Turning Pages

The Adventures and Misadventures of a Publisher

By: John Sargent

Narrated by: John Sargent

Take a peak behind the curtain of some of the biggest publishing moments in the past several decades with forty-year industry veteran John Sargent.

Turning Pages: The Adventures and Misadventures of a Publisher is the well-told story of forty years in the publishing business. For twenty-four of those years, John Sargent ran one of America’s largest publishing companies. Rather than a straight chronological narrative, Sargent uses the best stories of those years to give us an intimate look inside book publishing. In weaving these stories together, he brings the listener with him through triumph and despair, and a very interesting daily life. The listener will meet his odd publishing family, his interesting authors, and the celebrities with whom he worked. Sargent tells the tale of publishing Monica Lewinsky and recounts what it was like to have an author meeting in Buckingham Palace. He takes the listener with him into the Macmillan battles with Amazon, the Department of Justice, and President Donald Trump.

In Turning Pages, the listener will share his occasional pain and seemingly endless joy, from a one room schoolhouse in Wyoming to the Nelson Mandela Foundation in South Africa. Full of humor and grace, this is a book for those who enjoy a good story about a fascinating life. This behind-the-scenes look at some of the biggest moments in publishing over the last several decades is a must-listen for every person who loves books and has always wondered about the industry surrounding them.

©2023 John Sargent (P)2023 Skyhorse Audio

Critic reviews

“Turning Pages by John Sargent is everything I expect from this extraordinary, honorable, and talented man. I will always be grateful that a big part of my career took place at St. Martin’s Press under his leadership; I could always count on John to do the right thing, even when it was hard and unpopular. His wide-ranging life story—unexpected and interesting from the very start—is insightful, thoughtful, and hard to put down. I laughed—I even cried—and enjoyed every moment of the ride.”—Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Four Winds and The Nightingale

"Turning Pages is funny, thoughtful, profoundly moving, and deeply insightful. With this book, a memoir but really a series of beautifully written vignettes, John Sargent has invited us into an extraordinary life and a remarkable career, as he takes us from unfortunate buckaroo to the very top of the New York publishing world. We meet his titan of a grandfather, known as Efendi (the first initials of his name), as well as his eccentric, passionate, one-off mother, and all the characters in this full life. I loved this book, but then, in all candor, I love John Sargent. Himself a titan, an eccentric, a passionate one-off. And a great friend and champion of freedom of speech, of writers, of all voices, especially the dissenting ones. Turning Pages is not just a wonderful book; it is a call to awareness, even as it entertains."—Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“A remarkable and absorbing memoir—funny, poignant, and rich with insights about books, authors, the publishing business, and life. An extraordinary cast of characters has trooped through John Sargent's life, and they're all here, finely drawn, page after page.”—Rick Atkinson, New York Times bestselling author and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner

Wonderful individual stories shape a marvelous arc. Amazing Life.

I didn’t know what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t this. John’s story, his book, and his reading style blew me away. History came to life, characters - some famous- came to life, and John jumped off every page. I haven’t enjoyed a story this much in a long time.

Great stories —-Great reader

Just loved this book. John Sargent needs to write more. Perhaps some fiction, or anything.

Great storytelling

Told with appropriate mix of respect and humor- a great career and an amazing life.

A great book about publishing

Great publishing stories from a self-deprecating, humble, brilliant, and yes, sometimes hokey guy. I know a lot of these real life characters and ate up the smart, inside publishing lore.

Listen if only for the voice!

An entertaining, interesting and wide-ranging story from an author who is thoughtful, kind, humble, funny, self-deprecating, honest and good. The format as a collection of short stories and the interspersion of personal and business topics keeps the interest level high. His timbre is soothnig and you can feel his smile and kindness in his voice. It's as if you are sitting next to him at a bar or coffee house and catching up with an old friend. His voice draws you in and encourages you to linger. The insider's view of publishing and many of the big personalities is of course more meaningful if you are somewhat familiar with that world but if not there is still a lot to learn and of interest if you love books. And if for nothing else, just listen to it for the sound of his voice!

Love this book!

Honest, revealing, exciting, fantastic story telling with wonderful color. Extraordinary life told through stories spoken elegantly by the author.
Love it!

A Brilliant & Principled Man

It was an honor to work at Macmillan during John’s tenure and this collection of stories only amplified that pride further.