Master of Science in Publishing

Technology and Media in Publishing

Daniel Molina — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:15:27 PST

Corporate Influence: How the Media Merger Trend Changed the Book Publishing Industry and the Distribution of Information

Michelle Kratz — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:10:40 PDT

Due to an unprecedented amount of mergers and acquisitions of companies within the media industry, the publishing business has changed dramatically throughout the last thirty years. Media companies of all types and sizes were merged into a limited amount of extremely large, diverse corporations, which held ownership over numerous media outlets (including television, film, newspapers, magazines, and book publishers).

The Recession and Its Effect on the Romance Genre

Jessica DiVisconte — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:09:00 PDT

This thesis delves into the reasons for the continued success of the romance genre in the midst of difficult economic times. It shows that this genre is growing in sales and popularity by looking at the success of romance novels and how publishing companies are adapting to new publishing technology.

Staying Alive: The challenges Facing University Presses in the Dawn of the Digital Age

Whitney Simmons — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:03:42 PDT

This master's thesis examines the pressures being placed upon university press publishers in the United States. These pressures, which include economic trouble, decrease university support, and new developments in technology, are compelling presses to explore the field of digital publishing to both help relieve the financial burden on the press and keep with the scholarship needs of the university's scholars and students. The ability of a press to transition to digital operations will depend on their ability to communicate with their university and to also collaborate with other university presses to create a shared digital infrastructure.

The Proposed Google Book Settlement: The Why and How

Tara Hart — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 14:01:27 PDT

This paper serves to examine the proposed Google Book Settlement by looking at Google, their wholesale scanning project, and the lawsuits brought against Google by authors and publishers. It also looks at current copyright law and the concept of fair use in regards to Google's scanning project and the proposed settlement. The reader will gain an understanding of the terms and conditions surrounding the proposed Google settlement and will see that there are still several areas that still need to be addressed.

Picture Books on Controversial Issues: The Opportunity to Guide the Children's Book Publishing Industry Forward

Jennifer Hope Lipman — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:07:41 PST

This report provides an analysis of controversial picture books on race, sexuality and drugs. It focuses on four different picture books from the 20th and 21st centuries and analyzes their effect on the future of the children's book publishing industry.

After the Boom: Why the Comics Industry May Need to Adapt to its Recent Growth

Joseph Hochstein — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 07:58:20 PDT

In Defense of Romantic Fiction

Ann Margolis — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:30:43 PDT

The focus of this defense is the publishing industry's and literary critics' treatment of the Romance genre, despite the monumental sales figures they bring in each year. Although the Romance is considered the black sheep of the industry, its revenues bring in the financial support that provides publishers the ability to pursue what is considered more worthy endeavors. The paper delves into the history of the genre, along with its themes, marketing plans, sales, and the community of Romance readers.

Technology: Friend or Foe to the Publishing Industry

Kendra Mae Leal — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:30:42 PDT

In recent years, publishers, such as Random House and HarperCollins, have been turning to new technologies, such as print-on-demand (POD) and e-ink, to cut costs, to broaden their audiences, and to adapt to the challenging economic climate. Similarly, authors have been turning to these non-traditional outlets to bypass the established acquisition process and publish their works in the manner they want. This does not necessarily mean in just print form. Technological advances have revolutionized many industries; however, some of the technolgical developments in publishing arguably may eliminate the book as it currently exists: printed, bound, tangible. This thesis explores whether print-on-demand, e-ink, and traditional printing can co-exist.

From Trees to Glossies

Heather Rodenbach — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:30:41 PDT

Magazine publishers are working to make their companies more environmentally friendly, from the production process to shipping and distribution to recycling.

The Way a Literary Agency Deals With Foreign Rights

Justine Tedjasukmana — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:32:42 PDT

Literary agents have found that foreign rights sales are profitable and can amount to a significant increase in their bottom lines. This is especially true with an agency that has a reputation for selling foreign and translation rights and has connections with industry people around the globe. This thesis examines how an agency can start selling foreign rights, how to negotiate a good deal and how an agency makes sure the authors and the agency receive the profits promised to them, and how the trends in selling foreign rights have shifted over time.

Diversifying Book Production for the Long Tail Age

John McWilliams — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:14:28 PDT

The modes of delivery for the book publishing industry are splintering. While brick-and-mortar bookstore sales still comprise the greatest share of sales nationwide, new lines of distribution are coming online quickly: Internet book sales in the past ten years have skyrocketed. Electronic book sales are also growing quickly: Amazon now has 130,000 titles available electronically, and 12 percent of those represent e-book sales. Jason Epstein’s Espresso Book Machine is already making appearances in venues around the country.
This diversification of distribution, coupled with the Internet’s capability of identifying products of special interest for readers, constitutes what Chris Anderson calls The Long Tail: a new market model in which erstwhile physical barriers for customers to obtain niche products have been removed. In his book, Anderson demonstrates how these new technologies have created a climate in which customers increasingly eschew the “hit” in favor of more personal, narrow interests, resulting in endlessly varied product lines.
Instead of pursuing only stultifying, mass-appeal projects that seek to exploit (the declining) homogeneity of culture, editors should be thinking about ways to take advantage of new avenues of distribution, and how this might inform editorial decisions. They should be focused not only on diversifying their lists, but also on ways these technologies can make niche books profitable.
Publishing is in need of a swifter, lighter, and more flexible production model. By integrating standard offset printing, Print on Demand, and electronic books, publishers avail themselves of a hybrid solution which will enable them to meet consumers' needs far more quickly. And by making "everything" available, they will likewise enable themselves to meet consumers' needs more completely.

Selling to the Experts: Marketing Professional and Scholarly Books

Annrei M. Athy — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:11:17 PDT

As a result of two internships in academic and professional publishing, I noticed differences between the way those books were marketed and how trade books are marketed and sold. The differences ultimately come down to the audience that the books are targeted toward.

E-Zine Does It

Toni Kervina — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:09:54 PDT

The rise of e-zine is an intergral part of the modern magazine business. This paper looks at the history and evolution of the digitization process and cites one case study e-zine in particular.

Magazine Advertising Sales

Bridget Hill — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:07:43 PDT

In my thesis I will discuss magazine advertising sales and how technology and the current economic situation are affecting them, and what this means for the state of magazines. I will also look at strategies magazines are using to continue earning revenue. I will analyze various magazines strategies, and determine which ones are successful and which ones are not. Another topic I will discuss is how different magazines are responding to the above mentioned and why certain magazines are struggling more than others.

Bridal Website/Blogs vs Print Magazines

Courtney Muir — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:07:41 PDT

Over the past ten years, an evolution in technology has lead to media distribution taking on various forms. Books have become kindles, magazines have created e-zines and newspapers have become websites, which update multiple times per day. In the age of the Internet, these mediums have become interactive through surveys, posts and blogs, which allow the readers to participate and add value to both the content as well as give feedback about the demographic. However, it can be difficult to maintain a reader’s attention and the interest of advertisers due to the vast amount of information available almost anywhere. In order for the publications to have a better sense of control, specifically in terms of bridal magazines, a bride’s source of inspiration and creativity is commonly derived from wedding magazines. Since bridal blogs now provide a place where women can share with one another everything from details of their engagement to ideas and advice with instant feedback, magazines have to figure out the best way to adapt. This change means that magazines are now using information that these blogs offer in terms of inspiration and trend spotting to include in their issues.

The Modern Literary Agency

Emilie Jackson — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 08:57:38 PDT

A look at the evolution, current state and future of literary agencies