Tài liệu môn PR truyền thông - Chapter 6: Books

The Dynamics ofMass CommunicationJoseph R. DominickSeventh EditionPart 2The Print MediaChapter 6BooksEarly Book HistoryHand copied and lavishly decoratedExpensive and time consuming to make (1 year avg.)Johann Gutenberg’s invention of moveable type in 1455 allows books to be mass producedPrinting spreads rapidly throughout Europe; helps foster Protestant ReformationBooks in Early AmericaColonial publishers often their own writer and printerReligious and political works dominate the 1700sIn early 1800s, mass audiences, new technologies, libraries, and a better educated public spark book publishing during the Penny Press eraCivil War years help start paperback boomBooks in the 20th CenturyA move to commercialization brought on by:literary agents focused on getting authors top dollarbooks expand further into the mass appeal marketdemand by financial backers to be profit orientedPaperbacks debut again in post WW II marketFeature: low prices, varied content, mass sales, quality worksMore leisure time and income spur readingBook industry becomes an attractive investmentThe Contemporary Book IndustryA consolidation trend starts in the 1970sBig companies begin dominating industryThe Internet opens up new a marketing and distribution approach with amazon.com et alContent gets more specialized and variedBooks in the Digital AgeMost manuscripts are now produced and edited with word processors and distributed via e-mailThe 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 distributorsThe e-book: Authors as Publishers and RetailersE-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 outletChoose your book at the storeStore downloads it from publisher’s databaseBook printed within 15 minutes at the storePublisher saves print and distribution costs Printing on DemandDEFINING FEATURES OF BOOKS Least “mass-like” of the mass mediaPotential to have profound social effectsAuthoritativePermanentORGANIZATION OF THEBOOK INDUSTRY The publishing industry has three main segments: Publishers Distributors RetailersPublishersThe 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 Divisions (Con’t)DistributorsThanks to the Internet, there are now two main channels by which books can get to consumers:The traditional methodThe online method Retailers 20,000 traditional book stores Major chain stores Online vendors College bookstores Book clubs and mail-order sales direct-to-consumer book-sellersOwnership 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 BOOKDepartments and Staff EditorialProductionMarketingGeneral administration of the business E-booksPUBLISHING THE BOOKBook ideas come from three main sources: Agent recommendationsUnsolicited books a.k.a. “slush”Ideas generated by editors themselvesGeneral 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 workGeneral Steps in Getting a Book Published (Con’t)As chapters come in, editors review book for sense and achievement of original intentBook 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 ECONOMICS Cultural factors continue to cast promising economic growth for the book industryTwo main sources of industry income:money from book salessubsidiary rightsFEEDBACKThe 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 reviewsEnd of Chapter 6Books