Whos Reading Book Reviews Nowadays?

An Examination of Promotional Culture Within the Subfield of Independent Childrens Book Publishing

By CASEY BLACK

COMM 6160 Dr. Alisa Perren

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INTRODUCTION In a recent article for the Huffington Post, Dan Agin wrote that anyone who believes the print publishing industry has a chance to survive in its present form is dreaming, asserting that growth of e-books and e-readers is going to irreversibly change the publishing culture (2010). However, Agin expected one thing would persist, writing that what will not change much is marketing and promotionnew books will still need to be brought to the attention of the public. This is quite the understatement. In todays oversaturated book market it is hard enough to get a book seen, let alone purchased, as competition is at its height with overall US readership and book buying in decline according to the National Endowment for the Arts and Nielsen BookScan (NEA, 2004; Jones, 2011). One could say that this decline in reading only serves to suggest the irrelevance of media industry research on the publishing industry, which has heretofore been largely overlooked by this new field of study. However, this is an ignorant assumption, or at least an unacceptable one given the fact that one cannot likewise shrug their shoulders at threats to literacy rates, which have been positively linked to dramatically increased civic engagement, volunteering, exercising, and finding employment (NEA, 2007). Certainly some may dismiss this point, arguing that readership is moving to online platforms. However, this type of reading does not contribute to prose literacy skills in the same way that the leisure reading of books does. This is indicated by the fact that, while people have been pursuing higher levels of education than ever before, they are reading less than ever and correlatively the nations literacy rates are dropping among these previously more literate populations (Kutner et al., 2007; NEA, 2004). In fact, the only writers that have had positive effects on book-buying and leisure reading, and arent feeling the full impact of this decline in readership, are the blockbuster authors who are consistently well

WHOS READING BOOK REVIEWS NOWADAYS? - 3 promoted (Smillie, 2010). This further reinforces the importance of studying the way the industrys marketing practices encourage and/or discourage the growth of a viable reading culture. In summary, due to a dearth of research on the contemporary publishing industry let alone on its promotional practices, and due to the increased relevance of this research in light of alarming literacy statistics and growing interest in technological innovations within the industry, this study seeks to explore the following questions: How do publishers promote their books? What promotional tactics do they avoid? Which books and authors receive especial attention and why? How do these promotional practices affect overall readership and reading culture? In other words, given Dan Agins assumption that marketing and promotion is the only consistent and indispensable part of an ever-changing publishing industry, this study asks: what are the current mores of the publishing industrys promotional culture and in what ways do these beliefs and practices affect those outside the field?

A Theoretical Framework for Studying the Book Business While this study is an attempt to open up exploration of the publishing industry within the greater context of media industry studies, it is best at this point to refer more deliberately to publishing as a cultural field. Pierre Bourdieu defines a field as a structured space with its own way of functioning and its own relations of force (Johnson, Ed., 1993, p. 6). The use Bourdieus conception of fields is more applicable for this study because, unlike Marxist studies of industry, Bourdieu does not consider industries to be wholly the prey of external determinants such as economic and political structures (p. 2). Instead, Bourdieu links a cultural industrys structure and durability to a complex system of dispositions and principles, inculcated over time to the

WHOS READING BOOK REVIEWS NOWADAYS? - 4 point that they become second nature. This means that agents in a given field operate via a feel for the game, or habitus, rather than by inflexible rules prescribed by those in positions of power (p. 5). The advantage of this theoretical framework is that it acknowledges that those responsible for promotion in publishing are subject to the publishing fields unique dispositions and social relations, which have been established over time, and continue to be negotiated and reinforced by other agents in the field (i.e. authors, agents, editors, etc.) as they engage in competition for control of the fields interests and resources (p. 6). In other words, Bourdieus theory makes it clear that, in order to understand publishers promotional activities, one must first understand the logic and culture of the field, as well as the many levels of engagement between its players. At this point, then, it is also necessary to point out that the publishing industry is comprised of many different subfields: academic publishing, adult fiction and non-fiction trade publishing, and childrens publishing to name a few. Given the fact that childrens literacy rates are especially significant since these formative years have a large impact on future literacy skills and even high school dropout rates, and the fact that there is a rich and accessible local childrens book industry here, this essay offers a case study of the habitus of this particular field (Reading, Literacy & Educational Statistics, 2011). I examine several significant dispositions, interactions and rules of promoting books by interviewing six key players in the field: Diane, the founder of the independent childrens bookstore Little Shop of Stories; Melissa, an upper level publicity director, and Meredith, an entry-level marketing coordinator at a local childrens publishing house, Peachtree Publishers. I have also interviewed Erin, a talent manager in charge of scheduling tours and events for Carmen Deedy, a well-known childrens book author, and two librarians, one in a county public library and the other who works at a nearby elementary school.

