Class Diversity in Publishing by Ellie Bowker

Abstract:

The call for more diverse voices in publishing has become increasingly persistent. Specifically focusing on class diversity, this article examines the current representation of working class voices within the publishing workforce as well as within the literature it produces. It describes the schemes already available for encouraging and recruiting more working class people into publishing as well as highlighting the drawbacks or hesitations they have over pursuing a career in publishing. The article looks in to how we define “working class” in relation to fiction and questions whether this label should be used at all .

Keywords:working class, middle class, social class, publishing, publishers, working class fiction, diversity, class diversity, authors, readers

Introduction:

Diversity is arguably the most current and relevant issue being debated in the publishing industry today. When we think of diversity, we think race, gender, sexual orientation, and class. All are equally important topics when it comes to the discussion of diversity in the publishing industry. For the purpose of this article, we will be specifically exploring diversity in regards to regions and the working class. According to Kit De Waal’s BBC Radio 4 documentary, Where Are All the Working Class Writers,being working class can be defined as “the hybrid of region, accent and income” (BBC Radio 4, 2017). It is then the assumption that these are the factors that contribute to the definition of “working class fiction.” Authors such as Natasha Carthew, Irvine Welsh, Andrew McMillan, and the aforementioned Kit De Waal come from this socioeconomic background. However, should we be defining fiction and authors as “working class” at all? The publishing industry is the least socially diverse creative industry in the UK, significantly behind other creative industries like film, TV, and advertising. What is it about publishing that makes it such a standout industry when it comes to diversity, or lack of it? We can attribute it to three strands; publishers, authors and, perhaps most importantly, audiences. None of these are mutually exclusive. In order to create a solution to the problem, publishers, authors, and audiences must all work together to create books that are more reflective of British society .

The Workforce

A central debate as to where the problem lies is whether it is down to a lack of diversity in the workforce or a lack of diversity in the literature being published. Publishing output is not very reflective of British society at all, whether it’s race, gender, sexual orientation, or class. In 2017, an outrage was sparked over the announcement of the Carnegie Medal shortlist that only included white authors despite the critical and commercial success of BAME authors such as Patrice Lawrence and Malorie Blackman (Kean, 2017). The release of this list highlighted the critical issue of the lack of diversity and the importance of recruiting new voices into the publishing industry. Best-selling author Kit De Waal summarised the stigma amongst aspirant writers and publishers as “if you can’t see it, you can’t be it” (De Waal, 2018).

An analysis of the 2014 British Labour Force Survey showed that only 12% of those working in publishing were from a working-class background despite making up more than a third of the UK population, compared to the 43% who were from a middle-class background and hold influential editorial roles (O’Brien, Friedman, Laurieson, Miles, 2016). But these are publishing roles, why should this apply or even matter to authors? Publishers are considered to be gatekeepers , they control what books go out into the world and into readers hands. If the majority of publishers are from a white, middle-class background, a very narrow social demographic, then how can we expect authors outside of that demographic to feel comfortable approaching a publisher who knows so little about their experience? Publishers, or commissioning editors, from a privileged background often have a very narrow idea of the working-class story or what it means to be part of the working-class.

There is the stereotype surrounding working-class novels that they are the “stories of struggle” and focus heavily on overdramatic narratives such as drug and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, or crime. The high saturation of working-class fiction with these dark themes only feed in to the middle-class assumption that to be working-class is seen as a failure – a path that took a wrong turn. When it comes to stories that feature disadvantaged characters, it is all about how the protagonist rises above their rank and “makes it” in a system that is built against them. This stereotypes the working-class, putting them into a box. Their life is no longer an experience but a series of tropes that will sell well in the middle-class market.

Working class novels certainly appear to go in and out of fashion with the middle-class audience, gaining popularity critically and commercially when it coincides with political events. It appears that the most iconic working class novels, or the ones most known to the middle-class reader, all circulate around a political event at the time of their publication or when the novel is set. For example, in the 80s with Thatcherism, the destruction of the unions and mass unemployment, we have great working class novels such as Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh. The late 80s and 90s were rich with working class stories affected by the urban and industrial decay brought about by the closure of mines and unions. It certainly raises the question as to whether all working-class fiction also needs to be labelled as political. But why should it be? Working-class authors should be able to write stories – whether they are fantasy, science fiction, or romance – without being political, “Protagonists don’t have to be […] victims, they could just be working class” (Carthew, 2016). Natasha Carthew makes a valid point that whilst audiences still want to read about the fantastical, they also want to recognise themselves in the story. This is the sort of change that can only come from normalising the working-class experience which is much like a circular structure. Publishers need to read more working-class fiction in order to understand but they can’t read more unless it gets published in the first place. Literature should challenge preconceived perceptions and stereotypes .

Access for Authors

There are several reasons why it is so difficult for working-class writers to get their novels published by the big publishing houses. It might be said that publishers have an ingrained fear and perception that they can’t commission a working-class novel for something they know so little about and are therefore uncomfortable talking about it . This fear leads one of two ways; either working-class stories do not get published at all or they become every stereotype of working-class. Unoriginal and outdated labels such as “dark” or “gritty” become the marketing buzzwords for a story that is really just about the working-class experience (Duffy, 2014). And even when these novels are published, are they even for the working-class audience whom the novel is about?

According to Kevin Duffy, co-founder of the independent publisher Bluemoose Books, no. “There is a belief in publishing that books set in the north with working-class characters are too ‘small’ and don’t fit the middle-class demographic who will be interested enough to buy such books” (Duffy, 2014). It is arguable that the middle-class publishing work force only commission novels for the middle-class reader. Fiction by middle-class writers is never categorised as “middle-class fiction” or, in the case of best-selling writers from the south of England, “southern writers”; they’re just “writers”, yet publishers are quick to apply the terms to “working-class fiction” or “northern writers” (De Waal, 2018). In the publishers’ eye, these terms have debatably become indistinguishable – to be a writer from the north of England automatically makes you a working-class writer when that is not the case. It becomes difficult to pinpoint the exact cause of the issue – location, saturation of market, or the publishing workforce itself? Publishers need to take a look at how they are thinking of their audience and how they are marketing their books towards them. Perhaps it is time to get rid of the “working-class fiction” labels. Ideally that would relieve some of the discomfort when it comes to commissioning novels that are different from the publishers’ own experience.

Location & Outreach Schemes

For the working-class, getting in to publishing is easier said than done. As it stands, the big five publishing houses, Penguin Random House, Hachette, Macmillan, Harper Collins and Simon & Schuster, all have their main offices based in London. The UK’s capital is a highly expensive place to live and moving to London for an unpaid internship or without a job, unless you are already wealthy enough to support yourself or have family to stay with, is just unrealistic to expect from the working-class. It is extremely discouraging for those who live far outside of London and want to get into publishing in the first place.

Recently, publishers have been making the change to get rid of unpaid internships and work experience with most publishers offering the London Living Wage to interns. Penguin Random House now has a new system for applying for work experience which does not require applicants to have a degree or any prior experience in efforts to drive regional diversity (Penguin Random House, 2017). Additional efforts have been made by the Publishers Association such as the launch of the “Spare Room Project” which “[matches] up aspirant publishers from outside London with publishing people in the capital, who can give them accommodation for a week” (The Publishers Association, 2016). The project tackles the issue for those who live outside of London and struggle to find affordable accommodation for the duration of their work experience.

