Book Industry Research Articles

Salacious Songs: Khemṭā Dance and Participatory Printed Media in Nineteenth-Century North India

Abstract Songbooks were an especially popular product in the colonial-era book industry of northern India. From cheap chapbooks to multi-volume tomes, collections of lyrics covered a range of tastes and genres, appealing to different social settings and performance practices. This article excavates the worlds of music-making invoked by these books through the case study of khemṭā. The khemṭā dancing girl was a low-status performer, associated with the playboy culture of early-nineteenth century Calcutta. Khemṭā lyrics were considered especially salacious and sensual, and the common view today is that the genre was geared towards titillation rather than artistry. Following the exile of Wajid ʿAli Shah of Awadh (r. 1847–1856) to Calcutta, this genre began to be choreographed and performed in the royal court, and the former king began to collect – and compose his own – khemṭā lyrics. By the late nineteenth century, khemṭā dancers were performing at fairs across northern India, and their verses were being compiled and printed in different scripts and languages. Khemṭā’s increasing popularity challenges the general impression of the late nineteenth century as a period of rising conservatism posed against “decadent” literary and musical forms. This view of the period presents an obstacle to making sense of the activities of Muslim lyricists, choreographers, dancers, and songbook editors. Countering this narrative, this article considers how khemṭā was printed, read, sung, and danced, and the modes of listening and arousal embedded in the printed song text.

Labor in the Margins: Filipino Comics Workers in the US Comic Book Industry

ABSTRACT: This article recovers the work of Filipino comics artists. More accurately, it builds a history of their working conditions. Focusing on the case of Nestor Redondo, this article deliberately foregrounds the issues of labor, migration, and artists' rights in the US comic book industry. It examines the work of Filipino comics workers through the lens of racial capitalism, linking the experiences of Redondo and his peers to the broader histories of the globalization of Filipino labor. As such, it highlights the racial and colonial dimensions of labor in the comics industry and recognizes that histories of comics go hand in hand with histories of labor.

디지털시대의 도서정가제 규제 재검토 과정 분석

This study analyzes what discussions took place during the 2020 regulatory review and why decisions were made to maintain the book price regulation, using a policy network model. The results of the analysis are as follows. Along with the proliferation of e-publishing, online communities emerged as the opposition group, advocating for alleviating of the book price regulation and garnering 200,000 signatures on a public petition, but they were not representative and did not have a cooperative relationship with the proponents. In addition, they were not formally involved in the closed and centralized coordination structure led by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Publication Industry Promotion Agency of Korea. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism considered deregulating the book price system after 200,000 people signed a petition, but ultimately decided to keep it in place due to opposition from the publishing and book industry. The analysis of this process reveals the limitations of e-petitions, which are highly efficient but lack sustainability, and suggests that efforts should be made to ensure the participation of citizens, especially web novel and web cartoon readers, in the regulatory review scheduled for the end of 2023.

Still on the same page: A gender comparison of the top 100 picture books from the UK and China published 2011–2020

AbstractAs a primary source for the early ages, picture books guide preschool children's gender perception through stories and illustrations. However, previous studies have criticised an overall gender inequality in children's picture books. Compared to the increasing attention on gender diversity in the UK picture book industry, there has been little concern shown about gender diversity in the Chinese picture book market (which has only developed in the 21st Century). This article compares gender representation and gender stereotypes within 200 UK and Chinese bestselling picture books published between 2011 and 2020. It examines a range of aspects including authors' gender, and gendered aspects of book texts and illustrations via content analysis and text mining. Results show (1) there is male dominance in bestselling Chinese authorship, while titles from female authors are more prevalent in the UK list; (2) there is a predominance of male central characters in both bestselling UK and Chinese titles; (3) the narratives in bestselling picture books, especially in Chinese book texts, promote gender essentialism and gender biases in picture books from both markets; (4) that UK titles in translation, as well as other foreign titles, become an essential means of promoting gender equality in the mainstream Chinese picture book market. This study stresses that gender inequality is an international issue and aims to remind all parties in two different picture book industries to work on gender equality in future publishing practice, while showing that translation studies allow us to see how different markets intersect.

