The publishing industry was very much affected by the trends affecting other areas of popular culture in the 1980s—the concentration of power in large corporations and the public thirst for status through consumption. The concentration of power in publishing took two forms. First, the number of book publishers decreased as large publishers bought up smaller ones. These big publishing houses were driven by profit, so they tended to publish books by known writers and offered fewer chances to new talent. They also tended to be engaged in publishing magazines, music, and videos, so they often looked for ideas that could be cross-promoted. Second, booksellers also got bigger. Small, independent book stores were pushed out of business by large chains like Barnes & Noble and Borders. These book chains worked hand in hand with the big publishers to promote the most popular authors; increasingly, they...