Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
  1. Home
  2. Publications
  3. Publishing partners
  4. Facet Publishing
  5. Content Listing

Refine listing

Refine listing

Access:
Content type:
Publication date:
Apply   From and To filters
Subject: Show more
Journals Show more
Publishers: Show more
Societies Show more
Series: Show more
Collections: Show more

Actions for selected content:

Select all | Deselect all
  • View selected items
  • Export citations
  • Download PDF (zip)
  • Save to Kindle
  • Save to Dropbox
  • Save to Google Drive

Save Search

You can save your searches here and later view and run them again in "My saved searches".

Please provide a title, maximum of 40 characters.
Cancel
×

6023 results in Facet Publishing

Page 260 of 302

  • 9 - Premature elegies: e-books, electronic publishing and reading

  • from Section 4 - Future directions: Editors’ introduction
  • Edited by Susan Hornby, Bob Glass
  • Book:
    Reader Development in Practice
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    31 August 2008, pp 159-174

  • Summary

    Editors’ preface

    This chapter provides a detailed examination of the e-book, its marketplace and its readership and how these have developed over the past decade. The author considers the e-book and its history, the role of the reader, the technologies available and the users of e-books. In addition she discusses hypertext fiction, online bookselling and locating rare and second-hand texts. This chapter encourages the practitioner to consider adopting new strategies in order to meet the demands resulting from the availability of these new technologies.

    Introduction

    In the late 1990s publishers thought they had discovered an exciting new way of delivering literature to readers, and a promising new revenue stream: the e-book. The hype about e-books became pervasive, insisting that we would soon be reading almost everything online, from academic journals to glossy magazines – and yet, around ten years later, paper is still the dominant medium for most types of publication, and certainly for literature, and the number of books and magazines published is greater than ever. Literature is largely delivered to readers on paper, in the form of traditional print on paper. So what happened to all the overheated predictions about the future, and has anything really changed as a result of electronic publishing? This chapter will examine not only e-books, but also the effects that electronic delivery of information of various sorts have had on the way that publishers and authors deliver literature to readers.

    The e-book and its history

    The definition of an e-book is inseparable from the history of hype, bust and cautious retrenchment that has characterized the e-book. To use a broad definition, it is simply a digital version of a text, which might otherwise be printed. Indeed, almost all printed books are now composed and typeset electronically, and so in theory it is as simple to output such material as an electronic file as it is to print it. This was one of the reasons for the enthusiasm that publishers initially felt about e-books: it is possible to sell the same thing twice, in different media. Not only that, but electronic copies would need no warehousing and have smaller distribution costs.

  • 4 - Managing fiction: managing readers and writers

  • from Section 2 - Reader development: promotions and partnerships: Editors’ introduction
  • Edited by Susan Hornby, Bob Glass
  • Book:
    Reader Development in Practice
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    31 August 2008, pp 59-74

  • Summary

    Editors’ preface

    This chapter follows and develops the ideas introduced in earlier chapters by Jane Matthieson and Linda Corrigan. Anne Sherman considers how, over time, reader development has changed from being seen as an optional extra to being a central part of a public library's remit. In an often amusing way, Anne articulates the changing attitudes of staff to reader development activities and describes some of the schemes introduced.

    Introduction

    This chapter endeavours to show one public library service's changing perspective on reading development – no longer seen as an add-on or optional extra, but as an integral part of service delivery to bring literature to its readers. No criticism of staff or policy is intended, and the views expressed are those of the writer and not intended to be representative of the service as a whole.

    Issues with book issues

    Every person his or her book

    A newspaper review of a newly published book was brought into a library and a request made for the item. The details were duly noted and appropriate forms filled in, the borrower appreciating that the book was not in stock but that his request would be passed on for the stock specialist's attention. The title in question was The Collector's Edition of the Lost Erotic Novels by Anaïs Nin, and the Guardian review that had attracted the reader's attention raised a few weary eyebrows in the staffroom later in the day:

    [T]his self-styled Collector's Edition of erotica is indeed designed for those with specialist interests. There will, however, be just as many enthusiasts of the one-handed read as earnest bibliophiles squinting over their order forms. This is fascinatingly filthy stuff … After 600 pages of orifices, whips and feverish flutterings, the sordid depths of the human psyche will never seem quite the same again.