Publishing Associations and Drivers and Barriers for Climate Action

Abstract Climate change is an increasingly urgent matter at the national, European, and international levels. In 2021, the European Union pledged to become the first carbon-neutral region by 2050 and to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 55 per cent by 2030. In the book industry, publishing associations are one of the main actors in fostering environmental sustainability. They are represented at the European level by the Federation of European Publishers (FEP). This paper focuses on drivers and opportunities for action on climate within the publishing sector, analysing responses from several senior European publishing association representatives during a series of interviews conducted in May 2022. The interviews revealed differing approaches between European publishing associations that were proactively addressing the topic (push approach) and those whose membership had yet to recognize climate change as a priority issue (pull approach). Overall, publishing associations are well positioned to engage their respective members. The final part of this article suggests some actions that publishing associations could take to help their members to address sustainability. First, to facilitate discussion, regional or international organizations such as FEP or the International Publishers Association could provide support to frame the wider context. Secondly, all climate-related actions in the publishing sector should be concrete, such as implementing carbon calculators or reimagining a more eco-friendly book fair. Finally, the article emphasizes the reputational risk for associations that do not take a position on the issue, and the increasing pressure that could come from the media and the regulatory environment, and suggests a more consistent approach and communication strategy.

Book Marketing in Nigeria: Appraising the Role of Digital and Social Media Innovations

Nigeria’s huge population assures a ready market for books, setting the stage for a virile book publishing industry. However, the book industry has been characterized by some anomalies, including the shortage of tertiary level textbooks and the non-availability of books in professional fields like medicine, engineering and technology. Although the situation has improved considerably over the years, the emergence of digital technologies has set the tone for competition in consumer media markets, with book publishers struggling to gain competitive advantage through digital media adoption. Past studies record various approaches to repositioning the Nigerian book publishing industry for growth and development through the adoption of various forms of digital publishing innovations. However, there is a knowledge gap on the role of social media innovations in the prevailing business-to-consumer (b2c) book market environment in Nigeria. A review of extant literature reveals that the book market in Nigeria has been greatly influenced by the demand for educational materials, especially textbooks for primary and secondary level education. It is established that to expand and grow a virile book publishing industry, Nigerian publishers need to open up new book markets and deploy digital and social media innovations to attract new customers, develop relationships, and increase awareness.

Theoretical and applied aspects of the formation of the Digital platform of the book industry as a component of the information space

Theoretical and applied aspects of the formation of the Digital platform of the book industry as a component of the information space

A Mixed Blessing: Impact of Covid-19 on Authors and Libraries in Zambia

The study examines the impact of Covid-19 on authors and libraries in Zambia. Data were collected for three weeks through in-depth interviews via WhatsApp platform and phone calls with the participants. Being a qualitative study, 15 participants were randomly selected from a sampling framework of 157 respondents. Ten participants were authors while five were librarians. The phenomenological approach was found apposite for this study because it involved collecting, describing, and examining participants' individual lived experiences about a particular phenomenon, in this case, the Covid-19 pandemic impact. The data were analysed thematically according to the general steps for analysing phenomenological data as presented by LoBiondo and Hubee (1988). The study shows that the impact of Covid-19 on authors and libraries is something of a double-edged sword. While on the downside, it has reduced book sales, increased the cost of publishing, and threatened job security and access to resources, on the upside it has challenged authors and libraries to think outside the box. Authors are challenged to maximise digital resources while libraries should invest in digital resources and virtual libraries. The study concludes that the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted negatively as well as positively on the book industry in Zambia.

Standing the test of time: What makes a book survive on the bestseller list?

Books that stand the test of time not only entertain, inform, and inspire consumers but also serve as stable income sources for the book industry. Despite their cultural and economic significance, few studies have investigated consumers’ purchasing motivations and their impact on the lifespan of books on bestseller lists. In this study, we applied a topic modeling approach and identified five consumer needs hidden in reviews across 276 books: Growth needs, Relational needs, Health needs, Cognitive needs related to facts, and Cognitive needs related to life experiences. Among them, we found that Growth needs, Relational needs, and Cognitive needs related to facts influence the longevity of bestsellers. By considering consumers’ desires in the context of books, this study enriches research on the uses and gratifications theory, and provides insights for publishers and retailers on how to plan, market, and manage titles from a long-term perspective.