WHOS READING BOOK REVIEWS NOWADAYS? - 5 I have also supplemented these comments with information from academic publications, and my own knowledge of the field gained while working as an intern for Peachtree Publishers. As I said before, my use of Bourdieu is an attempt to avoid a Marxist or political economy approach to the study of childrens book promotion, which would unfairly overlook the influence of the symbolic value attached to books and reading. However, it is also important to point out that my methods do not, on the other hand, fully support Hall and others oft used circuit of culture model either, despite the fact that the selected interviewees do represent aspects of a books production, distribution and consumption and discuss issues of representation and identity (du Gay, Hall, Mackay, & Negus, 1997). Instead, it is more accurate to say that these players are agents and intermediaries in the field and together uphold and maintain the logic of book promotion, since they often share in the work of promoting books. Furthermore, a dearth of research regarding the publishing industry and its intricate operations and field logic at this time would impair the quality of a circuit-of-culture approach. I will discuss the future potential for this model of study further in my discussion, but for now it is sufficient to say that this case study is only meant to be exploratory and foundational. I am merely attempting to build a framework for subsequent models of study that can more fully engage publishing industry research in the current discourses of media industry studies, and hoping to point out the significance of studying an industrys culture in order to add greater nuance to future studies in this vein of research.

The Steps of Book Promotion: Reviewing the Rules of the Game Before one can begin to unravel the intricacies of book promotion, one must first lay out the life of a book. After the months or years that an author devotes to writing, he or she will

WHOS READING BOOK REVIEWS NOWADAYS? - 6 send the work to a publisher. Since Peachtree Publishers is a small, independent company, they forgo any interaction with literary agents, which is atypical in the larger field of corporate book publishers, but a necessary way for small publishers like Peachtree to compete (Thompson, 2010). Instead, Peachtree receives direct submissions from authors, and these submissions end up in a slush pile where unpaid editorial interns slowly weed through them in the order of their arrival, before they pass on their favorites to the full-time editorial staff. There is a way to avoid the slush pile, however. If you are an author that has worked with Peachtree before, you jump to the front of the line. Meredith, a marketing employee for Peachtree, explains the reason for this, saying: If its a really well known author then thats gonna assure that the books gonna do well and were gonna be able to sell it. Because, like Carmen [Deedy], uh, has had her book on the New York Times bestseller list and shes won a ton of awards and shes really, really well known in the school library market. And so, if you could say, oh weve got this new book coming out. Its by Carmen, you dont even really have to tell people what its about. They already wanna get it, because they know its her (personal communication, April 29, 2011). This goes to show that even the first steps in publishing a book have sales and promotion in mind. Subsequent packaging choices work similarly. In the year that follows picking up a project, the editors, and the marketing and sales teams design the book cover, change the books title if necessary, and devise a marketing plan. The marketing plan details what the book is about, the books selling points, which audiences it is likely to reach, what format it should be printed in, what its price should be, and how many copies should be printed. While these decisions are, like picking up a well-known author, not usually referred to as promotional

WHOS READING BOOK REVIEWS NOWADAYS? - 7 practices per se, they are important to the work of promoters. Diane, co-owner of Little Shop of Stories which stocks some of Peachtrees books, explains, I am not embarrassed to say a lot of times I judge books by their cover. Like, if a cover does not get me right away, um, I might not look at it as enthusiastically as I will for the book where the cover really wows me (personal communication, May 2, 2010). After a book is designed and printed, traditional PR-based promotional tactics are employed. Promotional copy detailing information about the book and its author is written and put into modest flyers that are mailed out with galleys and F&Gs (early, unbound review copies of books) or incorporated into catalogues that are sent to potential buyers and reviewers. Working for Peachtree, I spent many hours stuffing envelopes with books and flyers to send to trade publications, newspaper and magazine editors, and even book bloggers for reviews. Whats important to note is that these reviews are meant to hit a diverse audience made up of booksellers that will buy the book to sell, librarians that will buy books for circulation, schools that will stock the books as teaching tools, and independent customers (i.e. the retail market). Priority-wise, Melissa explains, the very first part of our campaign where we are pitching to those trade journals, like the Publishers Weekly, the School Library Journal, those are geared towards people that are gonna do the selling, you know, buy the books for their stores or their libraries, and this first step is important, since just having your books [in stores] is, you know, helps a lot. You know, if theyre not there, people cant buy them (personal communication, April 29, 2011). Other promotional activities such as book fairs, trade shows, author tours, and other events serve the same purpose of either making sure that retailers and librarians are aware of and stock Peachtrees new books coming out, or serve to get books sold to individual consumers.