    The review was itself slightly feverish in tone, but the overall verdict was that this was a recherché and valid collection of erotica with contributions from masters of the art, and a timely reminder of the tenet ‘Every person his or her book’.

  • 1 - The imaginative spark

  • from Section 1 - Foreword: the author as reader: Editors’ introduction
  • Edited by Susan Hornby, Bob Glass
  • Book:
    Reader Development in Practice
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    31 August 2008, pp 5-18

  • Summary

    Editors’ preface

    This contribution presents detailed insight into the activities of a successful working author. Ann describes the process of writing from inception to publication, and provides a fascinating overview of the links between author, publisher, libraries and readers.

    Introduction

    In this chapter I consider how reading influences the process of writing – from the way the stories we read as children feed into our adult experience of the narrative, through to the editing, reviewing and promotion of a finished book. I explore the development of a book from original idea to completed manuscript, using two of my crime novels as examples, and then describe how the writer must be both author and reader during the editorial process. I look at the other professionals in the publishing industry – agents, editors and publicists – and suggest that a passion for reading is as important for them as it is for the writer. I consider the importance of the public library system in developing and promoting both new and more established writers, and suggest that librarians and publishers should make more effort to understand the other's role. Writers now understand the need to engage more directly with their readers, and I explore the way some authors come together to bring their work to reading groups and festival audiences. I use the Harrogate Crime Writing Festival as an example of good practice. The range of reading groups is considered and the potential of new technology in the promotion of books is discussed. I explain that at last publishers have come to recognize the importance of the reader.

    In the beginning

    First of all, I'm a reader. I understand how fiction works, what makes a good story and how to get inside a character's head, because I've always been absorbed by the books I read. I don't analyse what I read from a writer's perspective; when I'm reading, I'm lost in the story like everyone else. The process of writing is instinctive and develops naturally. We all know how to structure a joke. Standing at the bar, a beer in one hand, we string our listeners along, pausing just before the tag line for dramatic effect. Nobody's taught us how to do that.

  • Section 3 - Works of imagination: Editors’ introduction

  • Edited by Susan Hornby, Bob Glass
  • Book:
    Reader Development in Practice
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    31 August 2008, pp 97-100

  • Summary

    This section examines works of imagination and their impact, and developing ways of accessing them.

    The first chapter in this section investigates the concept of rewriting existing stories as hypertext works. This process, among other things, provides the reader with the possibility of selecting multiple endings to works of literature. It explains the technical and literary issues involved in this process and uses the author's hypertext rewriting of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde to illustrate the possibilities.

    This is followed by a consideration of the ways in which a new genre of futuristic fiction for young readers, more specifically for teenagers, has emerged since the late 1960s. The authorial premise is that young people today want to know about the dire consequences of human behaviours, and that they wish to address their fears for the future through reading dystopian-type fiction. This chapter provides a fascinating insight into an increasingly popular fiction genre.

    The final contribution is by an established working poet and performer. He earns his living writing, publishing and presenting his work anywhere and everywhere it is possible to do so. Life as a full-time writer and performer, although very challenging, can be very rewarding. In this uplifting chapter he takes us through a diarized period in his life and includes a number of his poems for good measure.

  • 2 - ‘Time To Read’: the rise and rise of a regional partnership

  • from Section 2 - Reader development: promotions and partnerships: Editors’ introduction
  • Edited by Susan Hornby, Bob Glass
  • Book:
    Reader Development in Practice
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    31 August 2008, pp 23-38

  • Summary

    Editors’ preface

    ‘Time To Read’ is a pioneering regional network of reader development professionals in north west England. This chapter describes how the network and many of its projects and achievements were established. ‘Time To Read’ is a model of best practice in partnership working and there is much here from which people working in other regions can learn. The chapter discusses the effect that focused funding can have on reader development schemes, and demonstrates the value of establishing and maintaining networks of professionals and partners in reader development.

    Introduction

    Library authorities can form regional partnerships to co-ordinate reader development activity. This chapter will cover the development of north west England's ‘Time To Read’ (TTR) network, highlighting its role and achievements. It will take a chronological look at the work of TTR, picking out activities which demonstrate the value in working across local authority boundaries, and activities undertaken in partnership with external organizations.

    TTR was the first regional reader development partnership to have a fulltime, paid co-ordinator. The north west region that TTR covers is geographically large and includes 22 library authorities. It consists of the three large counties of Cumbria, Cheshire and Lancashire, and Greater Manchester and Greater Merseyside.