Book publicists and the labour of cultural intermediation

ABSTRACT Book publicists are important intermediaries in generating earned media attention, creating discoverability opportunities, and getting new books into the hands of potential readers. Despite their important function in book culture, publicists’ labour in producing and framing value in the book industry is often rendered invisible in the industry and scholarly literature, which we trace back to field-defining conceptual models, particularly Robert Darnton’s Communications Circuit (1982). This article draws on interviews with eight Australian publicists to make visible, interrogate, and explain the material and symbolic labour involved in the affective relationship-building and cultural framing work of publicity. This article explores publicists’ day-to-day work, their relationships with authors, colleagues and the media, and publicity’s function in contemporary book culture. Book publicists are important cultural intermediaries: they are integral to the economic and social contexts of publishing, and influence and shape cultural tastes and value through strategic promotional work, resulting in considerable effects across the domains of production and reception.

Leveraging Social Media Word-of-Mouth for Marketing Communications in the Nigerian Book Publishing Industry

The marketing aspect of book publishing is essential to the publishing industry's survival in the digital markets. Although there have been efforts to improve marketing methods in Nigeria's book industry over the past several years, the reality is that marketing in the country has not received the maximum amount of attention. In addition to establishing marketing units to entrench innovative marketing practices, there has also been a shift towards business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing as publishers establish online presence by setting up websites to distribute and promote their books, in conjunction with other digital platforms. However, there is a knowledge gap on how Nigerian book publishers use social media for marketing communications, particularly the function of social media word-of-mouth in this context. In light of this, this study reviews the literature on the roles of social media word-of-mouth and social media advertising in the marketing communication strategies of book publishers. The results show that word-of-mouth marketing on social media, one of the most popular types of marketing communication, has established itself as a valuable source of information that consumers can use to make their purchasing decisions, based on favorable testimonials of other customers. On the other hand, there is the issue of unfavorable remarks or reviews that might prove to be counterproductive, necessitating the use of social media advertising as a method for participating in online communities and having one-on-one interactions with individual community members by specifically targeting them with social media messages.

Theoretical and applied aspects of the formation of the Digital platform of the book industry as a component of the information space

Theoretical and applied aspects of the formation of the Digital platform of the book industry as a component of the information space

Queer Voids

Queer Voids

Gribanov Readings — 2022 as a Platform for Discussing the History and Development of Book Culture in Russia

The All-Russian scientific and practical conference with international participation “Gribanov Readings — 2022” was held on December 14—16, 2022 at the National Library of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The article discusses the problems of the book culture of the regions of Russia; this theme was in the focus of attention of conference participants and was the subject of scientific discussion at the plenary session and in the course of the sections: “National and local history bibliography: history, status and new horizons”, “Reading infrastructure: research, exchange of experience”, “Historical and cultural studies to preserve the cultural heritage of the indigenous peoples of the Russian North, Siberia and the Far East” and “Digital transformation of libraries”. Within the framework of the conference, there were organized the round table “Modern Library Education: exchange of opinions of practitioners and theorists, managers and performers, teachers and students, readers and librarians” and the First Regional Festival of Scientific Research Cinema “Science Cinema”. The conference aroused great interest in the professional and scientific community. More than 130 specialists took part in it — theorists and practitioners of library and information activities, experts in the book industry, philosophers, historians, ethnographers, cultural scientists, art historians, employees of archives and museums from 30 regions of Russia, as well as from Belarus, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The conference was aimed at identifying the main vectors of the history and current trends in the development of book culture in the regions of Russia, assessing the role of books and reading, bibliography, modern book publishing, discussing the key issues of the domestic book market, finding ways to digitally transform libraries and preserve the best traditions of the development of the book industry.

