The Corner Office: On the Record With: Paul Bogaards

But mostly, it’s hair and shoes.

Any favorite books you’ve worked on?

● I have a long list of books and campaigns that I’m very proud to have worked on. A very long list. I will name just a few (in no particular order):

•Kazuo Ishiguro’s “The Remains of the Day”

•Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History”

•Michael Crichton’s “Jurassic Park”

•Dr. Andrew Weil’s “Spontaneous Healing”

•Katharine Hepburn’s “Me”

•Katharine Graham’s “Personal History”

•Bill Clinton’s “My Life”

•Stieg Larsson’s trilogy

•E L James’ “Fifty Shades” trilogy

•Robert Caro’s books on LBJ

Anything exciting coming up you’d like to tell us about?

● “The Twelve Tribes of Hattie” by Ayana Mathis is a remarkable debut coming in January. It’s a searing portrait of an unforgettable family—really a ferocious vision of humanity—set against the backdrop of the Great Migration.

Are you working on editing or writing anything yourself right now?

● I have an idea for a play about a public relations executive who gets caught up in a client scandal. I hope to put pen to paper over the holidays.

So, about that tumblr post… Can you tell us what inspired it? How did you mean it to be received? Any regrets?

● Demons inspired that post.

People who work in book publishing suffer from a cumulative anxiety that is utterly out of proportion to the industry in which they work. Yes, there has been tremendous upheaval in our industry (mostly as a result of developing technology) but there has also been tremendous continuity: authors are still writing books; publishers are still publishing books; retailers are still selling books; and readers are still reading books. And yet, not a week goes by where I don’t hear someone groan about something being the final nail in our coffin.