Furthermore, more universities around the country are launching degrees in Publishing, for both undergraduates and postgraduates. The University of Derby’s MA in Publishing “[places] an emphasis on real-world experience, good links and long term partnerships within industry […] offer students the chance to work and contribute toward real book projects” with the aspiration that this will make progress in setting up “institute for publishing in the North” (Cowdrey, 2016). These efforts to disrupt the publishing industry as it currently is are still slow moving but a good start in making the publishing industry reflect British society, which is more than just the white and middle-class population of London.

For working-class writers, it is potentially even harder to commit themselves to writing as a career. The working class just don’t have the income to support themselves whilst writing and even if they do land a contract with a publishing house, authors do not earn as much as it is commonly perceived. With the success of J.K. Rowling, publishing’s favourite rags to riches story, the general public assume writing to be a high paying profession when that is just not the case. On average, a full-time author’s income is £12,500 a year, well below the UK’s national living (Lea, 2016). Tom Weldon, CEO of Penguin Random House, stated that “culture is driven by a very narrow section of society […] we need to recruit different kinds of staff and writers” (BBC Radio 4, 2017). Penguin has demonstrated that they are serious about the change that needs to happen in publishing with the launch of “Write Now!”, a scheme “[aiming] to find and publish new writers who are ‘under-represented in books and publishing’” (Cowdrey, 2016).

Conclusion

Change in the publishing industry is happening slowly. It has taken until now to even acknowledge that there is a problem of lack of diversity within the industry. If the industry, particularly the big publishing houses, continues and builds on these schemes then it would certainly begin to reshape the publishing industry and the type of books they put out into the world. However, the issue of diversity goes beyond getting the marginalised groups involved in the first place, publishers need to consider how they will maintain diversity in publishing. That will include working-class publishers commissioning working-class authors to write and market books for a working-class audience. If the publishing industry expands outside of London to all areas of England then publishers can start finding new voices that are reflective of the whole of the UK, not just one very slim social demographic. Publishing needs to stop waiting for the working-class voices to come to them. That won’t happen with a few outreach schemes. Publishing needs to find a way to go out and find those working-class voices, because they are there and people want to read them .

Bibliography

Carthew, N. 2016, ‘I didn’t see working class identity in books when I was growing up, and I don’t see enough now’, The Guardian [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2016/apr/12/working-class-identity-childrens-books-natasha-carthew

I didn’t see working class identity in books when I was …
http://www.theguardian.com
When author Natasha Carthew was growing up in rural Cornwall she was a ferocious reader but also a frustrated one – where were all the other poor working-class gay girls?

[Accessed 10th March 2018]

Cowdrey, K. (2016), ‘Publishing can help bridge North-South divide’, The Bookseller[online] Available at: https://www.thebookseller.com/news/new-writing-north-tells-londons-publishing-elite-mind-class-gap-351996

Publishing can help bridge North-South divide | The Bookseller
http://www.thebookseller.com
There is “a lack of awareness within the publishing industry about the rest of the country”, New Writing North c.e.o Claire Malcolm has alleged, whilst making the business case for signing more writers from the north of England.

[Accessed on: 14th March 2018]

Cowdrey, K. (2016), ‘’More working class voices’ needed in publishing’, The Bookseller[online] Available at: https://www.thebookseller.com/news/new-writing-north-asks-trade-work-together-address-diversity-343671

‘More working class voices’ needed in publishing | The …
http://www.thebookseller.com
The book trade should be doing more to promote diversity in publishing, according to the chief executive of New Writing North, Claire Malcolm, who has called on the publishing industry to help it in addressing the issue.

[Accessed on 7th March 2018]

Cowdrey, K. (2016), ‘Page: Publishing is too ‘London-centric’’, The Bookseller [online] Available at: https://www.thebookseller.com/news/university-derby-brings-publishing-north-329802

Page: Publishing is too ‘London-centric’ | The Bookseller
http://www.thebookseller.com
Publishing is a very “London-centric” business which has to “stop”, Faber’s c.e.o Stephen Page has said, while adding that the industry is “toe curlingly” white…

[Accessed on: 7th March 2018]

Cowdrey, K. 2016, ‘PRH hunts for writers from ‘under-represented’ communities’, The Bookseller [online] Available at: https://www.thebookseller.com/news/prh-launches-writenow-publish-new-writers-underrepresented-bookshelves-369101

PRH hunts for writers from ‘under-represented’ communities …
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Penguin Random House UK has launched a nationwide campaign to find, mentor and publish new writers from communities under-represented on the UK’s bookshelves.

[Accessed 7th March 2018]

De Waal, K. 2018 ‘Kit de Waal: ‘Make room for working class writers’’, The Guardian [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/feb/10/kit-de-waal-where-are-all-the-working-class-writers-

Kit de Waal: ‘Make room for working class writers’ | Books …
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When Kit de Waal was growing up in 1970s Birmingham, no one like her – poor, black and Irish – wrote books. Forty years on, the author asks, what has changed?

[Accessed 10th March 2018]

Duffy, K. (2014), ‘Working-class fiction has been written out of publishing’, The Guardian [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2014/jun/17/working-class-fiction-publishing-assumption

Working-class fiction has been written out of publishing …
http://www.theguardian.com
I have spent the last 25 years selling and then publishing books, so I read with interest Melvyn Bragg’s recent comments on working-class characters in fiction being stereotyped and cliched. “All this ‘it’s grim oop north’ sort of stuff. Well, it was a joke once, but we’ve got to the stage where the …

[Accessed 7th March 2018]

Kean, D. 2017 ‘All-white Carnegie medal longlist provokes anger from children’s authors’, The Guardian [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/feb/16/all-white-carnegie-medal-longlist-anger-childrens-authors-philip-pullman

All-white Carnegie medal longlist provokes anger from …
http://www.theguardian.com
Philip Pullman, Alex Wheatle and Alan Gibbons among authors speaking out against ‘appalling’ exclusion of acclaimed books by leading BAME writers

[Accessed 14th March 2018]

Lea, R. 2016, ‘Most UK authors’ annual incomes still well below minimum wage, survey shows’, The Guardian [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/oct/19/uk-authors-annual-incomes-below-minimum-wage-survey-average-earnings

Most UK authors’ annual incomes still well below minimum …
http://www.theguardian.com
Report shows average earnings for British authors are just £12,500, with legal protections among the worst in Europe

[Accessed 14th March 2018]

O’Brien, D, Laurison, D, Miles A & Friedman, S. (2016) ‘Are the creative industries meritocratic? An analysis of the 2014 British Labour Force Survey’, Cultural Trends, 25:2, 116-131

Penguin Random House, (2017), Penguin Random House UK offers fully paid work experience to open up opportunities in publishing [online] Available at: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.co.uk/media/news/2017/april/penguin-random-house-uk-offers-fully-paid-work-experience-to-ope/

Penguin Random House UK offers fully paid work experience …
http://www.penguinrandomhouse.co.uk
Penguin Random House UK is today announcing it will pay its work experience participants the National Living Wage in order to make the publishing industry more accessible.

[Accessed 12th March 2018]

The Publishers Association, (2016), Spare Room Project launches [online] Available at: https://www.publishers.org.uk/news/press-releases/2016/spare-room-project-launches-with-pa/

Spare Room Project launches with PA – publishers.org.uk
http://www.publishers.org.uk
The Spare Room Project, supported by The Publishers Association, will match up aspirant publishers from outside London with publishing people in the capital, who can give them accommodation for a week.

