128 Book publishing The Eighties in America
also commanded premium royalty payments. Not
every work by a famous author was successful, how-
ever, so publishers’ investments in big names did not
always pay off.
Academic publishers also faced numerous chal-
lenges in the 1980’s. University presses confronted
increasing budget constraints and tighter manage-
ment, which curbed the production of scholarly
monographs. Some university presses formed con-
sortiums or sought external funding, but academic
sales declined despite aggressive marketing tactics.
Impact The changing economic landscape of the
publishing industry during the 1980’s forced pub-
lishers to adopt new methods. New technologies and
desktop-publishing systems allowed typesetting op-
erations and editing to become more cost-efficient.
The availability of electronic formats revolutionized
production, distribution, and promotion and be-
came part of a vast reorganization throughout the
industry. They could not shield publishers com-
pletely, however, from the deleterious economic ef-
fects of the decade. Corporate restructuring led to
the formation of numerous subdivisions within the
large publishing houses that were often left without
clear directions or goals. Decreasing salaries also de-
terred recent graduates from entering the profes-
sion; instead, they opted for more lucrative positions
in the other communications fields.
Subsequent Events The advent of the Internet
dramatically affected the publishing profession. Be-
ginning in 1994, customers could order books on-
line directly from distributors’ warehouses at Ama-
zon. The used-book trade also exploded, as search
engines and centralized Web sites made it much eas-
ier to find a used copy of a specific title. Companies
began as well to experiment with alternative formats
such as e-books and CD-ROMs in order to boost
sales. However, issues from the previous decade con-
tinued to plague the industry. Publishing mergers
were still common, and the expansion of bookstore
chains throughout the country took away business
from smaller retailers in cities and malls. Thus, while
it became possible for almost anyone to self-publish
online, the competition for shelf space in brick-and-
mortar stores—or for a prominent position on Ama-
zon’s virtual shelves—became more intense than
ever.
Further Reading
Allen, Walter C. Ed.Librar y Trends33 (Fall, 1984).
The journal devotes its entire issue, “The Quality
of Trade Book Publishing in the 1980’s,” to the
trends in the book publishing industry. The au-
thors of the special issue’s eleven articles address
the role of the library, authors, editors, agents,
marketing, and promotion in the publishing
world.
Coser, Lewis A., Charles Kadushin, and Walter W.
Powell.Books: The Culture and Commerce of Pub-
lishing. New York: Basic Books, 1982. The authors
apply sociological analysis and organizational
theory to the publishing industry.
Curtis, Richard.Beyond the Bookseller: A Literar y Agent
Takes You Inside the Book Business. New York: New
American Library, 1989. A New York City literary
agent offers insights into the trends and eco-
nomic aspects of the publishing profession.
Davis, Kenneth C.Two-Bit Culture: The Paperbacking of
America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1984. Davis, a
journalist, analyzes the social, economic, educa-
tional, and literary impact of the mass marketingStates Health care in the United
Geiser, Elizabeth A., Arnold Dolin, and Gladys
Topkis, eds.The Business of Book Publishing: Papers
by Practitioners. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press,- Provides a description of the publishing
process for individuals who want to enter the pro-
fession.
Potter, Clarkson N.Who Does What and Why in Book
Publishing: Writers, Editors, and Money Men. New
York: Birch Lane Press, 1990. Describes the book-
publishing business for aspiring authors from a
book’s initial conception to the time it reaches a
consumer.
Tebbel, John.Between Covers: The Rise and Transforma-
tion of Book Publishing in America. New York: Ox-
ford University Press, 1987. An abridgement of
Tebbel’s four-volumeHistor y of Book Publishing in
America(1972-1981). Tebbel divides the work into
five chronological sections, delving into the as-
pects and trends in American publishing from
1700 to 1985.
Gayla Koerting
See also Advertising; Apple Computer; Business
and the economy in the United States; Children’s lit-
erature; Consumerism.