The Dynamics of Mass Communication

1. The Dynamics ofMass Communication SeventhEdition Joseph R. Dominick

2. Part 2 The Print Media

3. Chapter 6 Books

4. 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 Early Book History

5. 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 Early America

6. 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 Books in the 20th Century

7. 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 The Contemporary Book Industry

8. 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 Books in the Digital Age

9. 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.

10. Printing on Demand 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

11. DEFINING FEATURES OF BOOKS • Least “mass-like” of the mass media • Potential to have profound social effects • Authoritative • Permanent

12. ORGANIZATION OF THEBOOK INDUSTRY • The publishing industry has three main segments: • Publishers • Distributors • Retailers

13. Publishers The Association of American Publishers lists 12 major publishing divisions: • Trade books • Religious books • Professional books • Book clubs • Mail order publications

14. Publishing Divisions(Con’t) • Mass market paperbacks • University presses • Elementary and secondary texts • College textbooks • Standardized tests • Subscription reference books • Audiovisual and other media

15. Distributors Thanks to the Internet, there are now two main channels by which books can get to consumers: • The traditional method • The online method

16. Retailers • 20,000 traditional book stores • Major chain stores • Online vendors • College bookstores • Book clubs and mail-order sales • direct-to-consumer book-sellers

17. Ownership 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

18. PRODUCING THE BOOK Departments and Staff • Editorial • Production • Marketing • General administration of the business • E-books

19. PUBLISHING THE BOOK Book ideas come from three main sources: • Agent recommendations • Unsolicited books a.k.a. “slush” • Ideas generated by editors themselves

20. General 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

21. General 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

22. ECONOMICS • Cultural factors continue to cast promising economic growth for the book industry • Two main sources of industry income: • money from book sales • subsidiary rights

23. FEEDBACK 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

24. End of Chapter 6Books