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Books > Business & Economics > Industry & industrial studies > Media, information & communication industries > Publishing industry
Romance novels have attracted considerable attention since their
mass market debut in 1939, yet seldom has the industry itself been
analyzed. Founded in 1949, Harlequin quickly gained market
domination with their contemporary romances. Other publishers
countered with historical romances, leading to the rise of
""bodice-ripper"" romances in the 1970s. The liberation of the
romance novel's content during the 1980s brought a vitality to the
market that was dubbed a revolution, but the real romance
revolution began in the 1990s with developments in the mainstream
publishing industry and continues today. This book traces the
history and evolution of the romance industry, covering successful
(and not so successful) trends and describing changes in romance
publishing that paved the way for the many popular subgenres
flooding the market in the 21st century.
Japanese manga comic books have attracted a devoted global
following. In the popular press manga is said to have "invaded" and
"conquered" the United States, and its success is held up as a
quintessential example of the globalization of popular culture
challenging American hegemony in the twenty-first century. In Manga
in America - the first ever book-length study of the history,
structure, and practices of the American manga publishing industry
- Casey Brienza explodes this assumption. Drawing on extensive
field research and interviews with industry insiders about
licensing deals, processes of translation, adaptation, and
marketing, new digital publishing and distribution models, and
more, Brienza shows that the transnational production of culture is
an active, labor-intensive, and oft-contested process of
"domestication." Ultimately, Manga in America argues that the
domestication of manga reinforces the very same imbalances of
national power that might otherwise seem to have been transformed
by it and that the success of Japanese manga in the United States
actually serves to make manga everywhere more American.
The defeat of George Armstrong Custer and the Seventh Cavalry at
the Battle of the Little Bighorn was big news in 1876. Newspaper
coverage of the battle initiated hot debates about whether the U.S.
government should change its policy toward American Indians and who
was to blame for the army's loss--the latter, an argument that
ignites passion to this day. In "Shooting Arrows and Slinging Mud,
"James E. Mueller draws on exhaustive research of period newspapers
to explore press coverage of the famous battle. As he analyzes a
wide range of accounts--some grim, some circumspect, some even
laced with humor--Mueller offers a unique take on the dramatic
events that so shook the American public.
Among the many myths surrounding the Little Bighorn is that
journalists of that time were incompetent hacks who, in response to
the stunning news of Custer's defeat, called for bloodthirsty
revenge against the Indians and portrayed the "boy general" as a
glamorous hero who had suffered a martyr's death. Mueller argues
otherwise, explaining that the journalists of 1876 were not
uniformly biased against the Indians, and they did a credible job
of describing the battle. They reported facts as they knew them,
wrote thoughtful editorials, and asked important questions.
Although not without their biases, journalists reporting on the
Battle of the Little Bighorn cannot be credited--or faulted--for
creating the legend of Custer's Last Stand. Indeed, as Mueller
reveals, after the initial burst of attention, these journalists
quickly moved on to other stories of their day. It would be art and
popular culture--biographies, paintings, Wild West shows, novels,
and movies--that would forever embed the Last Stand in the American
psyche.
The increasing shift towards digital publishing has provoked much
debate concerning the issues surrounding ?'Open Access?' (OA),
including its economic implications. This timely book considers how
the future of academic publishing might look in a purely digital
environment and utilises unique empirical data in order to analyze
the experiences of researchers with, as well as attitudes towards,
OA publishing. Presenting findings from a novel, in-depth survey
with more than 10,000 respondents from 25 countries, this book
shows that the research culture of scientific research differs
considerably between disciplines and countries. These differences
significantly determine the role of both '?gold?' and '?green?'
forms of OA and foster both opportunity and risk. Discussing their
findings in the light of recent policy attempts to foster OA,
Thomas Eger and Marc Scheufen reveal considerable shortcomings and
lack of knowledge on fundamental features of the academic
publishing market and conclude by highlighting a policy agenda for
its future development. Well-timed and far-reaching, this book will
be of particular interest to students and scholars interested in
the economic analysis of copyright law. Academic librarians and
research sponsors will also benefit from the insights offered.
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