Cormac McCarthy was long a demanding, unselling author who proudly disdained commercialism. He made a virtue out of necessity. After around twenty years and four novels, his editor retired in 1987. At the same time, leadership changed at the publishing house. Now McCarthy was trying to find an agent. She convinced the new management of the publishing house that the next book would be a success and that the author, who had never sold more than 2,500 copies of one of his novels, had what it took to become a literary star. McCarthy abandoned the dense style of his previous works and moved into the Western milieu. Marion Esslinger took the iconic author photo. The legendary designer Chip Kidd was commissioned to design the most attractive dust jacket possible.
Corporate Literature and Mass Consumption: Dan Sinykin on “Big Fiction” Culture
