Emancipation and new media: effects of the digital era on the book world of Latin American countries

Robert Max Steenkist

The Unbound BookAmsterdam

May 2011

1.1 Basic Indicators* 16011 publishers

◦ 4500 Br◦ 2330 Col◦ 2300 Arg◦ 1522 Mx

Average: 1 bookshop every 77 inhabitants (Spain: 1 every 10) Books

◦ 93% printed◦ 7% (audio and digital)

Print on Demand (complete catalogue)◦ 2007: 2,1% ◦ 2009: 4 %

Open Access◦ 16% (of Spanish publisher)

* Espacio Iberamoericano del libro, 2010 CERLALC

1. The book in Latin America

1.1 Basic Indicators (2)

Concentration (Colombia) 30% of the population: rural areas Main cities:

50% academic publishing 85% titles by public entities 88% publishing houses 90% religious press 40% bookshops

Publishing 1 publisher: 25% of all the titles;

6 other : 25%; rest (around 375): 50%

1. The book in Latin America

blogs: 50,3% of the adolescents (Diario Financiero, Chile December 2008)

83% of the youngsters declared to have a cellular phone, 93% uses the Internet (Generación Interactiva, p. 311)

2. New media in Latin America2.1 Some features

Cable TV Internet ComputersChile 51% 41% 57%Brasil 26% 31% 51%Colombia 81% 29% 13%México 33% 24% 32%* Nielsen Group

New Media in Latin America (December 2010)*

Political Activism◦ One of the seven

politicians with more followers in Twitter/Facebook worldwide

◦ Name: fifth most typped globally in Twitter

◦ Second larger recruitment rate per day (after Barack Obama)

2. New media in Latin America2.1.2 Some features (usability) Social Activism

◦ 4 February 2008◦ 14 Million People◦ 200 cities in the

world◦ 40 countries◦ “born from a simple

conversation in Facebook” on the 4 January.

◦ 4 heads: all under 35 years

◦ One of the leaders nowadays works as...

PUBLISHER!

2. New media in Latin America2.2 Some features (conclusions)

Not enough data=not enough interest Active, yet not officially perceived as a

tool of reading enhancement◦ Not include in the educational policies

specifically ◦Most Latin American Countries: tax 18 -

19% for eBooks Changing the political action Guide “To raise intercative children” (Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Perú,

Venezuela) Inter-American Organization for Higher Education, 2009)

◦ Hispanic population (USA): 50% increase (1990 -2000 census)◦ Not a best-seller culture.

Michael Norris, book publishing analyst @Simba Information.

◦ “Spanish-language book sales are increasing” Children's hardcover and paperback sales increased 28.1%

and 40.6% Adult paperback sales increased 2.5%. Schools buy Spanish-language titles as teaching tools

J. Carter, Op. Mn Publisher Alley (@Baker & Taylor)

◦ "This trend will last a long time because of Hispanics having the youngest median age of any part of the U.S. population”

◦ “Barnes and Noble, Borders and Wallmart are increasing the space for books in Spanish”

Nicolas Kanellos Arte Público Press (Univ. Houston)

3. New media and publishing business in Latin America3.1 “Other mundialization”

3. New media and publishing business in Latin America“Other mundialization”

From this…

…to this?

Carlos Gutierrez, Kellog’s CEO

Charles García, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.com top 10 authors

UN’s: “ambassador for children and young people, for quality education and social justice”

Carlos Slim, one of richest men in the world

Slogan: Latin books for Latin lovers.“high-quality digital books and innovative publishing formats about Latin America, while repositioning our region’s image, and showing our people under a positive light.”

3. New media in Latin America3.3 Publishing business: example against monopoly in the new globalization

LATINLOVER’s FIRST TITLES

50 EXOTIC DRINKSFROM LATIN AMERICA

- 50 ESSENTIAL SALSA RECORDS

- 50 UNTOLD STORIES ABOUT LATIN FOOTBALL PLAYERS

LATINLOVER’s FIRST TITLES

- A CELEBRATIONOF ETHNIC DIVERSITY

- 50 SUCCESS STORIES FROM LATIN AMERICAN BUSINESSES

- 50 SILKSCREEN PRINTS FROM THE COLOMBIAN ART SCENE

FIRST TITLES

COLOMBIAN SNOW

(GRAPHIC NOVEL)

THE STORY OF A BOY LIVING IN PABLO ESCOBAR´S REIGN OF TERROR.

