The Literary Business

A personal ramble around the book world from the man who has experienced all sides of it.



A handbook, a demystification and an intimate history of the wide literary world. Written with Peter Finch's characteristic good humour, The Literary Business relates through bitingly well-observed vignettes how it is and how it was over the past six decades.



This book has something for everyone: writers, academics, critics and other enthusiasts in search of a no-holds-barred personal history; administrators wishing to navigate the obstacle course that is funding writers and writing; fans hunting data on the Poetry wars of the 70s, and fellow litterateurs who will want to check whether they have received a mention in these pages. If you're new to the game and seeking publication, or just someone who enjoys the cut and thrust of the literary world, then this book is for you.



Few others in Wales know the business and how we got here like Finch does. And few others will have been capable of reporting back in such an entertaining fashion.