Table of
Contents
Preface ix
PART I The Book Publishing Industry: What It Is, What It Does
1. Book Publishing, Past and Present 3
Colonial Times to 1900: The Beginnings 4
1900 to 1940: Going Commercial 7
1940 to the Present: Years of Turmoil 8
The Current Scene 10
2. Types of Book Publishing 15
Trade Books 16
Religious Books 17
Professional Books 19
Mass-Market Paperbacks 20
University Presses 21
Textbook Publishing 22
Subscription Reference Books 23
Mail-Order Publishing 24
Book Clubs 25
The Independents 26
Vanity/Subsidy Publishing 27
Reprinting 27
Other Kinds of Publishing 28
The Librarian’s Challenge 29
3. Creating a Book 31
The Publisher 33
From Manuscript to Book 34
Book Design 35
Production 36
Publicity and Sales 36
4. Book Distribution 41
The Book Industry Study Group Studies 42
Sales Reps and Advance Sales 43
Returns Policy 45
Other Problems 47
5. Why Books Cost What They Do 49
Kinds of Costs 49
Other Pricing Considerations 54
The Publisher’s Dilemma 54
6. Some Trends in Book Publishing 57
PART II The Book Acquisitions Process
7. Vendors: Retailers and Publishers 67
Publishers as Vendors 68
Buying from Retailers 74
8. Vendors: Wholesalers 77
Choosing Wholesalers 78
A Ray of Light 88
9. Library/Vendor Relations 91
Provide Adequate Bibliographic Data 91
Place Timely Orders 92
Set Reasonable Requirements for Forms 93
Be (Reasonably) Flexible about Prices 93
Allow Adequate Cancellation Period 95
Make Prompt Payment 95
Have a Reasonable Returns Policy 96
Maintain Professional Standards 97
10. The Ordering Process 99
Functions and Goals 99
Steps in the Order Process 100
Approval Plans and Leasing Plans 108
A Few Final Notes 111
11. Automation and Acquisitions 113
Wholesalers’ Systems 117
Stand-Alone/Network-Based Systems and
Multi-User
System Modules 120
12. Publishing, Books, and Acquisitions
in the
New Millennium 123
Publishing, Books, and Book Distribution 123
Implications for Acquisitions 126
Acquisitions and Issues for the Next Decade 131
The Successful Acquisitions Librarian
in the Twenty-First Century 134
Appendix A: Selected U.S. Book Wholesalers 135
Appendix B: Selected Automated Acquisitions Systems 141
Glossary 147
Selected Annotated Bibliography 157
Index 165
About the Author 169
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