[Accessed 12th March 2018]

Where Are All the Working Class Writers?, (2017). [Radio Programme] BBC Radio 4. Available at: https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/ondemand/index.php/prog/1020B16F%5BAccessed 10th March 2018]

Hybrid Publishing by Beatriz Liberatti

Abstract
This article explains what hybrid publishing is, comparing it to traditional and self-publishing models. It highlights the differences between the hybrid publishing model and vanity publishing, along with other challenges that hybrid publishers face in the industry today. The article comments on Brooke Warner’s different hybrid publishing models and success stories in the sector, such as She Writes Press and RedDoor Publishing. It considers the advantages of publishing a book with a hybrid publisher from the viewpoint of a bestselling author. The new Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) set of criteria for hybrid publishing is also mentioned. Finally, this article talks about the possible future of hybrid publishing and how its success may be achieved.

Keywords: hybrid publishing, self-publishing, independent publishing, IBPA, challenges, alternative publishing, traditional publishing,

In a world where traditional publishing houses are overflowing with submitted manuscripts, most of which end up in the “discard pile”, and self-publishing still carries the stigma of poor quality, the hybrid publishing model could become the answer to many aspiring authors. While not new, hybrid publishing has recently gained the recognition of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) and articles arguing for its legitimacy have been published in Writer’s Digest and Publishers Weekly. However, there are still issues that could threaten its rise as an alternative publishing method. There is an ongoing disagreement in the industry on how to define hybrid publishing, a hard-to-shake association with vanity publishing, and the challenge of financial sustainability for the new companies.

In its simplest definition, hybrid is a process made by combining traditional and self-publishing values. It covers a broad range that straddles both models, sometimes being referred to as “partnership publishing” or “collaborative publishing.” It almost always requires the author paying for part of the work, while receiving higher royalties. In the more serious and respected hybrid publishing houses, the books are curated by the publisher, with the money invested by the author playing no part in the acceptance of a manuscript. As publishing industry consultant Jane Friedman (2016) said, “Not everyone who walks through the door can get published.”

The more specific definitions depend on who is asked the question. Mark Lefebvre, director of self-publishing and author relations at Kobo, calls it “an often-confusing term” (2016). He believes that hybrid publishing can refer to anything from assisted self-publishing, where an author pays a company to use their services with no vetting for the manuscript, to a more collaborative function, where there is still an investment up front but the project will be held to the standard of its traditional publishing counterparts. To add to the confusion, there is the widely-accepted term “hybrid author”, which refers to authors who both traditionally and self-publish, and has nothing to do with hybrid publishing.

Hybrid publishing’s association with vanity and self-publishing comes from the author having to put up some of their own money in the deal. In a hybrid model, this investment should always have a point of return to the author, such as higher royalty rates. The companies usually try to run the same way as a traditional publishing company and treat the authors as partners. With vanity presses, as long as the author pays the required fees, anything submitted will be published. It differs from self-publishers by having different authors under their imprint and a team that works with the author during the entire process.

Hybrid Publishing Models

Brooke Warner, co-founder of She Writes Press, identifies four main kinds of hybrid publishing: the earliest one involving traditional publishing houses, partnership publishing model, agent-assisted publishing model, and assisted self-publishing. (2016)

Traditional publishing houses have used a type of hybrid method for years, usually called “contributory contracts” or “contribution based contracts.” In this method, the manuscript still has to be approved, but makes it a lower risk option for the buyer. Mostly evident in smaller presses, this method has been deemed controversial due to its lack of transparency. As there is still prejudice against authors who pay to be published, these larger companies tend to avoid the topic.

With the partnership publishing model, a publisher gives the author access to their brand while avoiding financial risk. In this case, the author will invest the money and potentially collect the earnings or endure the consequences of a failed book.

A new trend in the industry is agents founding their own publishing companies. Here the agents will acquire the rights to books that they truly believe in, but have been rejected by traditional publishers, resulting in the search for an alternative method to publish them. A main selling point for these imprints is that the agents are prone to push for foreign sales of the work, since they will be both representing and publishing it.

Finally, the assisted self-publishing method, which falls closest to the “pay-to-play” end of the spectrum. Ultimately, the author is paying someone to assist them in publishing their book. There is no teamwork involved and some companies take advantage of the author, making this overpriced self-publishing.

IBPA Criteria

On the 20th of February 2018, the IBPA released a list of criteria to standardise hybrid publishers. This comes at a time when hybrid publishers are growing in the industry. Its goal is to “help hybrid publishers build better businesses based on clear and consistent best practices” (Langrick, 2018). It will also help with the confusion surrounding what a hybrid publisher is and its differences from vanity presses.

The document acknowledges the similarities between hybrid and other author-subsidised models, while the set of criteria differentiates it from the rest. It compares hybrid publishers to traditional publishing houses, holding both to the same standard. Quality of content, design, and production is highlighted, along with provision of distribution services and respectable sales. The IBPA also mentions that hybrid publishers must pay higher royalties, generally “over 50% of net in both print and digital books.” In comparison, standard flat royalties fall at 10% of RRP in print and 25% in e-Books.

Advantages of Working with a Hybrid Publisher

Hybrid publishers have other reasons to why an author should choose to work with them instead of going the traditional route or self-publishing. Besides the already mentioned higher royalties, another potential advantage is that some hybrid publishers allow books prolonged exposure in the market. Kristen Harnisch, bestselling author of The Vintner’s Daughter, has attributed that to her debut success, along with the opportunity to learn more about the publishing industry from her involvement with all steps of the production of the book.

Unlike traditional publishing companies, most hybrid publishers accept unsolicited manuscripts, eliminating the need for a literary agent. The author will have creative control over their product, at the same time working with an editorial team, with marketing and PR support. In the end, the author will get most of the commercial returns. The publisher benefits financially from book sales and publishing services.

The more successful and respected hybrid publishers have different types of vetting systems for choosing which books to work on. SWP only publishes books for, by, and about women, and charges a set fee for their services, including e-Book publishing, distribution, and proofreading. Fiction publisher Evolve does not have an up-front fee, but offers different services that can be paid for, such as editing and cover art. Other publishers have even more unusual approaches, EverAfter brings successful self-published romance e-book authors to print. Inkshares works with crowdfunding, its authors don’t have to pay any fees but will only be published when they hit 250 preorders.

In the United Kingdom, the leading example of hybrid publishing is RedDoor Publishing. Its founder is Clare Christian, whose experience in non-traditional publishing methods includes co-founding The Friday Project—a HarperCollins’ imprint which focused on finding material online and turning it into traditional books. She came up with the idea for RedDoor while working as a consultant, where she met many authors who turned to self-publishing after failing to sign a traditional publishing deal.

“By commissioning in exactly the same way that we did when working for traditional publishers and by applying the same production values… we felt we could offer talented authors the ability to self-publish in a way that would be credible in the publishing industry.” (Christian, 2016)

However, there are challenges that could translate into trouble in the near future. Small startups and emerging companies have difficulty with maintaining financial sustainability without compromising their work or rising costs in their services (Friedman, 2016). Just as any small publisher, these companies depend on the success of their early works, so they can get through to a more stable path in the future. This is where acquisition could play a major role, as big publishing houses have more financial freedom to support new ventures and take risks.

Future of Hybrid Publishing

The future of hybrid publishing is not yet set in stone. There is potential for growth and many companies and startups are taking advantage of that, by establishing themselves in the hybrid publishing market. Some argue that the future of the sector lies in acquisition, where the hybrid company would work as a division in a big publishing house. In this scenario, the authors benefit from the support of a well-known publisher, while the scope of the publisher would result in a more profitable model for both parties (Christian, 2016).

Overall, hybrid publishing has proven its place in the current industry. “Hybrid publishers provide a good and important alternative for authors today, they fill a demand for authors that neither traditional publishers nor self-publishing services currently meet.” (Rasenberger, 2018). If continuing on its path of growth, it is safe to say that hybrid publishing will provide a great alternative to the usual ways of the industry.

