U.S. book returns, 1984–1989

Between 1984 and 1989, the U.S. book industry drowned in a recorded $7.88 billion of returns: 23.87 percent of all books published during those years were returned to publishers by wholesalers and booksellers for full credit. This massive return of books undermined the stability of the book industry, causing many publishers to question the efficacy of a system that failed to operate successfully during a period of exceptionally stable business conditions, free from high rates of interest and inflation, recession, or a war. In this study the author addresses the book return phenomenon by: (1) analyzing statistics about the U.S. book industry and its twelve key market segments; (2) evaluating possible causes of the increase in returns; and (3) proposing some suggestions to reduce returns. Albert N. Greco also serves on the board of directors of the Book Industry Study Group, publisher ofBook Industry Trends, 1991.     

出路在何方:中国科协赴荷兰科技期刊考察团有感

通过与荷兰爱思唯尔、威科两大出版集团进行深层次的座谈,考察其有关编辑出版、期刊管理、电子数据平台建设等流程,研讨出版物的未来发展方向以及双方的出版合作与交流,探讨我国科技期刊的发展之路。     

A Publisher Perspective: How One Publisher is Responding to the Changing World of Scholarly Communication

For this talk, Marks was tasked with summarizing the important trends in scholarly publishing in 45 minutes. The speaker reflected on the rapid changes that have occurred in journal publishing, which followed more than 300 years of relatively slow progress. Marks discussed key technology trends such as data curation, Open Access (OA) mandates, and the changes occurring in the global landscape of scholarly communications and library budgets. Wolters Kluwer Health has been responding to these trends with new publishing experiments including a Platinum OA model in emerging markets. Marks discussed the ways that publishers and libraries need to alter their traditional practices and instill a focus on their customers and communities.     

Amazon: Love Them? Hate Them? Let’s Follow the Money

What is Amazon up to and why? Amazon reported $24 billion in annual revenue, from their 2009 year-end financial results. The Media/book category delivered $5.96 billion, or 1/4 of their total revenue. That’s considerably more than any of the largest companies in the traditional print or digital book business. Barnes and Noble/B Dalton collected $4.52 billion (2008), while Borders/Waldenbooks combined revenue was $3.11 billion (2008). Amazon’s book revenue steadily increases, while Borders and Barnes and Nobel continue to decrease. What strategies and values are fueling this growth? What is their vision and where have they put their money? Amazon has a demonstrated history of consistent behavior since their start-up in 1995, with big visions, long-term strategies, dedicated to streamlining, surgically eliminating costs, prolific innovations, strategic investments, and an obsession over the customer. We’ll track Amazon’s M&A investments in book publishing and digital to see exactly what they are doing to learn where they may be going. It is wise to stay current on one of the most influential companies in the world.     

Short words work well, make good sense: Some ways to write with them when you deal with books

A notable entry in the 1984 ISI Press book, the Copywriter’s Handbook (for promotion of specialized and scholarly journals) was a 250-word entry “How to Write with Short Words,” written entirely with one syllable words. For an updated and expanded edition in the 1990s, which failed to materialize, author Nat Bodian drew on thirty-plus years of copywriting experience to expand the one-syllable word article on book promotion and book review writing to more than 850 words. An effort to have the lengthy one-syllable article in the Guinness Book of Records also failed; Guinness had no category for such an entry. The article appears in print here for the first time.     

The South’s torturous search for the good books

The story of the book in Southern history is the story of the perception of dangers associated with reading, of the problems in establishing the communications system essential for making books available, of the differing meanings of books to different groups in Southern culture. This article traces that story from the colonial era through the present, paying special attention to friction between North and South, the role of religious orthodoxy, the dominance of oral culture, deficiencies in the library system, and the rural nature of the region. It ends with a discussion of Southern writers and their role in the development of a book culture. Charles Reagan Wilson received his bachelor of arts (1970) and master of arts (1972) in history at the University of Texas at El Paso and his doctorate in history at the University of Texas at Austin (1977). He has taught at the University of Mississippi, where he is professor of History and Southern Studies, since 1981. He is the author ofBaptized in Blood: The Religion of the Lost Cause, 1865–1920 (1980) and coeditor of theEncyclopedia of Southern Culture (1989).     

