived-in-arizona-that-year-i/) [Patrick Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-nielsen-hayden/) > [Obviously it makes a difference if an author has a public online profile of some sort, even just down to the level of having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/obviously-it-makes-a-difference-if-an-author-has-a-public-online/) [Patrick Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-nielsen-hayden/) > [So many people's school experience contains at least one instance of being looked down upon because they didn't care for one or more of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/so-many-people-s-school-experience-contains-at-least-one-instance-of/) [Patrick Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-nielsen-hayden/) > [Personally, I always find it especially piquant when cultural conservatives, usually quick to profess their devotion to the Free Market, rail against the success…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/personally-i-always-find-it-especially-piquant-when-cultural/) [Patrick Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-nielsen-hayden/) > [As a senior editor at Tor Books and the manager of our science fiction and fantasy line, I rarely blog to promote specific projects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/as-a-senior-editor-at-tor-books-and-the-manager-of-our-science/) [Patrick Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-nielsen-hayden/) > [In my own life, I've seen myself ramping up the amount of text I consume digitally. For me, it's the weight and inconvenience issue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/in-my-own-life-i-ve-seen-myself-ramping-up-the-amount-of-text-i/) [Patrick Nielsen Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-nielsen-hayden/) [Explore all 15 Patrick Nielsen Hayden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-nielsen-hayden/) ## More Accountants quotes > [Once we allow ourselves to be disobedient to the test of an accountant's profit, we have begun to change our civilization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maynard-keynes/once-we-allow-ourselves-to-be-disobedient-to-the-test-of-an/) [John Maynard Keynes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maynard-keynes/) > [I deliberately look for colorful people. They're very right for theatre. Theatre has to be theatrical. If you can get color into the accountant,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lanford-wilson/i-deliberately-look-for-colorful-people-they-re-very-right-for/) [Lanford Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lanford-wilson/) > [I could never have been an accountant. I got a D in math.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-marshall/i-could-never-have-been-an-accountant-i-got-a-d-in-math/) [Rob Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-marshall/) > [My greatest reward is knowing for certain, as I do with many other acts and artistes, that without Jonathan King being alive and involved,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-king/my-greatest-reward-is-knowing-for-certain-as-i-do-with-many-other/) [Jonathan King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-king/) > [It is a maxim of cryptology that what one man can devise, another can unravel. This principle keeps armies of tax lawyers and accountants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-wriston/it-is-a-maxim-of-cryptology-that-what-one-man-can-devise-another-can/) [Walter Wriston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-wriston/) > [Fact is, the work place to a great extent is "where we live." We need star accountants. Boffo saleswomen. Over-the-top creatives in marketing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/fact-is-the-work-place-to-a-great-extent-is-where-we-live-we-need/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Films are now made by accountants. They pick a pretty young female or male face out of the air and give them a part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lee/films-are-now-made-by-accountants-they-pick-a-pretty-young-female-or/) [Christopher Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lee/) > [She was my accountant, so I just believed her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-howard/she-was-my-accountant-so-i-just-believed-her/) [John Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-howard/) > [The rich hire lawyers and accountants for a reason - to pass the tax bill on to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/the-rich-hire-lawyers-and-accountants-for-a-reason-to-pass-the-tax/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [A lot of labels are hiring a lot more accountants than people that know music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/a-lot-of-labels-are-hiring-a-lot-more-accountants-than-people-that/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [We're living in a time period where if a kid is on a plastic scooter that's one inch off the ground, mom and dad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramin-bahrani/we-re-living-in-a-time-period-where-if-a-kid-is-on-a-plastic-scooter/) [Ramin Bahrani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramin-bahrani/) > [And it does no harm to repeat, as often as you can, 'Without me the literary industry would not exist: the publishers, the agents,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/and-it-does-no-harm-to-repeat-as-often-as-you-can-without-me-the/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [I didn't do anything differently than what my father was doing. It's a really hard family to rebel in. I could have become an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-townes-earle/i-didn-t-do-anything-differently-than-what-my-father-was-doing-it-s-a/) [Justin Townes Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-townes-earle/) > [While Donald Trump was busy with his accountants trying to figure out how to keep living like a billionaire, and all the while he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/while-donald-trump-was-busy-with-his-accountants-trying-to-figure-out/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [Property is my major investment. My accountant has put money into various long-term savings arrangements. To be honest, I am a bit vague about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-robinson/property-is-my-major-investment-my-accountant-has-put-money-into/) [Anne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-robinson/) Browse all 226 Accountants quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Book publishing was never a heaven \"run by editors\", and it is by no means today a hell \"run by accountants.\" If our \"sole interest\" was \"instant profit,\" not only would we never do any number of the things we actually do every day, we probably wouldn't be in book publishing at all.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Patrick Nielsen Hayden" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/book-publishing-was-never-a-heaven-run-by-editors-and-it-is-by-no/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accountants" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/book-publishing-was-never-a-heaven-run-by-editors-and-it-is-by-no/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b3/patrick-nielsen-hayden-32557_accountants_book-publishing-was-never-a-heaven-run-b_625112.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b3/patrick-nielsen-hayden-32557_accountants_book-publishing-was-never-a-heaven-run-b_625112.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b3/patrick-nielsen-hayden-32557_accountants_book-publishing-was-never-a-heaven-run-b_625112.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Book publishing was never a heaven \"run by editors\", and it is by no means today a hell \"run by…” — Patrick Nielsen Hayden", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Patrick Nielsen Hayden", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-nielsen-hayden/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Book publishing was never a heaven...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/book-publishing-was-never-a-heaven-run-by-editors-and-it-is-by-no/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-nielsen-hayden/book-publishing-was-never-a-heaven-run-by-editors-and-it-is-by-no/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```