Bibliography:

Flatt, M. (2016). Startup of the week: RedDoor. [online] Thebookseller.com. Available at: https://www.thebookseller.com/futurebook/startup-week-reddoor-338051 [Accessed 14 Mar. 2018].

Friedman, J. (2016). What Is a Hybrid Publisher?. [online] Jane Friedman. Available at: https://www.janefriedman.com/what-is-a-hybrid-publisher/ [Accessed 14 Mar. 2018].

IBPA (2018). Hybrid Publisher Criteria. [online] Available at: http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.ibpa-online.org/resource/resmgr/docs/IBPA-Hybrid-Publisher-Criter.pdf [Accessed 14 Mar. 2018].

Milliot, J. (2018). IBPA Develops Standards for Hybrid Publishers. [online] PublishersWeekly.com. Available at: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/76125-ipba-develops-standards-for-hybrid-publishers.html [Accessed 14 Mar. 2018].

Spector, N. (2016). The Indie Author’s Guide to Hybrid Publishing. [online] Publishersweekly.com. Available at: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/70446-the-indie-author-s-guide-to-hybrid-publishing.html [Accessed 14 Mar. 2018].

Reddoorpublishing.com. (n.d.). The RedDoor Niche. [online] Available at: https://reddoorpublishing.com/the-reddoor-niche/ [Accessed 14 Mar. 2018].

Warner, B. (2016). What is Hybrid Publishing? Here Are 4 Things All Writers Should Know. [online] WritersDigest.com. Available at: http://www.writersdigest.com/online-editor/what-is-hybrid-publishing-here-are-4-things-you-should-know [Accessed 14 Mar. 2018].

Warner, B. (2016). What’s Next for Hybrid Publishing. [online] PublishersWeekly.com. Available at: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/pw-select/article/70449-what-s-next-for-hybrid-publishing.html [Accessed 14 Mar. 2018].

Library Neutrality by Athena Potkovic

The goal of this study was to analyse the debate of library neutrality in the twenty-first century in the United States. Looking at statistics, developments announced by the American Library Association (ALA), and addressing the opinions of employees in the field, it explores ways in which the concept of neutrality is affecting the public as well as the staff. Due to funding shortages in the United States, many libraries are being warned of shutdowns and are having to rely on the support of communities to survive. Library neutrality is causing a debate as to what literature is acceptable and not acceptable in different states and cities, bringing theorists and religious groups into control with librarians themselves losing authority. The employees quoted in the study discuss the effects of diversity and funding within the work field while being in a vulnerable state. Results show that the answer to libraries surviving the next century comes down to a positive change in funding, support, and respect from communities for the public facilities and their employees. This conclusion suggests that the main power lies in the hands of the government, showing another example of their impact on the country.

Keywords: libraries, neutrality, American Library Association, politics, funding, public facilities, librarians, diversity, government, theorists, religion, racism, authority

Introduction
In the twenty-first century, politics have seeped into every nook and cranny of public facilities and our daily lives, including that of libraries in the United States. Librarians are currently in a state of questioning their authority as well as rights in their profession when looking at the content, environment, and employees within their work space. With the continuing debate of ethics, democratic versus republican, and the inclusion of religion in public services, the pressure is stronger than ever to meet communities wants and needs, and to survive against lack of funding. This brings in the term “neutrality” in the work field, with the definition from the Oxford Dictionary being “The state of not supporting or helping either side in a conflict, disagreement, etc.; impartiality” (Oxford Dictionary, 2018).

Developments Through the Government
Many librarians have a strong opinion on the term “neutrality” when confronted with it. Whether that be developed through the environment in terms of diversity or their often-challenged selection of literature, every employee within this profession faces it. However, as common as it seems to be when looking at the rise and fall of libraries, there is no actual definition nor official way of dealing with it. Alison Lewis, from Library Juice Press, wrote “Here at the beginning of the twenty-first century, ‘neutrality’ no longer means ‘impartiality’ or objectivity,’ but too often lapses into what might be better termed ‘indifference’” (Lewis, 2008) when discussing the debate of neutrality in the profession’s community.

This lack of understanding is causing a divide between communities and employees requiring proactive problem solving. However, with the support of the United States government being necessary during this rough period, the belief differences between Republicans and Democrats are overriding this need. This debate is a cause of library facilities going into the “danger zone” of government budget cuts due to President Trump not seeing them as a necessity for communities. Many people within the communities being affected are unaware of the politics that go into making these cuts and the reasoning behind them. It can be noted that the Republican government currently responsible for the decisions is ignoring the impact on budgets and continuously focuses more on the development of public facilities rather than the upkeep.

As the term “neutrality” has become more commonly used, the American Library of Association (ALA) formed statements to help guide their employees when dealing with this topic in 2006. The American Library of Association’s Library Bill of Rights states:
1. “Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation” (American Library Association, 2006).
2. “Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. Materials should not be proscribed or removed because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval” (American Library Association, 2006).

In addition to this, in the American Library Association’s Code of Ethics amended in 2008 from 1939, Article VII states “We distinguish between our personal convictions and professional duties and do not allow our personal beliefs to interfere with fair representation of the aims of our institutions or the provision of access to their information resources” (American Library Association, 2008). Furthermore, Article I states, “We provide the highest level of service to all library users through appropriate and usefully organized resources; equitable service policies; equitable access; and accurate, unbiased, and courteous responses to all requests” (American Library Association, 2008).

Funding
The factors that are effecting this specific issue in the profession are funding and beliefs which are connected to politics. Since Donald Trump took over as President of the Unites States, “funding for the Institute for Museum and Library Services, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts – major funding sources of librarian and archivist jobs, programs and research” (Williams, 2017) are being targeted as “wasteful” and rapidly losing funding. The Institute for Museum and Library Services distributes roughly $231 million every year to public libraries across the United States (Chrastka, 2018). With both the pressure and limitations of this, librarians are struggling to find the balance between bringing in literature that they can both afford and in which are requested by their communities.

The state of Republican versus Democrat in the United States has formed a debate as to what literature is right, wrong, and needed in communities. With different states holding different views and beliefs, each library is different and therefore their workers lack a form of consistent support when making decisions for their public facilities.

When looking at literature that religious communities and theorists are fighting for or against in libraries, Alison Lewis questioned, “If we were somehow able to make available all viewpoints, or failing that, a healthy range of viewpoints, should we consider each of these viewpoints equally valid and deserving of equal amounts of shelf space and budget dollars?” (Lewis, 2008). Such statements show that communities are overlooking the reality of budget limitations and focusing on criticism of a profession that lacks control due to politics and is under the pressure of meeting all beliefs in a society where this is not encouraged by everyone.

Further on Lewis states, “I am continuously disheartened by the lack of understanding of or support for libraries and librarians in the larger society. Underfunding and de-professionalization are two symptoms of a potentially fatal illness within the library profession” (Lewis, 2008). Additionally, Stacie Williams stated, “…neutrality says a patron who asks for help searching for romance books but says, ‘Don’t give me anything by a Mexican author,’ isn’t to be questioned or challenged about a stance that may be prejudiced. Neutrality becomes a way to avoid questions or ethics that are wrong or make people uncomfortable” (Williams, 2017). Statements such as those noted show the battle that the profession is facing, dealing with right versus wrong on a personal level, in their profession, their communities, and their society.

