THE
DYNAMICS
OF MASS
COMMUNCATION
Joseph R. Dominick
University of Georgia--Athens
McGraw-Hill
© 2007 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All Rights reserved.
Chapter 6
Chapter Outline
Books
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History
Books in the Digital Age
Defining Features of Books
Organization of the Book Industry
Ownership in the Book Industry
Producing the Book
Economics
Feedback
The Book Publishing Industry
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History
• Early books
– Hand copied by monks until 12th C
– Lavishly decorated
– Johann Gutenberg (1455)
• Moveable metal type
• First book – the Bible
• Sold at Great Frankfurt Fair for 3y wages
– Printing spread rapidly throughout Europe
– Henry VIII required government approval for
printers
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History
• Colonial America
– Bay Psalm Book (1640)
– Poor Richard’s Almanac by Ben Franklin
– Common Sense by Thomas Paine
• Penny Press Era (early 1800s)
– Book publishing industry established
• Mass audiences New technologies
• Libraries
A better educated public
– Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin
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History
• Civil War paperback boom
– “Dime novels” liked by soldiers
– Pirated editions of European best-sellers
• 20th Century move to
commercialization
– Literary agents represent authors
– Publishers expand into the mass market
– Financiers require profitable publishing
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History
• Post WWII
– Reading spurred by leisure time and income
– Paperbacks return
• Low prices, varied content, quality works
• New channels of distribution
– Dr. Spock’s Baby and Child Care
– Peyton Place sells 10 million in paperback
– Major publishers consolidate
– Book industry grappling with digital revolution
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Books in the Digital Age
• The eBook
– Display hardware + Software + Digital content
– Author-Publisher-Retailer
– Market suffered setbacks
• Hardware not up to standard
• Not enough e-book content
– Ideal for
• Reference works
Travelers
Students
– netLibrary
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Books in the Digital Age
• Printing on Demand
– Publisher creates books in digital form
– Customer chooses book at a retail store
– Store downloads it from publisher
– Book printed at the store while customer
waits
– Publisher saves print and distribution costs
– Ideal for low-volume, special-interest books
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Defining Features of Books
•
•
•
•
Least “mass-like” of the mass media
Can have profound social effects
Authoritative
Enduring
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Organization of the Book Industry
Publishers

Distributors

Retailers
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Organization of the Book Industry
Association of American Publishers’ List
Trade books
Religious books
University presses
Elementary and secondary texts
Professional books
College textbooks
Book clubs
Standardized tests
Mail order publications
Subscription reference books
Mass market paperbacks
Audiovisual and other media
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Organization of the Book Industry
Figure 6-1 Channels of Book Distribution
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Organization of the Book Industry
• Retailers
– 20,000 traditional book stores
– Major chain stores
• Barnes and Noble
Borders/Waldenbooks
– Online vendors
• Amazon.com
– College bookstores
– Book clubs and mail-order sales
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Ownership in the Book Industry
• Top five companies (2000)
– Pearson Publishing – largest educational publisher
• Prentice-Hall, Penguin, Viking
• Pearson Television (“Baywatch”)
– Random House – Part of Bertelsmann
– Harper-Collins – Rupert Murdoch
• 20th Century Fox, Fox Network
– Simon & Schuster – Part of CBS/Viacom
– Time-Warner Publishing
• Time Warner, biggest media conglomerate in
world
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Producing the Book
• Departments and Staff
– Editorial
• Works with authors and manuscripts
– Production
• Physical design of the book
– Marketing
• Sales, promotions, and publicity
– General business administration
• Accounting, financial forecasts, operational needs
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Producing the Book
• Publishing the Book
– Three sources of book ideas
• Literary agent recommendations
• Unsolicited manuscripts – “slush”
• Ideas generated by editors
– Author and editors collaborate to produce
satisfactory manuscript
– Other activities include: scheduling, design,
printing, and distribution
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Producing the Book
• From the Author’s View
– Author submits book proposal
• Cover letter and a brief description
• Why the book should be published
• Analysis of the potential readership market
• Outline or table of contents
• Sample chapter
– Proposal goes to acquisitions editor for evaluation
– If OK, contract is signed and author begins work
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Economics
Figure 6-2 Book Publishing Revenue, 1983-2002
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Economics
• Publisher income
– Book sales
– Subsidiary rights
• Book clubs
• Paperback rights
Foreign rights
Reprint permissions
• Publisher costs
– Manufacturing costs
• Printing, typesetting, royalties to author
– Operating expenses
• Editorial, production, marketing, general admin
• Profit margins are 2% - 20%
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Economics
Table 6-2 Profit-Loss Statement of Trade Hardcover with $20 List Price
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Feedback
• Traditional best seller lists
– New York Times
– Publisher’s Weekly
– USA Today
• P.O.S. information from BookScan
• Reader reviews at online bookstores (e.g.,
barnesandnoble.com)
• Online purchase circles: specialized bestseller lists (e.g., amazon.com)
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The Book Publishing Industry
• 70,000 to 75,000 jobs nationwide
• Entry-Level
– Editorial assistants
•
•
•
•
•
Communicate with authors
Read manuscripts
Check facts
Proofread
Write catalog copy
– Sales representative
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The Book Publishing Industry
• Upward Mobility
– Editorial
Editorial assistant 
Assistant editor 
Associate editor 
Editor 
Senior, Managing, Executive Editors
– Business
Sales representative 
President, Vice President of Marketing
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