    The early years of TTR

    How did this unique development come about? The history is now quite lengthy. I shall try to describe it, giving a flavour of TTR's achievements over the years.

    1996: the beginning

    In 1996 Rachel van Riel of the organization Opening the Book1 delivered a pioneering six-month training course in reader development and training to ten library authority representatives in north west England. This fired those attending with enthusiasm for reader development activity – much of which was happening already, but with little recognition from many library managers and often in the face of shrinking book and activity funds. Rachel helped the group to recognize the value of the reader in designing activity – starting from where the reader is rather than imposing a set of librarian values on our stock selection, promotions and events.

  • 12 - All this and chocolate too: educating new professionals in reader development

  • from Section 4 - Future directions: Editors’ introduction
  • Edited by Susan Hornby, Bob Glass
  • Book:
    Reader Development in Practice
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    31 August 2008, pp 193-200

  • Summary

    Editors’ preface

    This chapter discusses the role of the academic and practitioner in ensuring that issues and developments within the field are articulated for future professionals. It outlines the creation and implementation of a specific ‘Literature and its Readers’ unit for undergraduate and postgraduate students. It then examines the unit's contents and the reaction of both practitioners and students to the unit.

    Introduction

    During the academic year 2000–2001 the undergraduate programme offered by the Department of Information and Communication at Manchester Metropolitan University was reviewed. During this process, a colleague (Margaret Kendall) and I re-evaluated our teaching and came to the realization that our joint experience and interests could be used to structure a unit that would enable our students to follow the link from author to reader and discuss the issues involved in reader development.

    Margaret and I worked together to design a unit which would meet both the academic requirements of the university and the professional standards required by CILIP accreditation – and would, we hoped, prove enjoyable, provocative and challenging for our students. This chapter will examine the unit in detail and report on the responses from students, external examiners and practitioners.

    Background

    Web page design, knowledge management, information auditing, information and communication technologies, search engines, information systems design, financial management, human resources management, legislation, political and governmental information, information access, information retrieval, censorship, surveillance, privacy, confidentiality, information for education, health, business, information literacy … and on and on.

    The above are just some of the areas of professional expertise our undergraduate and postgraduate students have to address during their time at university. It is breathtaking in its range and scope, and sometimes seems like a helter-skelter of essential knowledge, understanding and skills. Somewhere there also has to be space for students to take time to pause and reflect on the benefits and joys of works of imagination to individuals. This was something we aimed to address with our new unit.

  • 3 - Reader development and social inclusion

  • from Section 2 - Reader development: promotions and partnerships: Editors’ introduction
  • Edited by Susan Hornby, Bob Glass
  • Book:
    Reader Development in Practice
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    31 August 2008, pp 39-58

  • Summary

    Editors’ preface

    Since December 2006, all public sector organizations in the UK have had a legal duty to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people. Until libraries consider the needs of disabled people throughout their policy and planning for service delivery, as well as in facility provision, such equality will never be achieved. This chapter will focus the minds of anyone involved in service delivery, from senior management to frontline staff.

    Introduction

    This chapter will discuss bringing literature to all readers – to the whole community. People can be isolated from literature in many ways: physically by not being able to get to where books are; culturally by perceiving books and literature as not being relevant or accessible to them; or by being unable to access the printed word.

    Addressing exclusion from literature

    Physical and cultural exclusion can be addressed by adjusting the way libraries deliver services, by ensuring that libraries have an inclusive selection policy which is applied and by making sure that staff are trained to deliver services to excluded groups of people. Libraries also need to be particularly proactive and imaginative to make sure that literature reaches people who cannot access the printed word; the barriers to reading can be immense for this group. This chapter begins by examining exclusion from literature in general, and then moves on to the particular difficulties faced by people who are unable to access print. On the way, it will consider ways of addressing the need and will finish with some examples of good practice.

    Literature and disability

    Disability can both distance people from literature and bring them to it. There are obvious difficulties in accessing libraries and bookshops for people with physical impairments. For example, if walking is a problem, just the positioning of the library may make things difficult, if it is too far from bus stops or parking places. It might be so far away as to put off someone who is not strong, even if they have a wheelchair and the library has ramps.

