The Publishing Industry and Research Perspectives

Abstract

Paris 13 Villetaneuse University was the first to propose a publishing training course; it started in the early 1970s. Organised today with two specialised master's degrees (Editorial Politics and Book Marketing), these training courses are supported in research matters by the Information and Communication Science Laboratory (LABSIC), which dedicates one of its fields of study to the cultural, educational and creative industries. At University College London, the Department of Information Studies delivers training courses (such as an MA in publishing) and leads research work within the CIBER group, on issues such as the use of e-journals in academic sectors, the evolution of e-book practices and the ‘Google generation’ phenomenon. As they have numerous common bases, the two universities have established a research partnership centred on publishing. Publishing, at least in France, although it has long been studied as part of literary and cultural history, was kept apart from social and economic studies, unlike other cultural sectors (television, cinema, music, media, radio). However, it is now a fully recognised component of the cultural industries, especially since the expansion of digital technologies within the editorial world. However late, France may now – at least in terms of the digital conversion of its book industry, and notably regarding the textbook market – be on an equal footing with the United Kingdom, and the two countries share, with others, the fact that publications are the latest cultural industry to make the digital move.