BOOKS

The Publishing Industry

Amazon KINDLE

OTHER (not so recent) Trends• Harry Potter

Trends• “The Oprah Effect”

History of Books• Papyrus Egypt, 2400 B.C. -made

from reeds

Plato

• China: bamboo strips(1600 BC)

History of Books

• Parchment- treated animal skin, 300 BC

History of Books• Vellum- the term for high quality

parchment• Smooth• durable

History of Books

• Codex - protomodern book form, 2nd-3rd century A.D.

History of Books• Paper: 13th century

(cheaper thanvellum…)

Manuscript Culture• Middle Ages, 400-

1500 A.D.• Illuminated

manuscripts

• ALLINCAPITALLETTERSTHATRANTOGETHERSOITWASREALLYHARDTOREADTHEWORDS

History of Books

History of Books

PRINTING

PRINTING• China: movable type, 1000 AD• Koreans: 1400 AD

The Gutenberg Revolution• 1453-56• Printing press

with movable type

The Gutenberg Revolution• Social transformations - information

spreads beyond localities• People see themselves as individuals

-- not solely dependent upon leaders and families

• Can challenge traditional wisdom

Books in the U.S.• 1830s - machine-made paper• Cloth rather than leather covers• mid-1800s: paperback books• 1860s - paperback dime novels• Also known as pulp fiction

Advances in Printing

• Linotype: mid 1880s. Allows type to be set mechanically with typewriter-like keyboard.

Advances in Printing• Offset lithography: Books printed

from photographic plates rather than metal casts.

Types of Books

Types of Books• Trade Books - for general

readers, sold at bookstores (fiction and nonfiction, biographies, literary classics, art books, cook books, etc.) Can be hard or “quality” softbound.

• Is the largest segment in sales ($).

COLLEEN?

Types of Books• Professional Books -

Target occupational groups, not general public. Law, business, medicine, technical-scientific.

Types of Books• Textbooks - • El-hi

– influence of Texas and California• College

– Average cost $72.83. – Average student spends $832 a

year on textbooks and supplies.

Think-Pair-Share1. how much money did you spend

this semester on textbooks?2. which books cost the most money?3. if you returned any books last

semester, how much $$ did you get back?

4. what choices are available at your university or college for purchasing textbooks?

Media & Culture• $78.95

Authors: – Richard Campbell: 9.00– Bettina Fabos: 75 cents– Chris Martin: 75 cents

TOTAL: $10.50

• Publisher (Bedford/St. Martins)– Paper, printing, editorial: $20.50– General Administrative costs: $7– Marketing costs: $10.50– Pre-tax income: $4.90TOTAL: $42.90

• Freight Expense: TOTAL: $1

• College Bookstore– Personnel: $8.90– Operations: $8.1– Pre-tax income: $7.55

TOTAL: $24.55

Types of Books• Mass-market paperbacks - most

sold, but not most profitable segment (low margins of profit)

• Religious books - most popular book of all-time?

Types of Books• Reference Books

• University Press Books

Types of Books• Reference Books

• University Press Books– Wrong Turn

Organization of Industry• Acquisitions editors• Subsidiary rights• Advance money• Developmental editor• Promote books with “dumps”

Organization of Industry• Superstores

– Borders-Waldenbooks– Barnes & Noble, B.Dalton, Doubleday

• Online stores– Amazon.com– Barnes&noble.com

Ownership in Book Industry• Bertelsmann - owns Random

House, Bantam-Doubleday-Dell• Viacom - owns Simon & Schuster• Time Warner - Little, Brown;

Time/Life Books

• More books published now than ever before: 160,000 annually in U.S. alone.

THINK PAIR SHARE• What kinds of trade books (novels,

nonfiction, etc.) do you like to read?

• How do you find out about a book you might like?

• Where do you buy books?

• Do you check books out of a library?