Talking About Audio: Analysing Book Industry Trade Talk on Audiobooks and Streaming in Sweden and Norway

Streaming services are creating significant shifts in Scandinavia, with audiobooks distributed through subscription-based services accounting for about a quarter of sales in the Swedish and Norwegian book markets. In this study we ask: What are the common and diverging themes of trade talk on audiobooks and streaming services in Sweden and Norway? Our findings indicate that trade talk in the two countries differs distinctively. The differences suggest that discussions over audiobooks and streaming form two quite distinct discourses: A business and innovation discourse which is dominant in Sweden and a cultural policy discourse which is dominant in Norway.

Periodicity, Subscription, and Mass Circulation: Mail-Order Book Culture Reconsidered

Connections between periodical studies and book history run deep. Building on this existing work, this contribution discusses untapped potential at the cross-section of book studies and periodical studies, especially when considering mass-market periodical and book formats. Several popular magazines, among them Psychology Today and Playboy, created book series and even book clubs, expanding their brands and diversifying their income streams. The article offers a case study of the mass-market book club ‘Reader’s Digest Condensed Books’, launched by the magazine Reader’s Digest in the 1950s. This popular club reached millions of households in the second half of the twentieth century and still continues to play a role in the book industry today with the series ‘Reader’s Digest Select Editions’.

The impact of licensed and unlicensed free goods: an empirical analysis of music, video, and book industries in Japan

The impact of licensed and unlicensed free goods: an empirical analysis of music, video, and book industries in Japan

The Decline of the Comic Book Industry in Mexico: between Globalization Processes and the Lack of Public Policies

El crecimiento de las industrias culturales y creativas ha cambiado la concepción social de los productos de la actividad artística, que se están convirtiendo en importantes instrumentos de desarrollo en muchos lugares del mundo. Sin embargo, la industria nacional luce cada vez menos competitiva. El presente trabajo explora los efectos de la globalización en la industria de la historieta en México, y presenta una visión de su futuro a partir de la evidencia empírica disponible y de las opiniones de distintas partes interesadas en el sector, acerca de las circunstancias, necesidades y retos que se enfrentan, así como de lo que se debería hacer para aprovechar la tendencia de la industria internacional. Se concluye que será difícil revertir este proceso sin un cambio en las políticas públicas que lleve hacia la creación de un ambiente que permita explotar el potencial económico.

Can book covers help predict bestsellers using machine learning approaches?

As the book publishing market changes from offline to online, readers tend to purchase books while paying more attention to book covers and metadata rather than the actual book contents. We examine whether publishers can know users’ satisfaction with books in advance, and both metadata and book covers help predict this satisfaction. Exploring effects of metadata and book covers on the satisfaction is not only necessary for publishers’ perspectives, but also for librarians’ perceptions. However, the majority of prior research on user preference-based book recommendation systems in both book industry and library system employed review comments, ratings, or book loan records. Thus, we open up the potentiality of other factors, which implicitly affect the satisfaction with books. We collected book titles, authors, publishers, reviews, ratings, and covers from the “Literature and Fiction” genre in the Amazon bookstore and conducted an experiment to predict readers’ satisfaction ratings based on book reviews, metadata, and book covers. Several deep learning classifiers (CNN, ResNet, LSTM, BiLSTM, GRU, BiGRU) were employed. Reviews alone can reach a certain level of prediction performance, but adding metadata, cover images, and cover objects to a review-based predictive model slightly improves that performance. Based on these results, we confirmed that both metadata and book covers improve predicting readers’ perceived satisfaction. This study is a pilot exploration of the idea that multimodal approaches can improve the prediction of the perceived satisfaction of book readers. Moreover, we have publicly released both source codes and data samples employed in this study.

Russian publishing market and sci-tech library collection development

The Russian publishing market is analyzed from the library’ perspective, as the book publishing and book distribution market dynamics, including both book publishing and trends in distributing in different formats through various channels and technologies, affect significantly library collection development. The following problems are indicated: 1) completeness and accessibility of information on scientific literature being published; 2) procurability. The analysis is based on the statistical data by Russian Book Chamber, sector-specific report “The Russian Book Market”, etc. The dependence of quality of library collection development on the book industry status is emphasized. In assessing quantitative characteristics of scientific book publishing, the acquisitions indicators of RNPLS&T as a Mandatory Copy receiver, were used. The role of electronic library systems, library book pools, as well as of the National Book Platform and National Bibliographic Resource, both under development, is explored.