Bibliographic Data Science and the History of the Book (c. 1500–1800)

Abstract

National bibliographies have been identified as a crucial resource for historical research on the publishing landscape, but using them requires addressing challenges of data quality, completeness, and interpretation. We call this approach bibliographic data science. In this article, we briefly assess the development of book formats and the vernacularization process in early modern Europe. The work undertaken paves the way for more extensive integration of library catalogs to map the history of the book.     

Eight things I've learned about kids and poetry

Teaching, editing anthologies, and working with teachers and students as a visiting poet have taught the author important lessons about selecting poetry for children, eliciting their reactions, finding exciting new poems, and encouraging people to read poetry. He includes lists of suggested poetry books and magazines. Paul B. Janeczko has edited a number of award-winning poetry anthologies for young adults.Brickyard Summer was his first book of poetry for young readers. He lives in Maine, where he works as writer, consultant, and visiting poet.     

科技出版数字化转型中的产品思维变革

科技出版数字化转型中信息产品的转型尤为重要.产品是传媒战略的承载者,也是传媒与用户之间的直接载体,关系到传媒竞争力的实现,而产品思维对于提升出版传媒的竞争力具有关键性作用.通过对国际著名科技出版集团医学数字化信息产品的剖析,发现在产品生产的中观层面上其思维模式发生了转向,尤为突出的特点是产品生产全流程的用户导向性以及专业内容与新媒体的高度切合性.     

Book Reviews

Scholarly Publishing Practice 3: Academic Journals Publishers' Policies and Practices in Online Publishing , 3rd edition John Cox, John Cox Associates Ltd. Laura Cox, Frontline Global Marketing Services Ltd. Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers, 2008, 108 pp. ISBN 978 0 907341 39 0, pbk, £60/$115/€80 (ALPSP members) ISBN 978 0 907341 40 6, e‐book, free to ALPSP members; print plus e‐book, £115/$225/€150 (non‐members)     

Literature of broadcasting: Books in review

Two books have recently crossed this desk which are deserving of comment. The first of these is My First 10,000,000 Sponsors,by Frank Edwards (New York: Ballantine Books, Inc. 1956. 185 pp. 35c). Edited by Bernard Rosenberg and David Manning White

One book, for which it is possible to predict an important future is Mass Culture, subtitle The Popular Arts in America. (Glencoe, Illinois: The Free Press, 1957. 561 pp. $6.50.)

Three from Hastings

HOW TO ANNOUNCE FOR RADIO AND TELEVISION. Edited by William I. Kaufman. New York. Hastings House, 1956. 95 pp. $2.50.

AN AD MAN AD‐LIBS ON TV. By Bob Foreman. New York. Hastings House, 1957. 173 pp. $4.50.

HOW TO USE A TAPE RECORDER. By Dick Hodgson and H. Jay Bullen. New York. Hastings House, 1957. 216 pp. $4.95.

THE FUNNY MEN. By Steve Allen. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1956. 280 pp. $3.95.     

A history of the book trade in the south

Long known as a difficult market for books, the South has become more receptive, largely through the efforts of booksellers. This article reviews the history of some of the South's book retailers and their role in their communities. The often strained relations between booksellers and publishers are discussed, including the role of the publisher's rep. The establishment of regional booksellers associations is described. The impact of wholesalers on retail business practices is reviewed, and the current state of the book trade in the South is assessed. Philip M. Pfeffer has served since 1978 as chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Ingram Distribution Group Inc. of La Vergne, Tennessee. Ingram Distribution Group Inc. is the parent company of Ingram Book Company, the world's largest wholesaler of trade books. Mr. Pfeffer also holds the position of executive vice president and is on the board of directors of Ingram Industries Inc. of Nashville, Tennessee. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.     