WHOS READING BOOK REVIEWS NOWADAYS? - 8 At this point it is important to note that, unique to the publishing field, is the act of remaindering books. If a publisher prints five thousand copies of a book and is lucky enough to get bookstore owners to purchase and stock every printed copy, if those copies dont sell, the stores can send the unsold books back to the publisher for a modest return (Thompson, 2010, pp. 284-285). Diane of Little Shop explains, its nice that we can do it. But I hate to have to do it. I mean, Id much rather sell the book than have to return the book (personal communication, April 29, 2011). The reason I bring this up is to point out that publishers and booksellers are under great pressure to predict their markets, only printing and stocking books that will sell well and only printing and stocking enough to meet consumer demand without any leftovers. However, in the long run, it is the publisher that suffers the most when books go unsold, since they have to eat the cost of remaindered books. Subsequently, publishers have mixed feelings toward various types of promotion, since these necessary efforts arent always cost-effective or guarantee sales. Melissa, senior publicist for Peachtree explains, there are times when you can get really, really great reviews and it doesnt always translate directly to sales, which is frustrating. But at the same time, sometimes when sales are down on a book, um, you know, people will say, well, what can we do to get more review coverage? (personal communication, April 29, 2011). She goes on to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of hand-selling promotional practices, saying: Author appearances definitely sell books. Um, they dont always sell books in big numbers, so Im not always really jumping on the chance to spend a lot of time putting together an event that might sell twenty books. Um, but sometimes, you know, it can surprise you. We had an event where an illustrator appeared at, umit was a book aboutFDRs dog...And we had the illustrator go and they have, like, Fala Day. So we

WHOS READING BOOK REVIEWS NOWADAYS? - 9 sold like a hundred plus books that day, because people were so excited. And so, you know, if you find just the right kind of event, which wasit was such a random thing (personal communication, April 29, 2011). This balance between audience reach and effectiveness, cost and return on investment is also very much a part of another promotional practice, co-op. Co-op, a.k.a. cooperative advertising, is a cost-sharing arrangement between the publisher and the retailer in which the publisher pays for part of the retailers promotion costs (Thompson, 2010, p. 260). This usually entails negotiations about books placement within a store, whether on a display table or in the front window. Co-op money is also persuasive in determining which books get promoted in a stores newsletter or by the staff. Diane of Little Shop explains that this complicated process also comes with a complicated ethics, saying, I might have a publisher say, hey, you can get co-op money for this if you feature this title in your newsletter, so well choose to use it. It has to be a book were excited about too. Were not just gonna put a book in there so we can get money for it. Weve gotta feel good about putting that book into a childs hands. (personal communication, May 2, 2011). While this arrangement is cost-effective for big publishers and can take up as much as 60% of their marketing budgets, smaller publishers like Peachtree dont have the resources to engage in co-op for book placement, relying instead on covering the costs of author events (Thompson, 2010, p. 261).

Interactions in the Promotional Field: The Role of Intermediaries To this point I have highlighted the various promotional practices publishers engage in, but it is inaccurate to assume that intermediaries dont play an active role in these efforts. Erin who manages childrens author Carmen Deedy explains the authors role in promotion, saying:

WHOS READING BOOK REVIEWS NOWADAYS? - 10 I think a lot of times people dont necessarily realize the amount of self-promotion that goes into a book. I think, um, a publisher does so much for an author, like I said, by making sure that newspapers, magazines, reviewers, trade, everyone gets copies of these books and gets these reviews, but that can only take a book so far. I think theres a lot of first time authors that dont realize that by speaking, by volunteering at your library and reading, by going to schoolsthat all of that sort of self-promotion really helps to drive a book and helps sustain a book over a long period of time (personal communication, May 2, 2011). Diane of Little Shop adds to the booksellers role by saying that she feels independent booksellers are integral in encouraging the type of word-of-mouth hype that can make less promoted books by new unknown authors very successful. She also says that they are an important part of getting kids excited about reading, and will be a necessary force in keeping kids excited about books as new technologies emerge via their hosting events that turn books into a true family-friendly experience. Furthermore, while publishers may pay to fly an author to her store, Diane explains that she is not only responsible for hosting the event and selling books. Often, she explains, [publishers] also ask us to help coordinate a school event for them too. So well find a school thats interested in hosting them and well also provide book sales for the school event as well (personal communication, April 29, 2011). She explains the benefits of this cooperation, saying, its really a great opportunity for everybody involved, because for schools to go seek out an author, its very expensive for schools if theyre initiating that contact. And a lot of schools just dont have the money to do that, so its kind of nice that we can provide that service to them.