    Most library authorities seek to offset such difficulties by providing mobile services, but even these may not be accessible to the infirm or wheelchair users, depending on the modernity of the equipment.

  • 11 - Survival strategies for the independent bookseller

  • from Section 4 - Future directions: Editors’ introduction
  • Edited by Susan Hornby, Bob Glass
  • Book:
    Reader Development in Practice
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    31 August 2008, pp 185-192

  • Summary

    Editors’ preface

    This chapter discusses the strategies an independent academic bookseller has to adopt in order to protect and develop business in the 21st century. It provides an overview of reader base issues, the promotional opportunities available and the additional activities that are needed to ensure continued engagement with the book-buying public.

    Introduction

    When you walk into a bookshop and pick up a book, this is a significant achievement for the bookshop manager. In order to get to that book you may have gone to that part of the shop devoted to bestsellers or new titles. You may have gone to a particular department such as biology or philosophy. The book may have caught your attention in the shop window, or it may have been part of a particularly attractive table display visible by the front door as you came in.

    All of these methods of placement can be used by the bookshop manager in order to draw attention to a new title. The market for books, however, is not restricted to those people who casually walk through the front doors of their local bookshop. So, how does a bookseller manage to promote new titles to those people who are rarely, if ever, in a bookshop?

    My reality: the competition

    I am the manager of a small, independent, academic bookshop in a large university town. Although there is a very large student and academic community, the reality of my situation is that I have strong competition from internet booksellers, two or three major national bookselling chains and other, smaller, operators as well. For this reason it is necessary to focus all of my attention and skills on maintaining and increasing my market share in the sector of the market in which I am operating. Like most brick-and mortar bookshops, my business operates for customers who purchase books in my shop, and customers, who could be many miles away, who purchase books by telephone, e-mail, fax or post.

    All of the methods described in this chapter have been employed over the years to bring new title information to customers in the general market, undergraduate academic market, school market and hospital library market.

  • 13 - A bookworm's eye view: choosing the right book group for you

  • from Section 5 - Afterword: the reader as author: Editors’ introduction
  • Edited by Susan Hornby, Bob Glass
  • Book:
    Reader Development in Practice
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    31 August 2008, pp 205-214

  • Summary

    Editors’ preface

    The reader is the ultimate consumer: without readers what would be the point of publishing books? Book groups can stimulate, educate and entertain the individuals who belong to them. What can be done to ensure that they will continue to exist and thrive, and what can library and information professionals learn from the groups?

    Introduction

    I am a teacher, a mother, a wife and an ordinary member of the public. As an individual who has experienced some of the many facets of what it is like to belong to a book group, I'd like to share with you an overview of the main aspects of the experience. As well as describing the actual book group processes, I will also discuss some of the more personal details which are particular to me in the context of the events I relate.

    Background

    There is no denying that the number of book groups has been increasing in recent years. It could be argued that these groups are formed by people who seek a new form of self-improvement at a time when evening classes have seen numbers dwindle dramatically. A book group usually meets informally about once a month, and therefore offers more flexibility than a series of weekly classes, where an examination often looms at the end of term. We should not underestimate the significance of the fact that membership of a book group requires far less commitment than more formal classes or meetings, not least since there is virtually no cost involved, as opposed to hefty night-school fees, and also because each session is independent from the others. Whereas you may not dare show your face again if you have missed two or three lessons of ‘Spanish for Beginners’, you know that you will be welcome again at the book group. This, in turn, makes the bond more informal due to the absence of the risk of failure: you can walk out of a book group without feeling that you are in any way deficient or inadequate, as you might have done if you dropped out of a structured class. Moreover, there is no qualification prerequisite – other than the ability to read – and neither is there any membership signing-in procedure.

  • Section 4 - Future directions: Editors’ introduction

  • Edited by Susan Hornby, Bob Glass
  • Book:
    Reader Development in Practice
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    31 August 2008, pp 155-158

  • Summary

    This section examines changes that are taking place in the ways in which literature is brought to the reader. It considers a number of key developments and future scenarios that may impact on reader development. As such the chapters and their content are varied in scope and range.

    First there is a detailed analysis of the development of e-books, followed by a review of the impact that alternative formats and distribution methods are having on the traditional book and its communities. The third chapter considers the challenges, opportunities and rewards facing the traditional owner-run bookshop today. A final chapter reflects upon the role of academics and practitioners in guaranteeing that issues and developments within the field of reader development are taught to future professionals.

