November 13th, 2013 at 11:39 , Updated: November 13th, 2013 at 12:00 PM
Like the music industry was challenged in the digitization of more than ten years since the book market is undergoing major restructuring business models . There is talk of a " book market crisis." Anyone can create his own book printer via inexpensive digital technology. E- book's impending expansion is worrying publishers. The physical bookstore's decline is a fact. Ownership concentration and monopolism in the media industry - not just in Sweden , but perhaps most of all globally through Amazon's entry into the publishing system - hampers fair competition . Self Publishing , piracy, dumping in the worst case lead to a market driven by short-termism , bästsäljerism and hunt for quick financial gain rather than long-term and quality : all challenges publishers' traditional ways of working and requires new business models.
But what we today regard as traditional print publishing has only about 200 years old. Perhaps the transformation faced not as new as we think ? Perhaps it is the contrary, we headed back to an older literary system . 1700s publishers were multi officials. Publishers, book printer and bookseller were often one and the same actor , usually in the family business where both husband , wife and children worked. The companies were vertically integrated , ie the same operator controlled all stages of the book chain . The publisher's role was primarily to finance the release, do not act gatekeeper and literary arbiters . Egenförläggeri were also common.
In the early 1700s dominated the publishers who had their base in hantverkarledet as book printer . The issuance was disparate and barely a few publishers were niche . Towards the end of the century , this was changed and a new publisher who instead had its main base in bookstores took over. Historian Bo Peterson has called the first type of publisher product-oriented and the other market . The latter had more frequent contact with consumers through their bookstore and thus better able to adapt to audience demand.
The system has some remains today by our largest publishers Bonniers and Norstedt originating in bookstore respective printing press . Whether it was tryckarförläggare or bookstore publisher was the common denominator of the 1700s publishers that they controlled several elements of book chain .
Around the turn of 1800 and the decades thereafter fell vertically integrated family businesses and their power over the production and distribution . The market economy , characterized by specialization, the book industry became more separated and niched. The bookseller sold , the publisher placed , book printer printed . The publishers were gatekeepers who sifted away what it considered to be too bad. Editor's influential role strengthened . The publishers' strategy of efficiency, increased yield and quality assurance was to outsource the outsourcing and hiring suppliers who gave the best agreement rather than doing it all themselves.
In the second half of the 1900s grew bookstore chains forward at the expense of independent bookshops . Now also increased the phenomenon of consolidation. Large publishers began to buy less rapidly , both in Sweden and globally. Conglomerate and huge media groups spread out . Some of our biggest publishers in Sweden , Bonnier and Collins , in the same ownership category as the largest booksellers : Adlibris , Pocket Shop and Akademibokhandeln / Bokia .
In today's international book trades spelled conglomerate and vertical integration Amazon: The world's biggest online store which totally dominates the e- book trade . With e-reader Kindle came Amazon to accelerate e- book development and through aggressive price dumping strategy was quickly leading dealer of both e- books and paper books.
Jeff Bezos . 2007 launched the Kindle Direct Publishing, a platform where writers can publish e-books self-published . A few years later founded Amazon Publishing employing themselves with "ordinary " förläggeri (even paper books ) that managed to recruit well-established writers. This has aroused great concern in the international book industry and is seen as a real threat to other publishers , even really big such as Penguin , Random House and Hachette .
The main difference between Amazon and its competitors is that Amazon is basically is a hardware manufacturer that is often accused of lacking the editorial and literary skills that traditional publishers have . In September this year, the German and French publishing and bookstore compounds with an official statement Amazon called a "structural monopolistic non-European group , for which content and cultural value is under the hardware".
In a way , one can see Amazon as a counterpart to the 1700s tryckarförläggare : product-oriented craftsmen in the first place. This is directly linked to the opportunities of digitization of the industry involved . Not only giants like Amazon can use the digital development in order to streamline operations, skip the intermediaries and cut costs in a way that is reminiscent of methods in the 1700s literary system . Even very small publishers move to " do it yourself " , which takes care of everything from ( e ) book publishing, marketing and sales directly from their own website.
Individual authors may themselves, for almost no cost at all, publishing books online . Marketing is by direct contact with readers through social media. Through ecommerce and reader interaction increases the availability of consumer information , known as metadata. Confidence publishers have been undermined in that more and more authors discovered that it is possible to make a living without them. The business model that excelled in 1800 - and 1900's , with publishers as gatekeepers and ennobling cocreator eroded by a media model based on a direct relationship between producer and consumer.
Authors who publish books self-published is in itself not new and was mentioned frequently also in the 1700 - s. The differences between then and now are many: market size , literacy , distribution , book price , number of authors. Key similarities are, however , such terms egenutgivningens risks and disadvantages. Self Publishing author loses the editorial expertise , guidance and marketing assistance , and not least the cultural capital that publishers still have .
These same factors were important competitive advantages for 1800 - and 1900 numbers emerging successful specialized förlagsväsende . Self- Issued writers have difficulty reaching out and be discovered. Many also go after all yet over for established publishers the chance offered.
How, then, today's traditional publishers survive? In the international trade debate is often said that the best strategy is to concentrate and focus on what they do best : quality, editorial expertise and content. It is argued that, beyond a stricter competition laws is the only way to survive in a literary system influenced by Amazon's monopolistic position . While publishers can learn from Amazon's methods. Higher profit margins when e- book well breakthroughs, greater opportunities for metadata , better user interface on the websites , increased interaction with consumers, which not only provides increased revenue but readers may feel significant are all features that will benefit the industry generally .
Even the troubled physical bookstore should probably streamlining . Many generic bookstore chains in the United States and Western Europe have already gone out of business in favor of online bookstore . The tactic seems to work best for the independent bookstore is to be unique , acquiring skilled personnel , arranging author events and get to know the local clientele personally.
Again, parallels to the 1700s book market preferred. Admittedly , there was no online shopping , but also no big anonymous bookstore chains. Booksellers know their clientele and invested in marketing which encouraged consumer interaction - expempelvis advertised Royal Printing shop in the popular newspaper Daily Allehanda asked to " hopeful book lover " was going to call the shop with preferences about what they wanted to read / buy.
Another parallel between then and now is piracy. Digitization makes it easy to download e-books and other copyrighted material illegally. E-books are lent thereto out perfectly legal at the libraries , which many in the industry fear reduces customers 'incentives to pay for e-books and ultimately threaten publishers' survival. The argument that it is the discovery of e-book medium , it is important at this stage to stimulate the market , regardless of whether it is legally or illegally , is told from the opposing side .
Historically, copyright and authors' rights issue something relatively new - in Sweden , we had it practically only with the 1810 Freedom of the Press Regulation . Despite this, both authors that publishers earn a living, even if - like today - was not always easy and often forced into other jobs on the side.
How was the book market looks like nobody knows. Speculations are rarely consistent . But one thing is certain : the story has always existed. It consists , in any medium , and transitions back and forth between various business and media models. From Homer to JKRowling . We have nothing to fear for the future.
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