WHOS READING BOOK REVIEWS NOWADAYS? - 11 School and public libraries, another intermediary, play a particularly distinct role in book promotion. First of all, according to Melissa, reviewers for publications such as School Library Journal are actually working in schools or in libraries where they work with children all the time so they act as gatekeepers and promoters for certain books, as well as a key potential buyers. Librarians are also expected to serve as reading and literacy promoters. Melissa and Meredith from Peachtree both admit that they dont pitch books toward non-readers or reluctant readers. Instead they presume that, while they can seek to publish and promote sports titles for under-represented reluctant male readers, it is truly the role of librarians to get kids excited about books and reading. From this review, it would seem that intermediaries, unlike agents, really invest in the values of accessibility, adapting to new technology and building a passion for books. These and other dispositions within the field will be explored further in the final section of this essay.

Book Devotion, Book Guilt, and Non-Reader Denial: Exploring Dispositions in the Field Intermingled with the culture of book promotion are deeply engrained values and beliefs. First, presumably due to the fact that the history of literature and literary criticism long precedes that of the industrialization of book production, books are deeply tied to standards of elitist tastes, to the concealment of commodification, and to practices that maintain and glorify the aura of books (Striphas, 2009). This has various impacts on the culture of childrens book promotion, all of which have to do with elements of what Ill call book-devotion. For one, the fact that agents in the field continue to rely heavily on reviews to sell books indicates a desire to maintain the aura of books and elitist tastes in reading. A representative from a county public library backed this up by saying that, since they operate on government funds and thereby have to

WHOS READING BOOK REVIEWS NOWADAYS? - 12 justify their purchases, they use book reviews from trade publications to justify the lists of what they intend to buy (personal communication, April 28, 2011). Whats more, while most of the people that I interviewed seemed to suggest that review copies are mailed out with hopes that the book somehow touches the editor, and all acknowledge that a love of reading and an interest in books is deeply tied to community, to seeing your family read, and to sentimental and deeply personal connections to stories, booksellers continue to look to reviews as the primary means of promoting a book, or judging how well it can be sold, despite the fact that this form of publicity is rarely as emotionally alluring as the books themselves or more visual and narrative based forms of promotion. For example, both Diane and Melissa seemed skeptical about the use of new forms of advertising such as book trailers, saying that they seemed to work for YA fiction and they were a good tool for librarians to get kids excited about reading, but were not likely to be good publicity tools (personal communication, April 29 and May 2, 2011). Another element of book-devotion is the allure surrounding authors. All of my interviewees admitted that authors sell books, saying that children look at authors like rock stars and get excited to have their books signed, making author visits a very good promotional tool if the author is well-known enough to create this buzz. However, there are minor drawbacks to this allure. On the one hand, as Erin indicated, many people are so steeped in the myth of author celebrity that they do not recognize the need to self-promote. Melissa backs this up by saying many new or less well-known authors want to have book release parties and land network TV interviews with morning shows and with Oprah, without realizing that the first is not costeffective, and the latter is not plausible (personal communication, April 29, 2011). In other words, often the notion of celebrity surrounding authors contributes to misunderstandings about promotional culture, and about the resources of publishers, which could potentially be why

WHOS READING BOOK REVIEWS NOWADAYS? - 13 agents and authors are demanding higher and higher advances from the larger publishers, and why people may be more interested in writing books than reading them (Thompson, 2010). Finally, all of my interviewees expressed that they got into their careers because of a deep personal love for books, one even admitting that she was working full time hours for part time pay (personal communication, April 29, 2011). The significance of this is that the values of the field are so deeply tied to personal identity that they may be even harder to adapt to changing environments, and may lead to misunderstandings about literacy, reading rates, and how to promote to non-readers. Typifying this problem, when I asked one of my interviewee why she thought people didnt read and were even intimidated by reading, she admitted, I cant understand those people [laughs]. I have no idea. This lack of empathy or misunderstanding of non-readers leads to certain denials about the practices of non-readers and readers alike, which exposes feelings of book guilt within book buying and subsequent promotional culture. Diane of Little Shop said that, often she got adults coming into her store for young adult fiction that were embarrassed to admit it, presumably because they thought that they needed to be reading more sophisticated and intellectual books (personal communication, May 2, 2011). When I admitted that I liked reading childrens books myself, the conversation then devolved into a discussion of the latest Harry Potter novel, further suggesting that the culture of books and book reviews likely conceals our more human and unrestrained expressions of book love. This indicates that the aura of some books leads to the stigma of others, a topic that should be explored further. Second, in looking at personal practices, many of my interviewees had ambiguous feelings toward new technologies despite obvious appreciation for the conveniences they afforded. While both of the librarians I interviewed admitted to buying books from online

