we are here with john sherer, publisher at basic books. what does a publisher do? >> the publisher is a title i have. i ron the imprint of basic books suite of editorial, marketing, publicity, design and i end up making the final decisions on things. i say a lot of yes or no all day long. >> what do you say yes or no to? >> weather we acquire a book, how much we pay for it, how much resource we put into promoting it, the final call on which jacket, a lot of i like this jacket over that one, with the price will be, how many we should print. a bunch of small decisions adds up to big decisions but a bunch of small ones along the way. >> how long have you been in books and where did you come from before basic? did you always want to be a publisher? >> i serendipitously from the book business. i ran a bookstore in washington for ten years and finally decided i enjoyed the book business so much wanted to do something other than retail. publishing was the obvious choice. you're going to beat me here, i think this might be almost 20 years of bookexpo, aba's as the use to b

. >> john sherer, current publisher basic books, thanks very much. .. >> and i am looking forward to a book about the involvement of the united states in the middle east. i read his first book of the six days of four and i higher recommended that book. it told me things even though i live through that war against the arab neighbors of israel there are things i did not know that have happened behind the scenes. that is why it is worthwhile and that is why i think my book is one that people should listen to or read because it tells you things that you think you know, about you really do not know the full story of what the discussions were, the controversies and of the trade offs to produce legislation. people usually hear about the scandals, the end up to this and people have been poisoned cents reagan is the problem, not the solution, it but to think that government can do nothing right but a kn and it must do that affect positively millions of americans and i have tried to show how bills that i fought for some that are very controversial were so successful and i believe the kinds of