BOOKS Chapter 10

Amazon.com Jeff Bezos created Amazon in 1994, bringing the oldest medium, books, to the Digital Age Not only changed the way we purchase books, but also how we read them Now sell just about anything…and Amazon is cross platforming in various media. Amazon

A few facts… Oldest medium, most influential and diverse medium The size and portability help make books a preferred medium in many situations and still record history and everyday experiences

In the Beginning… Egyptians and Babylonians wrote down symbols (hieroglyphics) and letters on wood strips or clay tablets and tied or stacked them together, forming the first “books” 2400 B.C.—Egyptians used papyrus for writing and rolled them into scrolls Eventually switched to parchment (treated animal skin) paper and became most popular in Europe Around same time, Babylonians started recording government records, business transactions, local history and favorite stories on small tablets of clay Around 1,000 B.C.—the Chinese also created book-like objects using strips of wood and bamboo—made paper from cotton around 105 A.D.

The Codex The first proto-modern book was produced in the 4th century by the Romans Called The Codex

Manuscript Culture Manuscript culture: period in which books were lettered, decorated and bound by hand Many Bibles were transcribed during this time by priests and monks, also other religious books Illuminated manuscripts: Books featuring decorative, colorful designs and illustrations on each page (often for churches or wealthy clients)

Block Printing Chinese developed block printing in the 3rd century = Technique in which sheets of papers were applied to blocks of inked wood with raised surfaces depicting hand-carved letters and illustrations) Very time consuming but allowed for multiple copies to be printed Oldest dated printed book still in existence is China’s Diamond Sutra by Wang Chieh, from 868 A.D. (Seven sheets pasted together and rolled up in a scroll) Marco Polo introduced block printing to Europe in 1295 after a trip to China; first block-printed books appeared in Europe during the 1400s

Block Printing

Moveable Type Moveable type was invented in China around the year 1000 A.D. and featured individual characters made from reusable pieces of wood or metal, rather than entire hand-carved pages Johannes Gutenberg was influenced by moveable type to create the first printing press Books were made into a mass medium, and a prototype was developed for all mass production

Gutenberg Printing Press

Publishing in the United States In late 1630s, Stephen Daye set up a print shop in Cambridge, MA, and printed the first colonial book, The Bay Psalm Book in 1640 Print shops grew rapidly in all 13 colonies

Dime Novels Paperback books were introduced (cheaper paper covers) and dime novels (sold for 5-10 cents) were introduced by the Beadles in 1860 First dime novel: Reprint of “Malaeska: The Indian Wife of the White Hunter” by Ann Stephens By 1870, dime novels had sold 7 million copies By 1885, 1/3 of all books published in the U.S. were popular paperbacks and dime novels (AKA Pulp Fiction— reference to the cheap, machine-made pulp paper they were printed on)

Linotype machine In 1880s, linotype machines were introduced --Set type mechanically with a type-writer style keyboard

Types of Books Trade (Adult and Juvenile) Professional El-Hi and College Textbooks Mass Market Paperbacks Religious Reference University Press

Trends and Issues in Book Publishing American publishers try to find the best-seller or blockbuster to make money Also reach out to famous people to attempt to publish a best-seller Another way to ensure popular success is acquiring the rights to license popular film and TV programs or experimenting with audio or e-book formats—auxiliary rights

Influences of TV and Film TV helps book industry by promoting books, and books can help TV and film by providing ideas for new shows or movies Oprah’s Book Club—(est. 1996)—great promotion for book industry Movie ideas from books—Fault in our Stars; Shutter Island (2003), Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2007) Most profitable in recent years: fantasy books (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Twilight, Hunger Games) Also have inspired popular TV shows ( Game of Thrones, Gossip Girl, Dexter, Pretty Little Liars) Popular programs also spawn special editions of books and reprinting (Friday Night Lights, Harry Potter)

Audio and eBooks Audio books: also known as talking books or books on tape Soared in the 1990s-early 2000s, now on the Internet Cater to a small but devout group of readers eBook: digital book read on a computer or digital reading device; conceptualized by Michael Hart in 1971 By 2011, e-books became the best-selling book format in the U.S. in terms of revenue, accounting for 11% of all books sold and the NY Times created an e-book best seller list in Feb. 2011

Banned Books Publishing and Trends Digital Publishing eBook Lawsuit Self Publishing Banned Books BANNED BOOKS