Diversity
Looking further into neutrality within libraries, diversity among the workers and within the public spaces is an issue often overlooked. In 2013, statistics from the American Library Association (ALA) showed that 88.1% of their field were white employees (Williams, 2017). To make a point of their “diversity”, the American Library Association’s Code of Ethics Article V states, “We treat co-workers and other colleagues with respect, fairness, and good faith, and advocate conditions of employment that safeguard the rights and welfare of all employees of our institutions” (American Library Association, 2008). However, this is not always the case, especially in terms of customers.

Stacie Williams, a librarian from the United States, discussed her experience when working at a medical library, dealing with racism and noting the limitations of access for people with
disabilities. “In ways small and large, I
have been reminded that nothing about libraries is neutral. Not the desks or furniture that are sometimes built by incarcerated individuals who can’t protest their labour. Not the buildings, some of which lack physical access for individuals who can’t climb stairs or walk over uneven stones and bricks. Not the collections development theories, not the leadership opportunities, not the vacation and break schedules, or the computer use policies. Not our co-workers, our funding models, and certainly not the patrons we serve” (Williams, 2017). Additionally, she made a point of the fact that both she and her colleagues noticed that when she was working alongside a white employee, people often double looked and chose to go to the white employee for help. This created an “atmosphere” that seeped into her daily life and made her aware of the racial discrimination that still dominates in the United States.

It is important to note that neutrality does in fact include more than just the literary content of libraries. Through racism and physical limitations, librarians are put into a space that is no longer safe. They worry about criticism and possible violent responses that people in their community will reflect onto them. Many note that the rights stated by the American Library Association (ALA) are simply words rather than actions, protecting only the interest of the government, rather than that of the employees.

Stacie Williams wrote about her experience when a white man requested that she show him where a copy of Mein Kampf was located causing her to fear for her life. The shelf location was out of camera range and with her being the only staff member present that day, she felt vulnerable as a black woman and had to find a way to help the man while still protecting herself. She found a place in which she would still be in view of the security camera whilst in pointing distance for the guidance of the customer. This experience was summed up by her stating, “I tend to eschew the idea of neutrality because nothing about my lived experience, as a black librarian, is neutral” (Williams, 2017). At the time of this experience, it is important to note that there were less than ten black employees, including herself, at her medical library with a staff of over 700.

Strategic Directions
This fear and vulnerability in the work field has increased along with the questioning of neutrality, leading to their work spaces no longer being designated as “safe spaces.” In terms of what is being done to aid in this being fixed, the American Library Association (ALA) published a “Strategic Directions” plan in 2017 at the MidWinter Meeting in Atlanta Georgia.

Among the multiple points in the strategy, the key action areas of the American Library Association (ALA) Strategic Directions (American Library Association, 2017) states,
Advocacy for Libraries and the Profession: “ALA actively works to increase public awareness of the crucial value of libraries and librarians, to promote state and national legislation beneficial to libraries and library users, and to supply the resources, training and support networks needed by local advocates seeking to increase support for libraries of all types.”
Diversity: “Libraries play a crucial role in empowering diverse populations for full participation in a democratic society. In the library workforce, programs of recruitment, training, development, advancement and promotion are needed in order to increase and retain diverse library personnel who are reflective of the society we serve. Within the Association and in the services and operations of libraries, efforts to include diversity in programs, activities, services, professional literature, products and continuing education must be ongoing and encouraged.”
Intellectual Freedom: “Intellectual freedom is a basic right in a democratic society and a core value of the library profession. ALA actively defends the privacy and right of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely as guaranteed by the First
Amendment.”

Though these are steps that may take a while to fully implement, it is a step in the right direction. No statements from the librarians themselves have been made on part of the publications to take note of.

Conclusion
Library neutrality in the 21st century is a current issue affecting the work field and communities due to the power of politics. Many people in this profession are faced with challenges and the undermining of librarians’ authority that the topic has caused, believing that neutrality is simply an excuse for overlooking beliefs and diversity in selection of literature and recruitment. With the American Library Association (ALA) formulating employees’ rights and codes of conduct to guide their employees, librarians believe that this is simply a way to be approved by the government, rather than give support where needed. By the choice of the current president and his government, republican beliefs take precedence over democratic, therefore causing a fault in the funding system. With lack of funding, librarians are no longer able to support their communities by meeting their needs and making shelf-space and budget choices that meet the standards set by the American Library Association (ALA). It is important to note that progress is being made by the American Library Association (ALA), by forming strategic directions in terms of authority within the profession, diversity, intellectual freedom, and other aspects such as access to the services and transformation to withstand the decline of public library facilities. The future of libraries stands in the hands of the government and communities. Only time will tell what will be the ongoing viability of the profession and the availability of libraries to the public. Librarians will continue to voice their opinions and experiences of library neutrality through online journals and articles to meet their job fulfilment and provide knowledge to communities where it is lacking.

Bibliography

American Library Association. (2017) American Library Association Strategic Directions.
American Library Association. Available from: http://www.ala.org/aboutala/strategicplan [Accessed 07 March 2018]

American Library Association. (2008) Code of Ethics of the American Library Association.
American Library Association. Available from: http://www.ala.org/tools/ethics [Accessed 07 March 2018]

American Library Association. (2006) Library Bill of Rights. American Library Association.
Available from: http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom/librarybill [Accessed 07 March 2018]

Chrastka, J. (2018) EveryLibrary Responds to President Trump’s Proposal to Eliminate the
Institute of Museum and Library Services and Defund Libraries. EveryLibrary. Available from: http://everylibrary.org/saveimls2019/ [Accessed 07 March 2018]

Jensen, E. (2017) Berkeley Arts, Humanities Could Be Impacted by Trump’s Proposed 2018
Budget. The Daily Californian. Available from: http://www.dailycal.org/2017/03/20/berkeley-arts-humanities-could-be-impacted-by-trumps-proposed-2018-budget/ [Accessed 25 March 2018]

Lewis, A. (2008) Questioning Library Neutrality: Essays from Progressive Librarian –
Introduction. Library Juice Press. Available from: http://libraryjuicepress.com/neutrality-intro.php [Accessed 07 March 2018]

Oxford Dictionary. (2018) Neutrality. English Oxford Living Dictionaries. Available from:
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/neutrality [Accessed 21 March 2018]

Sheer, S. (2014) Serving Patrons with Different Views. LIS Theory. Available from:
http://listheory.prattsils.org/serving-patrons-with-different-views/ [Accessed 07 March 2018]

Williams, S. (2017) Librarians in the 21st Century: It is Becoming Impossible to Remain Neutral.
Literary Hub. Available from: https://lithub.com/librarians-in-the-21st-century-it-is-becoming-impossible-to-remain-neutral/ [Accessed 07 March 2018]

Williams, S. (2018) Home. StacieMariWilliams. Available from: https://staciemariwilliams.com
[Accessed 26 March 2018)

Textbook Piracy in the US by Wendy Garnett

Abstract
This journal explores the critical condition of the US Publishing Industry in relation to educational textbooks and their piracy. It is an issue that is not often discussed in the UK due to the difference between educational systems and textbook requirements for universities. Drawing research from online sources such as Priceonomics, Business Insider, and The Washington Post, the author discovers that the online piracy of textbooks is a frequent practice. This is an important topic because students are being deprived of a vital tool in their education by not being able to afford their textbooks. The content of this article describes the modern history of educational textbook publishing in the US through to its current state, analysing the process of creating a textbook and researching alternatives for students to explore.

