Bookspotting - Research Report: Mobilising Scottish Books

Research report for Digital R&D Fund for the Arts in Scotland - Publishing Scotland/Bookspottin

Taste and/or big data?: post-digital editorial selection

Trade publishing has been transformed by the interventions of digital technologies in workflow, products, sales, marketing and distribution, placing the twenty-first century industry in a post-digital age. Editorial commissioning, however, remains a largely traditional process, in which the individual editor’s taste, judgement, and gut instinct combines with company behaviour and market environment in selection processes. Drawing on analyses of publishing’s gatekeeping processes, and a dataset of interviews with UK commissioning editors, the article argues that while, for the main, editorial selection does not currently incorporate big data and algorithmic processes, its reasons for so doing might reside in the need to retain the human within publishing processes, and an evasion of the ‘machine imitating human’

Literary Celebrity Reconsidered

The ongoing celebritisation of society not only comprises ‘celebrity sectors’ such as entertainment and sports, but also literature. As in other cultural fields, the commodities to be sold – books – are marketed using the ‘personalities’ directly connected to them by authors appearing on television shows or being selected for feature articles. The aim of the article is to point out limitations to the theoretical framework used in the study of literary celebrity. We argue for a differentiation in the use of the concept of celebrity in literary studies in three respects. Firstly, there should be a differentiation regarding author’s cultural capital. In contrast to the general tendency in celebrity studies to focus on popular culture, in literary studies the application of the theory has been limited to the most prestigious areas of the literary field. Consequently, a broadening of the perspective is necessary: authors of trade fiction may be conceived of as literary celebrities too. Secondly, there is a need for geographical differentiation, since the scope of influence of literary celebrities may vary significantly. Thirdly, we will argue for a diachronic differentiation that takes into account the changing functions and uses of a celebrity author over time. The main example, the Swedish novelist Selma Lagerlöf, shows the necessity of a stronger focus on the functions of literary celebrities, for instance in the construction of cultural and national identities. Furthermore, celebrity is important for establishing a more comprehensive literary history and for the complex concept of literary value

Digital libraries' support for the user's information journey

The temporal elements of users' information requirements are a continually confounding aspect of digital library design. No sooner have users' needs been identified and supported than they change. This paper evaluates the changing information requirements of users through their 'information journey' in two different domains (health and academia). In-depth analysis of findings from interviews, focus groups and observations of 150 users have identified three stages to this journey: information initiation, facilitation (or gathering) and interpretation. The study shows that, although digital libraries are supporting aspects of users' information facilitation, there are still requirements for them to better support users' overall information work in context. Users are poorly supported in the initiation phase, as they recognize their information needs, especially with regard to resource awareness; in this context, interactive press-alerts are discussed. Some users (especially clinicians and patients) also require support in the interpretation of information, both satisfying themselves that the information is trustworthy and understanding what it means for a particular individua

The Cycle of Book Publishing through a Queer Lens

This capstone assesses the current landscape of the publishing industry with regard to Queer authors and stories that have been published within the United States. It will start off with a literature review utilizing secondary research upon the current publishing landscape, as well as the rules that guide how writing craft is constructed and taught. Within this section, I also unpack personal experiences from working in a local bookstore as well as integrating some information from interviews from individuals with connections to the publishing industry. It will conclude with an autoethnography, in which I reflect how my own experiences intertwine with the knowledge gained from my literature review

Pricing Models of e-Books When Competing with p-Books

With the rise in popularity of e-books, there is a growing need to reexamine the pricing strategy in the e-book supply chain. In this paper, we study two forms of pricing models widely used in the book industry: wholesale and agency pricing models. We first assume a stylized deterministic demand model in which the demand depends on the price, the degree of substitution, and the overall market potential. Subsequently, we employ the game theory to determine the price equilibriums and profit distribution under different pricing models. Finally, we explore the behavior of the publisher and the retailer under different preferences and degrees of substitution through a computational study. Our findings indicate that the e-book price will be lower under the agency pricing model than under the wholesale pricing model, which is counterintuitive. The publishers have higher incentives to adopt the agency pricing model than the wholesale pricing model. The agency pricing model benefits the whole system and can provide readers with books at lower prices. The degree of substitution between the two forms of books and the readers' preference toward e-book will affect the books' price and the profit distribution between the publisher and the retailers

Benefits of Multi-Modal Pedagogies in First-Year Composition Classrooms

Most first-year college students today are “digital natives.” They have lived with computers and other digital technologies all of their lives, and they have used these technologies as pupils during virtually their entire pre-college education. Does the use of these technologies make these young people better students? To explore this question further, I will concentrate on the first-year composition classroom and how multi-modal teaching that takes advantage of digital technologies may aid in the acquisition and retention of writing skills. As part of this study, I will also examine whether or not some aspects of writing pedagogy are better taught using more traditional modes of instruction. Based on my experiences as a graduate teaching assistant, a consultant in a writing center, and a former student of both types of classrooms, I believe that I can identify gaps that may exist in both traditional and digital modes of instruction, and suggest how the two modes can complement and enhance each other

The Future of Reading: The Importance of Preserving Hybrid Collections in the Digital Age

As e-books continue to grow in popularity and usage, it appears quite possible that they will one day not just supplement but outright replace print books. A growing body of evidence, however, suggests that reading off a screen is not the same as reading off a printed page. Print reading fosters greater concentration and the ability to think in deep, conceptual terms. Digital reading is more like a form of power browsing. Allowing print books to disappear or to become the province of a small elite could well have major social consequences. To counter this potential future, libraries should commit themselves to maintaining hybrid collections of both print and digital materials

Benefits of Multi-Modal Pedagogies in First-Year Composition Classrooms

Most first-year college students today are “digital natives.” They have lived with computers and other digital technologies all of their lives, and they have used these technologies as pupils during virtually their entire pre-college education. Does the use of these technologies make these young people better students? To explore this question further, I will concentrate on the first-year composition classroom and how multi-modal teaching that takes advantage of digital technologies may aid in the acquisition and retention of writing skills. As part of this study, I will also examine whether or not some aspects of writing pedagogy are better taught using more traditional modes of instruction. Based on my experiences as a graduate teaching assistant, a consultant in a writing center, and a former student of both types of classrooms, I believe that I can identify gaps that may exist in both traditional and digital modes of instruction, and suggest how the two modes can complement and enhance each other