The Communications and Media Studies program yesterday evening hosted a panel discussion with representatives from several publishing companies who discussed how book publishing has changed in the digital age.
Julie Dobrow, director of the CMS program, explained that the panel convened in response to growing student interest in the publishing industry. After introducing the panelists, Dobrow started the discussion, asking the panelists about the evolving book industry.
We seem to be at a very strange juncture right now, she said. Recent Pew Center and Gallup polls have shown that among most demographics, people seem to be reading books more than ever, and yet the industry seems to be in decline. Independent book sellers are closing at alarming rates ... Whats going on? Are books doomed? Or are they on an upswing?
Debbie Kovacs, a senior vice president and editorial director of Walden Pond Press, explained that the publishing industry has not felt an enormous impact since the technological boom.
I dont think it is as much of the publishing as it is the distribution that has radically changed, Kovacs said. Its the fact of the matter there are so many fewer places to get the books. Amazon has had a really radical impact on commercial [book stores].
Associate Director of Publicity at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Taryn Roeder agreed with this assessment and said that the role of the publishing industry has remained the same despite increasing digital books sales.
In terms of digital publishing versus traditional publishing, to me I feel like Im a content provider and I dont really care how people read their books, Roeder said. If people are going to be reading and everybody is going to be reading a Kindle on the beach, Im happy that theyre reading rather than not reading ... You need to get word out about the book regardless of how people are reading it.
Despite the digitization of many books, Roeder said she believes traditional advertising and promotion venues are still important.
In terms of digital media ... and what makes books sell, Im seeing that traditional media still is king, she said. So The New York Times is still the most important, National Public Radio, national TV is still important so thats a very interesting ... its not that blogs are taking over.
Panelists also discussed self-publishing, but generally agreed that it complicates the process of gaining an audience for ones work. Michael Fisher, assistant director for university relations and executive editor for science and medicine at Harvard University Press, explained that self-publishing doesnt work for scholars. He explained the difference between a university publisher and a general publishing house.
The [university press] approach to publishing is really different than if you were in an environment where you want to have a profit at the end of the day, Fisher said. We have to publish books that we know arent going to sell a lot of copies but have a scholarly benefit, but then we have to find books that are also scholarly but that well sell enough of to keep us in business.
Jessica Saint Jean, the art coordination associate at the Davis Square-based Candlewick Press then spoke about childrens publishing and how it differs from the other forms in this industry.
I think whats special for childrens books is that, especially for illustrated picture books, theres nothing better than holding it in your hands, Saint Jean said. I dont think theyre going away anytime soon.
After the discussion, audience members asked panelists about their recommendations for pursuing a career in publishing. While each of the panelists had a unique career path, they agreed that the industry is extremely dynamic, and has been able to withstand the technological changes of the times.
When people talk about publishing they dont think of college publishing, scholarly publishing when you talk about publishing its a word that encompasses a lot of types of career paths, a lot of types of jobs and a lot of different goals, Kovacs said. Its hard to make generalizations on the way to get in.
