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