Sold Out

When entrepreneur L. Daniel Hammond launched one of the nation's most successful magazines in the year 2000, he didn't realize the ramifications of soliciting investment money from Wall Street financiers or hiring executives who didn't share his appreciation for the values and virtues of Main Street. "Sold Out: How an American Magazine Lost Its Soul" chronicles the story of American Profile, founded to celebrate the "good news" in hometown America, from its inspiring, spiritual birth to its eventual downfall due to unscrupulous business practices and declining demand for print advertising. Written by the magazine's former senior editor, the book exposes the underbelly of the publishing industry, its servitude to advertisers, and callous disregard-and often arrogant disdain-for readers.