University of Nebraska Press

The Director's Dish: Current Trends in Publishing

I recently was asked to guest lecture at a publishing class about what I see as major trends in the book industry. You don’t always get to sit down and organize on paper (in this case, on Power Point) the things you know are happening in your industry. I thought I’d share some of the things I think are current trends in book publishing:

1. Consolidation across all the channels. Whether it’s publishers themselves (e.g., the recent Penguin/Random House merger), printing presses (the number of printers has declined 18% in the last seven years), the mergers of significant wholesalers (e.g., Baker and Taylor with Blackwell North America), or the disappearance of retail chains (like Borders), we have seen major consolidation. All of this, of course, is because it’s a tough business to be in and margins are slim. As in any industry, consolidation has become the only way to survive. Bigger is better.
2. Flattened ebook growth. The rate of ebook growth has slowed down, and pundits are predicting it will level off. The “early adopters” have slowed down their ebook purchases, and those who haven’t started reading electronically probably aren’t going to. But it has still had a significant impact on print sales—we just don’t know whether it will be the same steady number or if it will grow.
3. Self-publishing. This has been a burgeoning field, with more than 300,000 self-published books (electronic and print combined) last year. This is primarily due to Amazon’s Create Space and to Smashwords (together these two own 80% of the self-publishing market). The main genres are romance and science fiction. I think it’s a good option for some authors who can’t get their books published by conventional publishers. And the Internet allows these folks somewhat of a “level playing field” in terms of reaching the consumer. Authors don’t get some important things when they self-publish—such as access to capital, or access to foreign agents for translation, or the help of on-the-ground sales representation—nor do they get a good developmental or acquisitions editor (although, in some “self-publishing” houses you can purchase the assistance of an editor). But, if you really want to publish and no one will take on your book, go for it. Very few are successful, but the occasional Amanda Hocking success story gives other self-publishers some hope.
4. The global nature of publishing. When I started in book publishing it was pretty hard to find a rare book or a book that had a small print run, or to know if someone in another country had illegally translated your book into another language. Now, with the Internet, consumers can search for books all over the world. We know if a foreign publisher has illegally translated one of our books or is selling our books without permission. The global nature of publishing has also  pushed down price; books must be sold at “parity” because consumers in one country know what consumers in another country are paying for that book. Further, they can order it online and, if the shipping charge isn’t onerous, get the book cheaper.
5. Blurring roles. Nobody along the supply chain does just one thing anymore. Amazon is a publisher, not just a retailer. Warehouses run print-on-demand facilities. Wholesalers offer distribution and electronic file storage. Barnes and Noble has its own book publishing imprint. Vertical integration—another attempt to either cut costs or gain market share—has become a business norm.
6. Authors as promoters and marketers. Successful authors have always been self-promoters. But nowadays the promotion of a book really rests on the author’s shoulders. He or she is expected to have a platform—that is, a following of some sort. How many Twitter followers does the author have? How many hits does the author’s website get? Is the author already on the lecture circuit? Does he or she teach? If so, is the book something that could be used in the author’s own courses? Even at large commercial publishing houses, the author is expected to cover all expenses of a bookstore tour.
7. Price sensitivity and used books. Finally, another major trend I’ve noticed is price sensitivity. Consumers now see books as “commoditized.” The Internet allows them to search for the lowest price. Heck, I remember when the list price of the book was what everyone paid! Now, consumers can easily compare prices from three or four e-tailers to determine where to buy the book. And e-tailers discount their books as “loss leaders.” But even at a lower price, publishers are happy when we sell new books to a customer, whether it’s electronic or in physical form. Because one other thing the Internet has created is an efficient marketplace for the sale of used books. Now, you don’t need to trek to three different used bookstores. You simply go online, search the book, and click on “buy used.” The author and the publisher have been cut out of that transaction altogether.
8. Open access. Finally, I’ll turn briefly to the biggest trend in academic or scholarly publishing: the open access movement. Of course, nothing is really free, so if books are to be available free to readers, either the host institution (usually through its library) or the publisher has to make the product available at no cost. It goes without saying that publishers can’t stay in business giving away their products for free. Time will help us know better what happens with this trend and who ultimately picks up the tab.