  • 5 - The psychology of the digital information consumer

    • By Barrie Gunter, Barrie is Head of the Department of Media and Communication, University of Leicester, where he is also Director of the Centre for Mass Communication Research.
  • Edited by David Nicholas, Ian Rowlands
  • Book:
    Digital Consumers
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    23 August 2008, pp 93-112

  • Summary

    Summary

    Online or computer-mediated communication (CMC) has witnessed widespread penetration into many areas of life – personal and professional. Divorced from the physical or non-verbal cues that characterize face-to-face (FtF) communication, where the communication of emotion can be as significant as the communication of information, how do we cope? Research has indicated that in CMC settings, we compensate for the loss of FtF cues by filling the gaps and expanding upon what limited information we may receive about another person online to construct an impression of that person. In addition, when dealing with automated CMC systems we may find ourselves reacting to computer technology as we would another person. We like it if it is nice to us and dislike it if it is not. Understanding the rules of online interpersonal and human–computer interaction can provide important insights into how to utilize more effectively, and how to design more user-friendly, online communications systems.

    Introduction

    Internet penetration has displayed dramatic growth in a spell spanning little over a decade with almost one in five people in the world now online. In 1995, fewer than half of 1% of people in the world (16 million) used the internet. By 2000, this figure had grown to 451 million (7%+ of world population) and crashed through the one billion user mark by 2005 (1,018 million; 16% of world population). By the final quarter of 2007, internet penetration had reached 1.2 billion users (www.internetworldstats, 2007). In some parts of the world, internet penetration levels are even more impressive with most people in the USA (70%), over half of those in Australia/Oceania (55%) and approaching half in Europe (42%) being online. It is not just the scale of the online world that is remarkable but also the way it has transformed the lives of people who use it. For the new community of digital information consumers around the world, the internet and its associated online technology have opened huge repositories of content and access to services that cater to almost every need.

  • 9 - Where do we go from here?

    • By David Nicholas, David is the Director of UCL SLAIS. He is also the Director of the UCL Centre for Publishing and a Director of the CIBER research group. He is a member of the British Library Research Board and editor of Aslib Proceedings.
  • Edited by David Nicholas, Ian Rowlands
  • Book:
    Digital Consumers
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    23 August 2008, pp 213-216

  • Summary

    The book has comprehensively examined the digital space and its consumers, from all disciplines and angles. It has been undertaken from historical and futuristic perspectives. We have identified the problems and challenges in a direct and earthy manner, and have sometimes been hard on the information professions, and rightly so given the perilous situation they find themselves in. But where, if anywhere, do we go from here? What can be done on a practical basis to ensure, for instance, that consumers consume more in ‘our’ information space and do not continue to fly into the arms of others, or, indeed, do it all themselves? All the book's contributors were asked to provide one suggestion and readers will be pleased to learn that nobody said ‘the last one out turn the lights off’, although a few were close to saying this. Also, the fact that this is the shortest chapter, by a long way, should send out the important message that there are not that many ways out of the current situation – between a rock (Google) and a hard place (the e-shopper). On the other hand, with so few solutions on offer they should be easy to remember and, hopefully, easier to achieve, especially as they require very little in the way of resource. In most cases, they simply require a new mindset. The suggestions offered follow in order of priority:

  • 1 Live with the prospect of constant change. As consumers are the drivers of change, this entails getting very close to the digital consumer (especially the younger ones) and remaining close – connecting in other words. This is a continuous, ongoing and mainstream process, and should not be undertaken just when there is time or a problem. A great start can be made by monitoring digital transactions (the logs) and following up the questions raised in questionnaire and interview. Establish user monitoring units, experiment and introduce change; do not let your services become stuck in digital concrete. As far as we are aware, no one has yet done this.

  • 2 Establish a link with information provision and access/outcomes. Demonstrate that the professional information investment delivers benefits or outcomes (e.g. health, scholarly). Access is not an outcome in itself.

