Books: The Durable Medium Comm 101 Chapter 3

History of books Early forms Papyrus From reed in Egypt (3000 B.C.) Parchment Dried animal skins Durable

History of books Early forms Asian books Books on rice paper Printed from wooden blocks

History of books Print Revolution Gutenberg’s press Developed moveable type Allowed mass production Gutenberg Bible Published about 1455 Johannes Gutenberg

History of books Print Revolution Printing press changed world from oral to print culture Oral culture: Information transmitted from speech Print culture: People able to read ideas directly Learning could be handed down Reduced traditional authority of kings, religious leaders Led to Enlightenment in Europe

History of books The book in America Spanish established press in Mexico City Early Colonial publishers in New England Escaping repression in England Avoiding control by King

History of books First Colonial books Bay Psalm Book: First book in America Early printers ran bookstores Vertical integration First public library Bay Psalm Book (1644) aka The Whole Booke of Psalms

History of books Universal education builds literacy Massachusetts Law (1642) Every child must be taught to read U.S. law (1820s) Adopted for country McGuffey’s Eclectic Readers Since 1836, were standard in reading

History of books The Industrial Revolution Technological advancement Machine-made paper from wood pulp High-speed presses Lithography = high-quality images Linotype = machines set type Distribution, cost Book publishers not get price break of newspapers, magazines Book rate finally adopted in 1914

History of books Books and slavery Frederick Douglass’ autobiography Told the horrors of slavery Uncle Tom’s Cabin National best seller Frederick Douglass

History of books Paperback books Dime novels (pulp novels) Popular with Civil War soldiers Mass market paperbacks Recycled best sellers Non-fiction Formula Human interest stories, sexy cover, low price

History of books Paperback books Modern formats Action-adventure novels Male-oriented mysteries Formulaic, lots of action Romance novels Female-oriented stories Formulaic, happy ending

History of books Conglomerates and globalization Five major companies dominate industry Just one of five (Time Warner) is based in U.S.

History of books New forms of books Audio books Originally for sight-impaired Now popular with commuters E-books Digital files, special hardware Hypertext allows interactivity Kindle

Publishing industry Types of books Trade books Largest share of book sales General-interest fiction, non-fiction Educational books Textbooks for all levels

Publishing industry Types of books Reference books Fact-based, like atlases Professional books For occupational specialties Specialty books Religious, yearbooks, anthologies

Publishing industry The author Few full-time book authors Most write books on side Write non-fiction, fiction in various venues Agent Represents author’s work Knowledge of industry

Publishing industry The author Contract Sign agreement before writing book Advance, share of sales (royalties) Writing “on spec” Finish book without commitment from publisher Royalties mostly, rarely fixed payment

Publishing industry The author Celebrities as writers Fame allows them to get contract Writers become celebrities Fame from writing

Publishing industry The editors Acquisition editors Selects books to be published Developmental editors Helps author make major changes Copy editors Polishes manuscript

Publishing industry Publishers Minority publishers Target specific audience University presses Mostly academic books Small presses Regional publishers, small companies

Publishing industry Book sellers Chains and megastores Barnes & Noble, Borders = ½ of U.S. sales Independents Many small, specialty stores Powell’s: Largest used book seller

Publishing industry Book sellers Online sellers Amazon.com leading bookstore Bookmatcher program Many others

Publishing industry Readers Bibliophiles = read a lot Casual readers = read some Required readers = only for work, studies Illiterates = can’t read Alliterates = can read, but don’t

Controversies Book censorship First Amendment limits government censorship Still examples of censorship James Joyce’s “Ulysses”

Controversies Book censorship More common in public schools, libraries Parents pressure schools to remove books from curriculum, library

Controversies Book censorship Challenged books get publicity, higher sales Around world, stricter than U.S. Iran issues death threat for Rushdie Nazi books banned in Germany

Controversies The Blockbuster Syndrome Big advances given to big authors Hurts chances of other authors?

Controversies Plagiarism Kaavya Viswanathan Hoax James Frey