Keywords: …

Introduction
Students cannot afford to pay the continuously rising prices for their course textbooks, leading them to turn to illegal solutions. This is an issue that affects the US more than it does the UK as our education system does not rely as heavily on textbooks. It is more of an option to purchase them to reinforce our learning as opposed to doing exercises and assignments from the book (International Student, 2018). This fact allows US publishers to heighten the value due to the greater demand and higher levels of usage. Open Education Access is working on making textbooks and academic journals free and available for a wider audience by using digital formats that can be easily updated and altered with new research. Open Education Resources are covered by a Creative Commons license meaning there are no charges for the use of their content. This green model makes academic material accessible for the struggling students who will benefit from the texts.
History
Textbooks have been criticised by the media and students for being overpriced, but textbooks were not always so expensive. They were reasonably priced and reused for decades as there was not a high demand for new copies or editions to be published, keeping the cost of production low. Publishers prided themselves on the longevity and durability of their products; however, money cannot be made when there is a low demand.
It wasn’t until the late 1970’s that prices began to rise, skyrocketing in 1990. This rise correlates with publishers beginning to release new editions, capitalising on professors’ willingness to adapt their work every two to three years. Now that books are being continuously updated, the earlier editions have become outdated and obsolete.

The graph above (Crockett, 2013) shows an 812% increase in the cost of college textbooks since 1978 compared to the slow rising cost of New Home prices at 250%. The average American college student will spend roughly $700 in a year on textbooks (dependent on their course), which is almost $3,000 in total during the degree. The price trend has followed the 450% increase of college tuition fees in recent decades keeping students in debt. With students unable to use older, cheaper editions, they are having to spend more because courses are requiring them to purchase the latest editions, leading professors to assigning work from these specific versions. This is part of the educational publishers’ business model, making old editions outdated to force students to buy their newest book when in actual fact, their textbooks are minimally updated (copy errors, revamped sections, etc.) with the exception of a new cover.
What goes into a textbook?
There are many factors that go into the production of a textbook: editorial, author royalties, the production costs, distribution, marketing costs, and general company overheads. Crockett (2013) breaks down all that goes into the process of creating a single college textbook in a Priceonomics article where he analyses Introductory Algebra, 4th Edition (Tussy/Gustafson/Koenig), a maths textbook, as an example.
A brand-new copy of this book retails for $195.49 but is sold in large quantities to bookshops at a 7% discount, making each copy $181.50. The bookshop then applies a mark-up to the price for profit and to cover the costs of running the shop. These costs typically include employee salaries, taxes and utilities, etc. Crockett quotes the UC Davis Store’s pricing policy to show what percentage bookshops typically add to their stock, “New academic books are priced … at a 22% margin (or 28.2% mark-up).” (University of California Regents UC Davis Bookstore, 2012). This 28% increase sets the new retail price at $232.68, which means that approximately $51 goes towards the shop for their essential costs and fees. Next comes the author royalties. They receive an average of 11% of the book’s sales, although more established authors tend to receive higher royalties (about 15%). This would come to $25 per book sold in profit, making this area in publishing a very profitable one as opposed to the Fiction market for example.
Before bookshop mark-ups and author royalties, there are the editorial costs. These estimates may not be the same for all publishing houses across the US or the UK, but Crockett uses his old company’s fiscal year annual report to compile a rough estimate. His analysis mainly focuses on the “man hours” spent on each project as well as freelance costs because salaries form a big part in theses editorial costs.
He explains how editors split into subject teams that focus on a course list and uses his knowledge from working on a Mathematics course list. Crockett found that overall, a full-time employee would work 40 hours a week for 50 weeks in the year making that 2,000 hours of labour, which he worked out was 200 hours spent per text. The hourly wage, estimated through Glassdoor (a salary website), is approximately $39 (including tax and benefits) meaning that the hourly rate multiplied by the hours spent per text equates to $7,800 of work contributed per employee, per book. For this example, there were seven employees in his team working over one text. He multiplied the number of staff by the dollars contributed to get an annual total of $54,600 and then included freelance copyediting charges which came to $10,000. After this, he included the expected revenue made from sales from the first year of publication based on the field interest of the textbook, which is $200,000. Crockett displays his findings in a table below (Crockett, 2013) breaking down the percentage that goes into editorial.

Image source: Priceonomics (https://priceonomics.com/why-are-textbooks-so-expensive/)
This 32% is what makes up salaries and when taken off of the discounted textbooks ($181.50), it comes to $58, roughly $8 for each of the seven employees who worked on the text.
Following editorial, there is the physical production of the textbook which consists of paper, ink, binding, and printing fees. As paper is the main raw material used, it is expensive depending on the page count as well as the weight and type of paper. A typical college textbook ranges from 300-900 pages. Introductory Algebra, 4th Edition (Tussy/Gustafson/Koenig) is an 864-page book, so the printing fees would be high but to lower the costs, mass printing is outsourced to China. According to Crockett, his publishing house had paid $10.75 (6%) towards the ink, paper, printing, and binding.
Next are the marketing costs. Crockett does not expand much on the process but there are several events held to promote the textbook to investors and institutions such as book fairs and publishing conferences. “Overall, about 15% of a publisher’s budget for a book is dedicated to marketing” (Crockett, Z., 2013), which is roughly $27 for this algebra book. Anything that could help promote the book falls under this budget.
Finally, there are the General Company Overheads and Crockett revisits the annual fiscal report as reference, which is not available for access without a login. He states that $200 million goes toward their property fees, as they own thirty-eight, and to utilities, office supplies, and licensed software, e.g. Adobe, per year. This comes together to form 10% from each copy sold to cover these costs. After this, about 78% of the textbook cost has gone to its physical and editorial production, marketing, and other fees, leaving a remainder of 22% profit. Following this, taxes are deducted. Taking into account all the costs needed to produce a textbook, profit margins are slim. However, this is not a problem for publishers, because there will always be a high need for textbooks and publishing houses have a lock on the market.

Textbook Piracy
A survey by the US Public Interest Research Group (Senack, 2014) found that 65% of students did not buy their required textbooks due to the cost and 94% of those students were concerned for their grades by not purchasing these core texts. Due to this, tutors have expressed worry for their unprepared students stating, “We found that students were not purchasing their textbooks and were coming to class unprepared, putting them at risk for lower grades and attrition” (Pridal, 2016). These students are knowingly accepting the risk of a lower grade to avoid cutting into their financial aid which is concerning due to the importance of assigned textbooks in America.
To create a solution themselves, college students are uploading their expensive textbooks online so that others can download them for free. There are multiple online platforms that provide links to specific books such as Tumblr, Reddit, and other illicit sites, showing that this is a frequent practice with many students taking part. Although it is illegal to upload or download copyrighted material without permission (The Copyright Act, 2016), it has not stopped students from doing it. They benefit greatly from pirating because it significantly cuts down on unnecessary costs and years of loan payments. The Book Industry Study Group (BISG, 2011) conducted a survey of 1,600 students and found that 42% acquired textbooks from scanned copies, 15% from illegal downloads, and the use of pirated websites, and this practice is continuing to increase in frequency with the ongoing rise in price.