“Go,little book ...”: Getting a book to readers

An author, editor, agent, marketing director, and bookseller describe in turn how one book—Facing the Music: Short Stories by Larry Brown—made the journey from a writer's brain to readers' brains. Larry Brown is the author of two novels,Dirty Work andJoe, and two short-story collections,Facing the Music andBig Bad Love. His next book,On Fire, is a nonfiction account of his experiences in the Oxford, Mississippi, Fire Department. Liz Darhansoff is a literary agent with Darhansoff and Verrill Literary Agency, New York. Richard Howorth is an Oxford bookseller who serves on theParis Review's Booksellers' Advisory Board, the Board of Directors of the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters, and the Board of Directors of the American Booksellers Association. He chairs the ABA's Publisher Relations Committee and in 1986 was awarded the Charles S. Haslam Award for excellence in bookselling. Shannon Ravenel is editorial director of Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill and the editor of its annualNew Stories from, the South. From 1977 to 1990 she was series editor forBest American Short Stories, and she editedThe Best American Short Stories of the Eighties. Ina Stern is marketing director of Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill.     

The publishing industry and the single European market

True European integration cannot occur without developing a common cultural base that preserves diversity. An analysis of the present European publishing market and the involvement to date of the European Community in publishing sheds light on the likely impact of European unity on the industry. The book is the main force of European culture, and European publishing is healthy. To protect and enhance this vitality, the European Community must promote coordination with regard to author/publisher relations, adaptation of book distribution channels, book pricing, taxation, libraries, promotion of reading, foreign trade, control of illicit reprography, and development of information and research relevant to publishing and the book. Germán Sánchez Ruipérez is founder, chairman and CEO of Grupo Anaya and CEO of America Publishing Group. He heads the Committee on Reading of the International Publishers Association and the Ibero-American Chapter of the International Group of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers.     

The next ten years in publishing: National,international, and educational perspectives

In describing the Renaissance-style publisher of the 1990s, this article emphasizes the craft and skills needed to maintain quality. Ian Montagnes suggests that these skills must now be taught formally, rather than by apprenticeship. He also describes one such training program that he has conducted for editors in developing countries. Ian Montagnes is assistant director and editor-in-chief of the University of Toronto Press. He has served continuously as either associated editor or editor ofScholarly Publishing: A Journal for Authors and Editors since its inception in 1969. He has also been active in the Canadian and American associations of university presses and the Society for Scholarly Publishing     

Henry Holt a-spinning in his grave: Literary agenting yesterday and today

The role of the literary agent and the reception granted agents by publishers have changed markedly over the course of the twentieth century. Henry Holt’s views of agents, written in the first decade of the century, help define the status and activities of agents at that time. These are compared with the role of agents today, using archival sources, the book trade literature, and interviews. Thomas L. Bonn, review editor of this journal, is a librarian, Library at State University College at Cortland. He is the author ofUnder Cover: An Illustrated History of American Mass Market Paperbacks andHeavy Traffic and High Culture: The New American Library as Literary Gatekeeper. He is working on a study of American literary agents.     

Book reviews

The Metadata Handbook: A Book Publisher's Guide to Creating and Distributing Metadata for Print and Ebooks Renée Register and Thad McIlroy Columbus, OH, DATACurate, 2012, 133pp. ISBN: 978‐0‐9858288‐1‐3 (PDF), 978‐0‐9858288‐5‐1 (Kindle), 978‐0‐9858288‐2‐0 (epub), 978‐0‐9858288‐0‐6 (pbk), $125.00 (pbk) $95.00 (e‐book) http://themetadatahandbook.com/     

高职院校图书馆"老书库"建设初探

高职院校大部分是由中等专业学校转制而来,其图书馆目前面临着文献总量不足、馆藏文献质量低和馆舍面积不足等困境.这些院校的图书馆一般具有较长的文献收藏历史.馆藏的各类历史文献虽算不上弥足珍贵.也不足什么珍本、善本,但却反映了一定历史时期我国的出版发行特点及文化背景.由于这部分文献具有特殊历史意义,对于需要它的特定读者仍有一定的参考价值,因此,建立"老书库",对这些文献进行特藏,既可以使这些文献得到保护,又可以满足读者的特定需求,还可以确保图书总量满足教学评估的要求.对图书馆的藏书建设是非常有意义的.     

一代藏书家——胡应麟

胡应麟是明朝中后期的著名学者。他酷爱藏书，以一介布衣散尽家财，通过多种途径收藏图书，其聚书达4万余册。为妥善保管图书，他还专门建立藏书室。胡应麟认为藏书当以“用”为目的，他本人也身体力行，用功甚勤，为一著述型藏书家，一生笔耕不辍，在文学、史学等领域取得很大的成就。