People ask me all the time, “Will the physical book eventually disappear?” Of course not. Some areas—such as reference—are better served electronically, where the ease of searching and the need for continually updated information make electronic delivery ideal. Other genres—such as romance or sci fi—may be more ephemeral and readers may not care whether the book is on their shelves or even if technology someday will render their electronic copy irretrievable (think of what happened to floppy disks).  But for the books that people want to have and to hold—like the ones we publish here at the Press—you’ll still be able to go into a bookstore or go online to an e-tailer and purchase the physical book. And put it on your bookshelf.

-Donna 

 

    

The Director's Dish

This season’s Director’s “Dish” might in fact be a pie plate . . .

I never thought I’d come to know as many people who grew up on farms as I now do. Until moving to Lincoln almost five years ago, I’m pretty sure I had known no more than one or two people with farming backgrounds. But Nebraska—like so many midwestern and great plains states—was built on farming.

As Evelyn Funda points out so beautifully in her wonderful memoir/cultural history book Weeds, due out this month from the Press, 90 percent of Americans worked on family farms in the eighteenth century; today, less than 1 percent of Americans claim farm-related occupations. The story of family farming in the United States is the story of immigration, of agribusiness, of climate—of the many important strains that together have created our identity as a nation. Weeds is both a history and a lament for a time gone by—one that speaks to many of the people I’ve come to know.

Farming didn’t always work out, though, even early on. In The Last Days of the Rainbelt, David Wishart chronicles the sobering tale of those who mistakenly thought that rain would follow the plow into the western great plains. Wishart studied land records, climate reports, census records, and diaries to track the western expansion of farming and its ultimate failure in that region. A sad and cautionary tale.

***

When I came to UNP, I introduced the staff to the Annual Pie Contest. When I recently complained to friends about having lost every year—not even placing or getting an honorable mention nod—I was reminded that my competitors had probably been baking pies since they were knee-high to a cricket; pie is a crucial part of the cuisine of the Midwest. So true, and a good reason not to bake pies anymore—just invite others to bake, then sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labors (pun intended)!

One of the most pleasant Midwestern culinary discoveries my husband and I made when we moved to Chicago as a young family was the Door County Fish Boil. First, it was clear that Door County, Wisconsin, is itself a delight to discover—imagine going to the tip of Door County, where Lake Michigan and Green Bay meet! The fish boil—originally designed to feed large groups of lumberjacks at camp—is now part spectacle and part culinary event. I won’t go into the extravaganza’s details; you can read about it in Peggy Wolff’s Fried Walleye and Cherry Pie: Midwestern Writers on Food, which will be available in November. But wait until the summer to go to Door County—the winters are rough! And, I might add, a typical fish boil includes not only the fish, but potatoes, cole slaw, and, you guessed it, pie.

***

At UNP we’re proud to be the largest university press located between Chicago and California. We’ve got a wonderful crop of books for the fall—not just books about our region. But, as a still somewhat new Midwesterner, and certainly a still-green Nebraskan, I’m especially excited about the role we play in chronicling the life and history of our region.  To those who might disagree, I would say, “Let them eat pie!”

-Donna

The Director Dish: Judging a Book by Its Cover

You can judge a book by its cover; in fact, I hope you do because we spend a lot of time honing the titles and cover designs for our books. With more and more people purchasing books online, it’s even important than ever to grab them with a good title or compelling cover.

In the online world of search engine optimization (SEO), a title needs to come up if a consumer is looking for a book on a certain subject. That’s why I’m such a stickler for non-fiction book titles (except perhaps, memoir) to say what the book is about.

In a recent meeting about titles for forthcoming books, I raised the point that a particular title didn’t tell you what was the book was about.

“Well, if you read the book,” someone said, “you’ll know why the author wants this title.” I countered, “With that title, I’m definitely not going to read the book.” We settled on keeping the title, but with a very descriptive subtitle that captures what might come up when someone searches that subject online.