WHOS READING BOOK REVIEWS NOWADAYS? - 14 wholesalers because the books come catalogued already and all [they] have to do is take them out of the box and check them in, they excused this as necessary due to a lack of time, and due to a need to operate in a way that could be justifiable to taxpayers. Furthermore, one librarian ameliorated this by saying she also shopped in local independent bookstores for things that she just couldnt wait for a vendor to send to her (personal communication, April 28, 2011). Another one of my interviewees, when asked about buying books online and reading books on e-readers, admitted: Personally I love Amazon as a consumer. Its, you know, especially as a new mom who has very limited time and, you know, its not always easy for me to get out of the house to do things, I love ordering. I order everything. And plus I have a Kindle, so I order everything on Amazon. But in my heart I love independent bookstores, so I feel slightly guilty about that. But at the same time I dont have so much time to feel guilty about that, because its so much easier to order things online. But there is something to be said for browsing and touching a book and looking through the bookstore. Its just such a wonderful experience [However,] right now I would never share a picture book with my daughter on an e-reader. I mean, it just seems bad for her eyes andI dont know. Theres something really tactile about picture books (personal communication, April 29, 2010). These ambivalences over the goods and evils of technology in book buying bleed into practices of book-promotion in interesting ways. For one, Diane of Little Shop admitted to starting an online component to her store because we cant ignore it, and Melissa admitted that it was hard at first to get others at Peachtree on board with social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter because they just didnt see how it would be worth the investment of time, but it has

WHOS READING BOOK REVIEWS NOWADAYS? - 15 slowly been accepted as they gain followers (personal communication, April 29 and May 2, 2011). Only Erin, Carmen Deedys manager, had clearly hopeful feelings about social networking tools and e-books, saying that the first would make authors and publishers more accessible to readers, which would be a boon for consumers who are more and more interested in personal connections to books and the people that make them, and the later would make reading a luxury (personal communication, May 2, 2011). The fact that Deedys manager was the only one to see the benefit of more accessibility in promotional communication, is worth noting, since she was also the only one to give due consideration to non-readers (excluding the librarians who were not asked). While my other interviewees denied that there was any decline in reading and literacy, Erin admitted that there were as many reasons not to read as there were to read, such as embarrassment over English not being a first language, not having found the right reading materials, being forced to read materials in school that werent personally alluring, and not growing up with good reading role models (personal communication, May 2, 2011). Likely this is due to the fact that Erin and Carmen spend more time with reluctant readers, since both women are exposed to a wide audience at schools, not just the people that attend trade shows, author events, and bookstores. This suggests that individuals lack of accessibility to agents in publishing and lack of means to more fully hold agents accountable is one element that may contribute greatly to the current culture of book promotion. Certainly Erin suggests that these walls are coming down due to social networking sites. Melissa adds to this, saying that as publishers transition from newspaper and magazine reviewers to soliciting book blog reviews, they are more accountable to reviewers, since bloggers like to be solicited personally and not en masse, and they can blog about you if you upset them. However, these tools are still only in the hands of those who have access to

WHOS READING BOOK REVIEWS NOWADAYS? - 16 these technologies and have enough of an interest in books to use them for this purpose. For large populations of non-readers such as those in poverty, and non-whites, there is still much need to find a means of holding publishers accountable in order to encourage more relevant book promotion and a more inviting, less intimidating reading culture. In sum, the culture of book promotion entails far more than practices and economic constraints. It is built and maintained on the backs of numerous agents and intermediaries who are constantly, if not consciously, trying to fit book culture as they know it into an ever-adapting culture of book promotion, distribution, and consumption. Conclusion While this case study may very well raise more questions than it answers and deals with the unique subfield of childrens publishing, I believe that it does provide a better understanding of operations within the industry than has been laid out previously, and it does expose some of the generally applicable cultural politics that one needs to understand before making wider assumptions about publishing as a cultural industry. I would, now, suggest that future research on this topic look more closely at the history of book promotion, at the ways in which this promotional culture compares to that of the broader publishing field, as well as to that of other cultural industries. I would also hope that this study encourages future research on the ways in which other industries cultures can affect consumer receptivity. Yet most of all, I would hope that, if Dan Agins belief is correct and the future of book consumption (and in my mind the future of our national literacy rates) are dependent on quality book promotion, we can all be more proactive in changing the rules of the game to allow more room for reluctant readers to get excited about books.

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