Image source: (BISG, http://idpf.org/sites/default/files/digital-book-conference/presentations/DB11_Steve_Paxhia.pdf pg.12)
How easy is it to find college textbooks online and where does one look? Vocativ.com led an experiment (Strauss, 2014) to see how easy it would be to find college textbooks for free online and were able to find them almost immediately. An example of a source is Children of the Stars, a Tumblr blog, which posted a list of websites with pirated books with over ten thousand views. There is a plethora of student forums that have gathered links as well as students offering their own photocopied texts to others. Piracy is an infringement of copyright which can have serious consequences with owners of copyright filing lawsuits, etc. Other alternatives must be found to lower the cost of textbooks or make them available for free via Open Education Resources because students are being deprived of their core learning materials.
How can the cost be lowered?
With textbooks requiring expensive production, there are only a few ways that the costs can be lowered without compromising salaries, quality, and essential development costs. A possible solution would be for institutions to supply textbooks as part of tuition, enabling students to save their funds for their living costs. The NUS found that 81% of UK students felt this was something that universities should be offering (University of Essex, 2012). This currently has not been implemented in the UK because the tuition fees cover much of the universities services, facilities, and lecturers, etc. meaning that there is not enough left over to cover the vast number textbooks needed for each course and student. This suggests a higher tuition fee would be demanded by institutions in order for textbooks to fall under the umbrella.
However, a campus course material managements company has been working closely with hundreds of universities to offer students a textbooks-in-tuition model. According to Private University Products and News (PUPN) (Leoni, 2015), using a digitalised platform that updates course materials could be a solution that cuts costs up to 50%. Two colleges, Schreiner University in Texas and Thomas More College in Kentucky, are currently using this platform, Rafter360, and have seen promising results from their student’s academic performance and money saved. Rafter360 has helped “two million students save more than $525 million on textbooks” (Leoni, 2015) and Thomas More reported 55% in savings on textbooks.
An additional solution would be for new editions to be published less frequently, acting as an effective measure for students to not have to buy the latest editions every year. This combined with college professors allowing for earlier editions to be used for multiple years would lower the amount students have to pay.
Open Education Resource as a solution
Open Education Resource is a way of sharing and building on knowledge, providing everyone access to high-quality educational materials, giving students a solution that does not involve piracy. This includes full course texts for a wide range of modules with additional essential course resources such as videos, tests, and software that support a student’s learning. These materials are offered freely and openly under the less restrictive Creative Commons (Creative Commons, 2016) licence that states how the material can be used, adapted, and shared with teachers and students. OER allows access to researchers who can continuously update the content meaning that students will always have access to the latest editions. As these sources are available online, there is no need for physical production costs or bookshop mark-ups which significantly cuts down the price. For those who prefer the traditional physical textbook, OER’s open textbooks offers the option to order a printed version of their content at a low price thus catering to everybody’s needs. Open Education Resource has the potential to break the publishers’ lock on the market without sacrificing quality and it can save students billions of dollars.

Bibliography
ATTN Staff, 12/03/15, Here’s exactly why textbooks are so expensive, ATTN, [WWW], Available at: https://www.attn.com/stories/1164/heres-exactly-why-college-textbooks-are-so-expensive (Accessed 20/02/18)

Bresiger, G., 05/09/15, Here’s the reason why your college textbooks are so expensive, New York Post, [WWW], Available at: https://nypost.com/2015/09/05/heres-the-reason-why-your-college-textbooks-are-so-expensive/ (Accessed 20/02/18)

Copyright.gov, 2016, Copyright Law of the United States, Copyright.gov, [WWW], Available at: https://www.copyright.gov/title17/title17.pdf (Accessed 20/03/18)

Creative Commons, 2016, What is OER? Creative Commons, [WWW], Available at: https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/What_is_OER%3F (Accessed 20/03/18)

Crockett, Z., 18/12/2013, Why Are Textbooks So Expensive?, Priceonomics, [WWW], Available at: https://priceonomics.com/why-are-textbooks-so-expensive/ (Accessed 20/02/18)

Evans, S., 09/06/14, How much does it cost established publishers to print a typical college textbook?, Quora, [WWW], Available at: https://www.quora.com/How-much-does-it-cost-established-publishers-to-print-a-typical-college-textbook (Accessed 20/02/18)

Kemplay, M., 14/08/12, What your tuition fees won’t cover, Which? University, [WWW], Available at: https://university.which.co.uk/advice/student-finance/what-your-tuition-fees-wont-cover (Accessed 20/03/18)

Leoni, S., 03/15, How bundling textbooks into tuition is transforming the college experience, Pupnmag, [WWW], Available at: http://www.pupnmag.com/article/how-bundling-textbooks-into-tuition-is-transforming-the-college-experience/ (Accessed 20/03/18)

Lewin, T., 21/10/2003, Students find $100 textbooks cost $50 purchased overseas, New York Times, [WWW], Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/21/us/students-find-100-textbooks-cost-50-purchased-overseas.html (Accessed 18/03/18)

Segal, M., 24/08/15, Why are textbooks so costly?, Business Insider, [WWW], Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/why-are-college-textbooks-so-costly-2015-8?IR=T (Accessed 20/02/18)

Senack,E., 2014, Fixing the broken textbook market, US Public Research Interest Group, [WWW] Available at: https://uspirg.org/sites/pirg/files/reports/NATIONAL%20Fixing%20Broken%20Textbooks%20Report1.pdf (Accessed 20/03/18)

Strauss, V., 17/09/14, More students are illegally downloading college textbooks for free, Washington Post, [WWW], Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/09/17/more-students-are-illegally-downloading-college-textbooks-for-free/?utm_term=.768839c07972 (Accessed 20/02/18)

Unknown author, 16/08/14, Why textbooks cost so much, The Economist, [WWW], Available at: https://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21612200-its-economics-101-why-textbooks-cost-so-much (Accessed 20/02/18)

Unknown author, unknown year, UK vs. USA Educational System, International Student, [WWW], Available at: https://www.internationalstudent.com/study-abroad/guide/uk-usa-education-system/ (Accessed 18/03/18)

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Children’s Reading Habits and Technology by Elle Harvey

Abstract
This paper will discuss the use of different forms of technology to harness young readers, specifically e-Books, apps, and social media. It will discuss how each is being used to interest young readers and if they are working. It will explore why it is important for publishers to use these effectively to increase the number of children who read, and debate whether these forms of technology can change the face of reading.
Each form of technology is given its own section and looked into in detail. This will enable the reader to decide whether or not technology should be used to encourage reading. If so, is it being used to the best of its abilities and is it working to engage children? If not, what can professionals do to improve this?

Key Words
Children; e-Book; publishing; reading; technology; sales; e-Reader; Kindle; literacy; print book; Amazon; reading schemes; apps; social media; increase; decrease; education; schools; learning; statistics; education;

With the ever-increasing growth in technology, it seems normal for people to worry about the amount that children are reading. Parents are worried about their children’s lack of interest in sitting down and reading a book, publishers are worried about their sales dropping, and it seems that everyone is still concerned about the 1 in 5 children who are embarrassed to be seen with a book. However, after years of research and development, publishers seem to have finally started using technology effectively and to their advantage, with their main aim being to engage children and make them interested in reading. Not only have publishers begun branching out to technology, but so have reading schemes and charities. There are three main forms of technology that they seem to be using to engage children in literacy. These are e-Books, apps, and social media.

But what exactly have they created, how has this affected children, and should they be doing more?

A survey conducted in 2013 by Scholastic found that the percentage of children who said they had read an e-Book doubled between 2010 and the time the survey was conducted. Of those children, half of those aged six to seventeen said they would read more for leisure if there was a greater number of digital books available to them. From this survey, Chief Academic Officer for Scholastic, Francie Alexander said, “parents want to encourage more reading, no matter the medium.”

Digital Books
Since the beginning of the e-Book, people have debated as to their future. Whilst there was a huge surge in e-Book sales a few years back, they now seem to be staying at the same level.
A Nielsen BookScan survey found that in 2016 there was a 4% fall in e-Book sales, likely
due to mobile phones and tablets taking the place of e-Readers, and additionally because of the growing amount of free pirated books that can be found online. Despite this, technology continues to grow, and businesses are finding ways around this decline.

