COM Chapter 4
The fact that a small number of consumers can find and purchase a large amount of specialty content is known as ______. the long tail the brick-and-mortar phenomenon mass marketing niche logistics
the long tail
What do researchers see as the cause of a significant increase in independent book stores in the United States between 2009 and 2015? the economic shift toward shopping at specialty stores their lower prices than many major retailers the stores' contributions to their communities the stores' ability to accommodate online sales
the stores' contributions to their communities
Which online retailer began by selling books, becoming the first long-tail book distributor? Amazon Barnes and Noble Bantam Penguin
Amazon
Why does former bookstore CEO Harry Hoffman see books as part of the entertainment business? The majority of books published fall within the "entertainment" category. Books receive about the same amount of public attention as other forms of entertainment. The highest selling books are always for entertainment rather than education. Books have to compete with entertainment media for profits.
Books have to compete with entertainment media for profits.
Why did the printing press lead to the decline of Latin? Printers had difficulty creating complex Latin characters for printed works. Common people sought reading materials in their spoken languages. The church declared Latin a dead language after printing became widespread. Common people no longer understood Latin since the church had stopped using it.
Common people sought reading materials in their spoken languages.
What led Gary Gygax to develop his role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons? He wanted to produce a game unfit for children. He was a major Tolkien fan. He was a successful Shakespearean actor but loved sci-fi. He wanted to prove that fantasy could transcend normal literary boundaries.
He was a major Tolkien fan.
Yousef runs a private, religiously-affiliated elementary school's library. When he encounters controversial books, what should he consider? He could face a free speech lawsuit from the publishers if he omits them from the library. He will most likely just have to remove them from the library shelves if parents complain. He doesn't have to worry about having the books on the shelves unless he starts promoting them for student reading lists. He will be breaking "challenged" book laws if he doesn't pull them from the library shelves.
He will most likely just have to remove them from the library shelves if parents complain.
What was the most important effect of the printing press and movable type? Ideas could spread beyond their communities. Book publishing became profitable. Spelling became standardized. Books could be printed in German instead of only Latin.
Ideas could spread beyond their communities.
Why is the range of publishing ownership limited in scope? Major authors generally only work with certain publishers, so those publishers receive the biggest market share. Costs of publishing are extremely high compared to many other major industries, so it is difficult to compete in production. Major publishing companies have bought up smaller publishers on a local, national, and international scale. Consumers prefer to buy books from their favorite local retailers, so a small number of publishers do most of the business.
Major publishing companies have bought up smaller publishers on a local, national, and international scale.
What is a major advantage of electronic books? They have permanence in our culture that conventional books lack. The e-book device is relatively inexpensive compared to printed books. The customer can carry multiple books in the space of a single book. The screens of e-books are easier to read than the pages of conventional books.
The customer can carry multiple books in the space of a single book.
What makes textbook purchases different from buying other types of books? Their sales have survived as a result of the resale market. They are not usually able to be purchased quickly online. The people who buy them didn't get to pick them out themselves. They're the only other top competitor to popular trade books.
The people who buy them didn't get to pick them out themselves.
Sakura is a first-time author with a publishing contract. She has received the first half of her advance for working on the book and has been keeping on schedule with her writing. What can she expect regarding the actual printing of her book? Her book will likely get rejected later in the publication process. The whole process will most likely take over a year, if not two years. Her royalties will help supplement the first half of her advance before printing. She will receive her marketing plan from the publisher about six months beforehand.
The whole process will most likely take over a year, if not two years.
Why might you want to shop with a university press or small press over other retailers? They offer a wide selection of trade books and usually will ship anywhere. They avoid selling books of any specific subject, so their selection is better. They are only available through universities, so you know you're getting a good book. They have books that are specific to certain geographic or subject areas.
They have books that are specific to certain geographic or subject areas.
Which notion is true about the majority of book authors? Their average income is less than $50,000. They self-publish their books. They usually write under pseudonyms. They make a modest income from their books.
They make a modest income from their books.
Why are the majority of "challenged" books not banned? The government has specific protections in place for "challenged" books. They only receive complaints from parents about being on required reading lists. They have to go through a complex process before they can actually be banned. They are found to actually be suitable enough to remain on shelves.
They only receive complaints from parents about being on required reading lists.
How did publishers manage to censor Fahrenheit 451 unbeknownst to its author, Ray Bradbury? When the book was pulled from retailers, they replaced it with a censored edition. Bradbury was no longer involved in the publishing market, so he didn't realize. They released an edition for the high school market with modified content. They told Bradbury that the book's sales were up from the original edition.
They released an edition for the high school market with modified content.
Why do we have fonts with names like Garamond and Baskerville? They were the names of the printers who designed them. They were the favorite cities of Italian printer Aldus Manutius. They come from the names of the original machines for early printing. They were the precursors to words like "font" and "italic."
They were the names of the printers who designed them.
What major change of the Oxford English Dictionary took place in the 1990s? the addition of uniquely American words establishment of the process for submitting new words an electronic version of the dictionary hundreds of new words in one decade
an electronic version of the dictionary
What did Janet Evanovich do to become a best-selling author? combine elements of the romance and mystery genres sell her books using publish-on-demand technology through her website take on a male pen name to sell her technological thrillers sign a contract with a university press to jumpstart her career
combine elements of the romance and mystery genres
A contemporary version of ideographs is known as ______. sign language pictographs phonography emojis
emojis
The difference between phonography and an alphabet is that ______. phonographs each have their own meaning, while an alphabet is a set of meanings phonography uses sounds, while an alphabet uses letters the earliest books were printed using phonography rather than an alphabet phonography is based on characters, and an alphabet is based on sounds
phonography uses sounds, while an alphabet uses letters
The success of Cottage Door Press was based on their ability to ______. sell successful children's books avoid media attention for their reputable academic publications market to women and dominate the domestic novel market reach an agreement with Amazon
sell successful children's books
Libraries' important functions include ______. supplying locations for food pantries to distribute food access to government services offices 24/7 internet access for individuals without internet at home supplying materials of interest for book clubs
supplying materials of interest for book clubs
A common misconception about emojis is that ______. they are monitored by a consortium people are represented in various skin tones they represent the same meanings globally they stem from the same approach to language as hieroglyphics
they represent the same meanings globally