  • 7 - The ‘Google Generation’ – myths and realities about young people's digital information behaviour

    • By Peter Williams, Following a successful teaching career which took him to Egypt, Spain and Brazil, Peter has spent the last 12 years investigating the use of ICT applications in the fields of education, health, and the news media., Ian Rowlands, Ian is Reader in Publishing at UCL SLAIS and an active member of the UCL Centre for Publishing and CIBER., Maggie Fieldhouse, Maggie is a lecturer at the School of Library, Archive and Information Studies (SLAIS) at University College London (UCL).
  • Edited by David Nicholas, Ian Rowlands
  • Book:
    Digital Consumers
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    23 August 2008, pp 159-192

  • Summary

    Summary

    This chapter looks at the scholar of the future by considering what we know currently about the information-seeking behaviour of today's young people and how their practices may impact on the role of information providers and the delivery mechanisms they put in place. First, however, it attempts to debunk some myths that have grown up around the so-called ‘Google Generation’. Next, it examines the literature on information search behaviour, information evaluation skills, the social web, and young people's use of libraries, to establish what is known about young people's information seeking. Finally, it discusses the information literacy agenda and the policy implications emerging from the current ‘state of play’. The chapter's main findings are that much popular writing overestimates the impact of ICTs on the young, and that the ubiquitous presence of technology in their lives has not resulted in improved information retrieval or evaluation skills. It concludes that these skills need to be developed during formative school years – remedial information literacy programmes at university level are likely to be ineffective. Concerted action between libraries, schools and parents is recommended.

    Introduction

    When we talk about the future of libraries, newspapers, books, digital broadcasting and education, we often ignore one of the most important aspects. We tend to focus on information delivery and not on the nature of information seeking. The internet is clearly revolutionizing information delivery, but what are its impacts on information seeking, especially among younger internet users? The subject of this chapter is the scholar of the future and what we know, at what may be considered to be a very early stage in the internet revolution, about the information-seeking behaviour of young people and how this may impact on the role of information providers and their delivery mechanisms.

    Marshall McLuhan developed the notion of the Gutenberg Galaxy in the early 1960s to describe a universe, based on the advent of the printed book, of linear exposition, quiet contemplation, disciplined reading and study (McLuhan, 1962). How are young people reacting to not only a profound change in the way that information is delivered, but also to the new kinds of information that the internet has brought into our homes, schools and colleges? Is the Gutenberg Galaxy still intact or is it about to be deconstructed?

  • 2 - The digital information marketplace and its economics: the end of exclusivity

    • By Richard Withey, Richard has recently stepped down as global director of interactive media for Independent News & Media PLC (INM), a position held since May 2002.
  • Edited by David Nicholas, Ian Rowlands
  • Book:
    Digital Consumers
    Published by:
    Facet
    Published online:
    08 June 2018
    Print publication:
    23 August 2008, pp 13-34

  • Summary

    Summary

    The digital change does not just concern information. It permeates every aspect of life, from the way we study, learn and educate, to the way we shop, acquire information, gossip, interact, find partners and accumulate wealth. So why not take into account all aspects of communication in deciding which way to go with the services being provided? Business models that have long supported the information industry by creating an audience and methods of delivery are undergoing seismic (some would argue cataclysmic) change, so those who ignore it do so at their peril. Too many years ago, the author, as a fresh-faced library school student, was required to study the workings of the book publishing industry, even to the extent of setting up and printing pages from a hand-press, and learning the meaning of terms such as verso, flyleaf, copyright and perfect binding. The recipients of these black arts were then known as readers, united by a commonality of interest largely unchanged since the days when Wynkyn de Worde, from his press below St Brides, published 25 books in a single year (1509, a year of uncommonly good gossip). The exclusivity created by the ownership of the printing press is over and gone forever. This chapter explains why that matters.

    The changing world of publishing

    The current threats and opportunities faced by traditional print news and media publishers in the face of digital delivery and content generation systems and applications are becoming well documented, though still subject to some dispute within the publishing industries. Notably, the same debates are taking place in the magazine, broadcasting, book and music publishing markets with equal ferocity. One thing characterizes all of these industries, however, and that is the level of structural change being brought about by the changing nature of the consumer. These industries, having flourished for many decades by understanding very well their own market segments and exploiting their differences, are looking more and more like each other, and the effects of these market breakdowns will prove to be seismic. A student of any of these industries, when asked the fundamental question: ‘What is broadcasting?’, ‘What is consumer publishing?’, ‘What is music publishing?’ or ‘What is book publishing?’ would find it much more difficult to answer that question in 2008 than they would have in, say 1988.

Page 260 of 302