A TALE OF FEAR, RESILIENCE AND BRAVERY IN THE MIDST OF THE COLOMBIAN SNOW.

Integration of Independent Publishers (Buenos Aires, 2009)1. Bibliodiversity (CERLALC)2. Bibliodiversity magazine (also available as

Epub)3. 21 of September, International Day of

Bibliodiversity Alliance includes Argentina, Chile,

Uruguay, Perú, Bolivia, México, Colombia (REIC includes NY based Book Press)

3. New media in Latin America3.4.1 Publishing business: Guilds for “Other mundialization”

How Governments protect or promote Bibliodiversity?◦ Free circulation◦ Reading plans including all types of books◦ Support of tiny actors against the powerful

multinationals◦ Obstacle: no practical interiorization of “diversity”

Does these strategies include the new media? ◦ No: Governments see the ebooks as any other digital

content. ◦ Fever for the new media: private interests

4. New media in Latin AmericaPublic Policies (Fernando Zapata, CERLALC)

See the Governmets any relation of new media and reading?◦ We need to form readers first

See the Governments a role of the relationship between reading and new media in the building of a better future?◦ They do, buy in a much integral way◦ Infraestructure◦ Piracy: gubernamental policies need to change

towards creativity◦ Answers to problems and solutions to them are not

necesarily the samethe same

4. New media in Latin AmericaPublic Policies (Fernando Zapata, CERLALC)

LibreriadelaU: 8% eBooks

2010 Vs. 2011: increase 200% and +

◦ Countries: Spain Mexico Argentina Colombia USA More than 500 publishing houses

◦ Key of the business: effiency, rentability, key alliances

3. New media in Latin America3.4.2 Publishing business“Other mundialization”

LIBRANDA◦ Random House Mondadori◦ Santillana◦ Planeta

Paper based businessNot possible to buy extra-national

Last kick of the hung man?

3. New media in Latin America3.4.3 Publishing business: against“Other mundialization”

Pillars: ◦Definition of book:

principal mean for: diffusion of culture transmission of knowledge enhancement of social and scientific research conservation of the Nations patrimony improvement of the life condition for all the

citizens Defined by content (creative value is above all

the material means that intervene in its production)

Copyright, Authors rights, etc.

4. New media and publishing business in Latin AmericaPublic Policies

Change of the law’s emphasis: ◦Traditional laws: enhance private sector Tributary favors for publishers Facilities to import paper and export

books◦New laws: create a ground of capable

readers Public Libraries Reading officials Mixed entities Support for private programms

4. New media in Latin AmericaPublic Policies

Model law First one UN 1970 Rights Management,

Folklore and popular culture, e-commerce. 1992: few articles: more benevolent with

industries Cooperation and basic orientation for

Governments in order to enhance the reading culture

Publisher are more politically active than readers

4. New media in Latin AmericaPublic Policies

Few publishing houses see themselves protected No benefits for the circulation No clarity:

◦ printing Vs publishing

◦ National Publisher Vs. Multinational

◦ No protection to the authors or translators

Market impositions: ◦ under 3 months in display

◦ tributary favors: only to physical production, not for the intellectual work

Silvia Castrillón, Asolectura

4. New media and publishing business in Latin AmericaPublic Policies Arguments against the Type-law

5. New media in Latin AmericaCreation• Free (or so it begins…)• Multinational• High Standards of quality (both literary and visual) • Remediation•Transmedia, transnarration, alliance•Emancipation: comes, as in every revolution, from the botom•New media helps to create integration (new mundialization), breaks concentration• Predomination of print culture but digital media is gaining terrain fiercefully•Convergence: no more “ceci tuera cela”.

• Free • Multinational• High Standards of quality (both literary and visual) • Remediation• Transmedia, transnarration, alliance• Emancipation: comes, as in every revolution, from

the botom• New media helps to create integration (new

mundialization), breaks concentration• Predomination of print culture but digital media is

gaining terrain fiercefully• Convergence: no more “ceci tuera cela”.

6. On the way to conclussions