Different genres have different conventions for titling. It’s okay to go for a snazzy title paired with a long, long subtitle on a sports or business book. (That seems to be the acceptable approach now, anyway.) Personally, I love it. A recent favorite of mine: Banzai Babe Ruth: Baseball, Espionage, and Assassination during the 1934 Tour of Japan. How could you resist a book like that? Apparently you can’t because it’s been a hot seller for us. Of course, some books don’t need a subtitle; the title says everything. I love 501 Baseball Books Fans Must Read before They Die. End of story.

Religious books are tough to title. You have to convey why the book is unique but remain respectful, while explaining what the book is about. I’m particularly proud of the title we came up with for —well, I don’t have to tell you what the book is about because the title and subtitle say it all: From Gods to God: How the Bible Debunked, Suppressed, or Changed Ancient Myths and Legends.

Fiction and literary memoir are a bit more challenging. We seldom change the title that the author submits; it would be like changing the title of a painting. Our memoirists, in particular, seem to be quite skilled at titles. For example:

 

The Director Dish: A Word about Words

I love words. Always have. As a kid, I loved to do the Jumble in the newspaper every morning, and my mother, sister, and I would play Scrabble whenever we had a chance. (Those were the days you played on an actual printed game board!) Even today, I have three or four Scrabble or Words with Friends games going at once and I do crossword puzzles incessantly. I just generally love word games. (Word Warp is my latest obsession, but it’s really not that challenging and is aggravating my carpal tunnel syndrome.)

I like words on their own—before they are lined up and carefully crafted into beautiful poetry or captivating fiction or thoughtful memoir. I confess, though:  I play favorites. My favorites these days are "erstwhile," "penultimate," and "extra-canonical." Erstwhile makes the current list because, although it means “of things past” or “former,” I’ve always imagined that it has a bit of earnestness to it—former, yes, but with some eagerness, some desire to please. Ridiculous, I admit, but it gives me a bit of pleasure whenever I have the occasion to use it.

Penultimate is another word I can picture in action. “Next to last.” I see penultimate lined up, second to the end, leaning forward, trying not to be last. Penultimate is a wonderful word to have at my disposal. As a university press publisher, I’ve been able to see many multivolume series come to fruition, and there can be a certain sadness when the penultimate volume is released, for we know the next one will be the last. Or, alternatively, much joy knowing we are that much closer to completion!

Extra-canonical: "not included in the canon of Scripture. " I love this word! And I’ve had many occasions to use it since our announcement of the new JPS three-volume set, Outside the Bible, a collection of the works not included in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), publishing in fall 2013. This set is an incredible, once-in-a-century compilation of translations and commentary about works that did not make the cut: what they are, what they mean, and why they weren’t included in the Bible. As I write this, it is the third day of Hanukkah—and I'm wondering why weren’t the books of the Maccabees included in the Bible? Or Jubilees, or the Psalms of Solomon?  Or Susanna? Alas, this is fodder for a future blog . . .

The Director Dish: From the playbook to print

The Nebraska-Northwestern game on Saturday was a thriller. Except for the Huskers themselves, I don’t think anyone cared more about a Nebraska win than I. After all, I spent nearly ten years at Northwestern University Press and last year, hosted three of my former colleagues at Memorial Stadium, only to see the Wildcats beat us. This year, I opted to stay home rather than fly to Evanston for the game. I was certain we’d beat them—but boy was my resolve tested! Alas, the team came through for me.

Those of you who know our Press know we publish a wide range of sports history, from golf to running to hiking to professional and collegiate sports such as baseball, basketball, and football. In fact, we are becoming so well known for our sports books that we received a surprise visit from Orlando Magic senior VP Pat Williams yesterday. He was in town for a speech but wanted to stop by and meet the folks at UNP because he loves our books. We loved meeting him. Thanks, Pat!

Sadly, though, it doesn’t take someone who follows college or pro sports to know the troubles that have beset individuals and teams in a culture singularly dedicated to winning. In a book we published in 2010, Scoreboard, Baby, Ken Armstrong and Nick Perry go behind the scenes of the University of Washington’s 2000 football season to uncover a tale of corruption, complicity, and crime. Buzz Bissinger said it was “the most harrowing book I have ever read about college sports.” Of course, there are even more harrowing tales about college football these days—we read about them in the paper every day, it seems. But college football doesn’t have a monopoly on these tales.