Moondog Books, a technology company, set up their own subscription service called Ebookadabra. Once a month, £5.99 leaves your bank account in exchange for access to unlimited e-Book titles. These titles come from some of the biggest companies, including Bloomsbury, Disney, and HarperCollins. The app provides an incentive for the child to read in the form of rewards and stickers, and also gives them access to educational games after every completed book. Founder Tom Grayson said that he couldn’t believe others hadn’t thought of doing it before, and so set up the business in the hope that others would follow suit. He also claims that they are competing with big players in the business such as Amazon and Apple, and that the services Ebookadabra provide are actually complimenting print books. In an interview with The Bookseller he said, “Print books are here to stay,” and went on to predict that e-Books are “likely to have a positive impact on print book sales.”

His reasoning for this is that children will enjoy reading more, and will therefore be more willing to buy print books. However not everyone agrees. Many parents and professionals alike consider e-Books more as entertainment for their children, rather than a tool for reading and learning. Researchers have found that interactivity on a digital device actually helps toddlers participate in parent-child reading sessions, however children aged between three and five become more distracted.

A group of researchers, led by Nicola Yuill, from University of Sussex studied mothers and their seven-to-nine-year-old children. They wanted to see if there were any differences in interaction and attention between the two when reading from a tablet versus reading from a book. They found that when the child was reading or being read to from a digital device they were less intimate with their mothers, whereas when they read or were read to from a book, there was more interaction. Despite this, the researchers also observed that the child’s memory of the story was of the same accuracy after both the print book and the digital book.

It seems that there is difficulty getting the right balance in a digital book, which could be down to the merging of so many departments needed to produce an e-Book. However, it is not as simple as one being better than the other. Different needs must be catered for in different ways, and parents must help their child find the best way of learning and reading for them.

Apps
Another area for debate is the use of apps to increase reluctant readers’ attention spans and inclination to read. For many years, publishers have been attempting to make books more and more interactive in order to keep active minds focused, and an obvious way of achieving this is to use augmented reality within apps. The word “transmedia” is becoming more relevant in the publishing world, a term that describes storytelling using multiple formats or platforms.

The University of Texas San Antonio has created multiple apps which use augmented reality to tell children’s books. The coordinator of Instructional Technology, Ilna Colemere, says that they engage young readers like print and e-Books cannot. She said, “they add depth of understanding when it comes to the vocabulary.” This is because, she explains, the story comes alive and makes it real.

Not only do these apps engage children, but they also allow teachers to take their students on field trips all over the world, and gives them the means to expand their teaching. These types of apps are usually cheap to acquire and use, so with the uncertainty of the education system and its budgets, these apps seem like the perfect solution to many problems.

There are other apps too, that claim to support and enhance children’s learning, especially when it comes to learning to read and write. One of Futurebook’s writers, Molly Flatt, wrote about the iRead projectin her 2018 article for The Bookseller. IRead is a software that allows developers to create personalised learning for children. It provides many interactivities, such as games, that help children practise speaking words and sentences, and personalised recommendations for books that are attuned to the individuals’ reading level and skill.

That being said, people like Chris Haughton have varying opinions on these children’s reading apps. In his article for The Guardian, Haughton commented on the cheap quality of animation, saying that it seemed some of them were made “without much thought about the interactions and games.” He also remarked that some of the apps were “distracting from the book.” However, having said that, he did find some that were beautifully made. One app in particular, Franklin Frog, created by the notorious publishing house Nosy Crow, he described as “nice simple graphics, smooth satisfying interaction and very educational.” Not only does this app teach science, (the lifecycle of a frog, for example), but also aids reading by lighting up the words as the child reads along.

Despite all of this, many still believe that apps are not the answer to improving children’s reading or learning. According to an article by The Guardian, 45% of parents worry about the amount of screen time their children are getting, their main concerns being that screens hurt their child’s eyes, and that they could be exposed to inappropriate content. There are other factors to consider too, such as the multimedia aspect of apps being too distracting to a child. The study, again led by Nicola Yuill, found that younger children spent more time on their apps’ gaming and social media services than they did using the reading resources. Not only did this mean that they were not expanding their reading skills, but also could not recall the story or the characters involved in any of the stories that they did read.

While it is still up for debate as to whether apps are a positive or negative resource for children to use to improve their learning and reading skills, it is clear that the developers for these apps need to continue experimenting with different media in order to give the young users the best experience possible.

Social Media
Social media sites seem to be ever growing nowadays, and with more than 50% of British households owning at least one tablet, it is easy to suspect that today’s kids just don’t have time to read. According to Nielsen BookScan, it is right to assume that. In 2013, 32% children were reading books for pleasure daily, but there is an 8% year-on-year drop in print books being bought for children. This is a major concern due to the increased distraction and usage of social media. On the other hand, this gives publishers a great platform to advertise their products, increasing traffic to those particular services.

In December 2017, Facebook announced that they had developed a Messenger app specifically for children under 13. It sparked much debate as to internet safety, however Facebook assured everyone that it is completely safe, and that parents have full control over their child’s account. They say that it is a “fun space for kids”, and somewhere that they can talk to family members without needing a phone number. Though this seems unrelated to a child’s development in literacy, it is not, as some argue that any exposure to words is improving reading. The Messenger app not only lets child be more independent, but it also gets them comfortable with reading and writing. This app has also proved an excellent tool for publishers and authors to promote their books and events, increasing engagement among their target audiences, especially children and young people, as these are the most dedicated users.

Platforms such as YouTube and Twitter have created a space for everyone to share interests and opinions. A growing community on these spaces is the book community, where book lovers can come together to share, recommend, and review. Jo Henry, from Nielsen BookScan, commented on this growth, saying that they could bring young people back to books. She said that if we can find a way to engage them with social media then “now would be the time to do it.” One study showed that young people were more likely to buy something if their friends also had it. This, if it is harnessed by publishers, could help them increase the amount that children are reading, simply by encouraging the sharing of posts on social media platforms.

However, some find that the constant demand to update on social media takes up too much of their time. More and more young people are finding it difficult to mix their online life with their real life. This is because their ability to concentrate on one thing at a time is being impacted. It is difficult to argue with someone choosing instant entertainment that requires no work, such as binge watching a TV show, over reading. However, not being able to hold attention for long periods of time, and an inability to read, affects every aspect of a person’s life. It limits education, closes doors on career opportunities, and negatively affects being a parent and the duties that come with it.

Conclusion
The use of technology has the potential to effectively harness the interest of books in young people if it is used in the correct way. I feel that researchers, developers, and publishers still have much experimenting to do before they find the most efficient way to do this.

I believe that e-Books, apps, and social media can be beneficial to reluctant readers, and all young readers alike. With more development in e-Books and apps, I feel that publishers will be able to grab the interest and attention of children and provide them with the tools to improve their own learning without being distracted by the gaming experience that comes with some of them. As for the use of social media, I feel that if children are directed to the book community by way of platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, the advertising and sharing of book reviews, reading schemes, and all things literature will make them more interested in spending time to read for leisure.

All is not lost as some people think. There is still a large number of children who are classed as heavy readers, and many read for enjoyment. The main problem is the ever-looming distraction of TV, games, and social media. Book reading aside, many argue that simply reading a magazine article or a Facebook status is still expanding children’s literacy skills, or at least not ruining it. There is no way of getting away from technology or the internet, however, if it is used in a way that engages, challenges, and interests young minds, it can help conquer the ever decreasing number of children who cannot and, or, do not read.

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