Download - The Dynamics of Mass Communication
The Dynamics ofMass Communication
Joseph R. Dominick
Seventh Edition
Part 2Part 2
The Print MediaThe Print Media
Chapter 6Chapter 6
BooksBooks
Early Book HistoryEarly Book History
• Hand copied and lavishly decorated
• Expensive and time consuming to make (1 year avg.)
• Johann Gutenberg’s invention of moveable type in 1455 allows books to be mass produced
• Printing spreads rapidly throughout Europe; helps foster Protestant Reformation
Books in Early AmericaBooks in Early America
• Colonial publishers often their own writer and printer
• Religious and political works dominate the 1700s
• In early 1800s, mass audiences, new technologies, libraries, and a better educated public spark book publishing during the Penny Press era
• Civil War years help start paperback boom
Books in the 20Books in the 20thth Century Century
• A move to commercialization brought on by:• literary agents focused on getting authors top dollar• books expand further into the mass appeal market
• demand by financial backers to be profit oriented
• Paperbacks debut again in post WW II market
Feature: low prices, varied content, mass sales, quality works
• More leisure time and income spur reading
• Book industry becomes an attractive investment
The Contemporary Book IndustryThe Contemporary Book Industry
• A consolidation trend starts in the 1970s
• Big companies begin dominating industry
• The Internet opens up new a marketing and distribution approach with amazon.com et al
• Content gets more specialized and varied
Books in the Digital AgeBooks in the Digital Age
• Most manuscripts are now produced and edited with word processors and distributed via e-mail
• The emerging all-digitally processed e-books will establish all new approaches to book production, distribution, marketing
• E-books: new challenges to an old industry -- authors as their own publishers, promoters, and distributors
The e-book:The e-book:Authors as Publishers and Retailers
E-book technology easily has the potential to
change the entire structure of the book industry,
with authors now conceivably able to write,
compose, promote, publish, and distribute their
own works, eliminating the need for a traditional
publisher.
Essentially a new way to distribute, buy, and
print books right at the retail outlet
• Choose your book at the store
• Store downloads it from publisher’s database
• Book printed within 15 minutes at the store
• Publisher saves print and distribution costs
Printing on DemandPrinting on Demand
DEFINING FEATURES OF BOOKSDEFINING FEATURES OF BOOKS
• Least “mass-like” of the mass media
• Potential to have profound social effects
• Authoritative
• Permanent
ORGANIZATION OF THEORGANIZATION OF THE
BOOK INDUSTRYBOOK INDUSTRY
The publishing industry has three main segments:
• Publishers
• Distributors
• Retailers
PublishersPublishers
The Association of American Publishers lists 12 major publishing
divisions:
• Trade books
• Religious books
• Professional books
• Book clubs
• Mail order publications
• Mass market paperbacks
• University presses
• Elementary and secondary texts
• College textbooks
• Standardized tests
• Subscription reference books
• Audiovisual and other media
Publishing DivisionsPublishing Divisions (Con’t)
DistributorsDistributors
Thanks to the Internet, there are now two main
channels by which books can get to consumers:
• The traditional method
• The online method
RetailersRetailers
• 20,000 traditional book stores
• Major chain stores
• Online vendors
• College bookstores
• Book clubs and mail-order sales
• direct-to-consumer book-sellers
OwnershipOwnership The industry is dominated by large conglomerates
with interests in other media. The top five companies
as of mid-2000 were:
• Pearson Publishing
• Random House
• Harper-Collins
• Simon & Schuster
• Time-Warner Publishing
PRODUCING THE BOOKPRODUCING THE BOOK
Departments and StaffDepartments and Staff
• Editorial
• Production
• Marketing
• General administration of the business
• E-books
PUBLISHING THE BOOKPUBLISHING THE BOOK
Book ideas come from three main sources:Book ideas come from three main sources:
• Agent recommendations
• Unsolicited books a.k.a. “slush”
• Ideas generated by editors themselves
General Steps in Getting a Book PublishedGeneral Steps in Getting a Book Published
• Author submits a book proposal which can include:
. cover letter and a brief description of the planned book
. a list of reasons why the book should be published
. an analysis of the potential readership market
. an outline or a table of contents (and a sample chapter)
• Proposal forwarded to acquisitions editor for evaluation
. If favorable, contract is signed and author begins work
General Steps in Getting a Book PublishedGeneral Steps in Getting a Book Published (Con’t)
• As chapters come in, editors review book for sense and
achievement of original intent
• Book mechanics checked (writing, footnotes, grammar,
permissions to reproduce other published materials)
• Design decisions made and production schedules set
• Book printed, sent to warehouses to await distribution
ECONOMICSECONOMICS
• Cultural factors continue to cast promising economic growth for the book industry
• Two main sources of industry income:• money from book sales
• subsidiary rights
FEEDBACKFEEDBACK
The primary form of audience feedback for the industry continues to be the best seller lists compiled by newspapers such as USA Today, the New York Times, and Publisher’s Weekly.
Internet services like amazon.com are providing new feedback alternatives such as their “purchase circles” database and interactive reader reviews
End of Chapter 6
BooksBooks