Chapter Review

COMMON THREADS

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One of the Common Threads discussed in Chapter 1 is about the commercial nature of the mass media convergence. Books have been products of a publishing industry in the United States at least since the early 1800s, but with the advent of digital technologies, the structure of the publishing industry is either evolving or dying. Is that a good or bad thing for the future of books?

Since the popularization of Gutenberg’s printing press, there has always been some kind of gatekeeper in the publishing industry. Initially, it was religious institutions (e.g., determining what would constitute the books of the Bible), then intellectuals, educators, and—with the development of publishing houses in the early 1800s–a fully formed commercial publishing industry.

Now, with the digital turn in publishing, anyone can be an author. Clay Shirky, a digital theorist at New York University, argues that this completely undercuts the work of publishers. “Publishing is going away,” Shirky says. “Because the word ‘publishing’ means a cadre of professionals who are taking on the incredible difficulty and complexity and expense of making something public. That’s not a job anymore. That’s a button. There’s a button that says ‘publish,’ and when you press it, it’s done.”21 Indeed, self-publishing is already a huge part of what the industry has become. As the New York Times noted, “Nearly 350,000 new print titles were published in 2011, and 150,000 to 200,000 of them were produced by self-publishing companies.”22 (Table 10.1 lists about 177,000 books published in 2011, so nearly that many more books were self-published in the same year.)

More books in circulation is great for democracy, for the inclusion of more voices. But is there still value to the acquisition, editing, and marketing of books that publishers do? Are these traditional gatekeepers worth keeping around? Is it a legitimate concern that the quality of book content will suffer without publishers to find, develop, and promote the work of the best authors?

KEY TERMS

The definitions for the terms listed below can be found in the glossary at the end of the book. The page numbers listed with the terms indicate where the term is highlighted in the chapter.

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For review quizzes, chapter summaries, links to media-related Web sites, and more, go to bedfordstmartins.com/mediaculture.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

The History of Books from Papyrus to Paperbacks

  1. What distinguishes the manuscript culture of the Middle Ages from the oral and print eras in communication?
  2. Why was the printing press such an important and revolutionary invention?
  3. Why were books particularly important to women readers during the early periods of American history?

Modern Publishing and the Book Industry

  1. Why did publishing houses develop?
  2. Why is the trade book segment one of the most lucrative parts of the book industry?
  3. What are the major issues that affect textbook publishing?
  4. What has undermined the sales of printed and CD encyclopedias?
  5. What is the relationship between the book and movie industries?
  6. Why did the Kindle succeed in the e-book market where other devices had failed?

Trends and Issues in Book Publishing

  1. In what ways have e-books reimagined what a book can be?
  2. What are the major issues in the debate over digitizing millions of books for Web search engines?
  3. What’s the difference between a book that is challenged and one that is banned?

The Organization and Ownership of the Book Industry

  1. What are the current ownership patterns in the book industry? How do they affect the kinds of books that are published?
  2. What are the general divisions within a typical publishing house?
  3. What was the impact of the growth of book superstores on the rest of the bookstore industry?
  4. How have online bookstores and e-books affected bookstores and the publishing industry?
  5. What are the concerns over Amazon’s powerful role in determining book pricing and having its own publishing divisions?
  6. What is Andrew Carnegie’s legacy in regard to libraries in the United States and elsewhere?

Books and the Future of Democracy

  1. Why is an increasing interest in reading a signal for improved democratic life?

QUESTIONING THE MEDIA

  1. As books shift to being digital, what advantages of the bound-book format are we sacrificing?
  2. Given the digital turn in the book industry, if you were to self-publish a book, what strategies would you take in marketing and distribution to help an audience find it?
  3. Imagine that you are on a committee that oversees book choices for a high school library in your town. What policies do you think should guide the committee’s selection of controversial books?
  4. Why do you think the availability of television and cable hasn’t substantially decreased the number of new book titles available each year? What do books offer that television doesn’t?
  5. Would you read a book on a) a computer, b) a phone, or c) a tablet? Why or why not?

ADDITIONAL VIDEOS

Visit the image VideoCentral: Mass Communication section at bedfordstmartins.com/mediaculture for additional exclusive videos related to Chapter 10, including:

Authors discuss how e-books are changing both how books are consumed and how they are written.

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