Obscure in the Shade of the Giants follows the path of a hypothetical book, through interviews, from its author to its availability to readers. In this, Volume II of Publishing Lives, writers, publishers, distributors and booksellers talk about their or profession and what keeps them at it. Among the issues raised are author-publisher relations, the advantages and disadvantages of running a nonprofit press, the impact of superstores and dot.coms on the industry, the balance ( or lack of it) between commerce and art, and the varieties of distribution.