Essay of Basseyn Nataly

Nowadays circles of art are becoming wide and wide. It’s not only classical art now (like painting or music), but also new forms – artist can work with light, create compositions from rubbish. Exactly, there are many absurd things that are «art» now. There is a perfect example of this situation – Italian artist Piero Mandzoni (Пьеро Мандзони) in 1961 collected his excrements in hundreds cans (30 gram each) with phrase on it: «Excrements of the artist» and decided to buy them as piece of art. The max price of it was 124 000 euro (23-d of May, 2007).

However, at all diversity of modern art, in my opinion, the industry of book is unfair forgotten. Many of us just can’t imagine that book is also art and exhibition place – but for example, young artist can choose for yourself illustration work and create own vision of story in his illustrations. Moreover, in itself book can be a piece of art – many old books or first edition of famous novel now are real «gold».

That’s why book publishing is important part for contemporary art marketing – book industry is developing now and use new technology (like e-books) and create new spaces for culture.

On my view, the best way to study something is appear inside of thing, which interesting for you – because of this I choose book «Book Business. Publishing: past, present and future» written by Jason Epsteein – he isn’t only researcher, but a part of book publishing machine. How work this machine, where is past, present and future – it’s the main questions of this book. But not only historical aspect draw attention in this book – in the same time author gives examples of successful and not way of marketing, advertising and shows how only one idea can change whole market.

But let’s understand in sequence and in connection historical aspects with marketing’s way.

Epstein, as real person from middle of 20 century – more romantic and nostalgic kind of person – is telling a story of evolution book publishing and ways of marketing in publishing during 20-th century. Book industry was not so wide and in many cases published only checked up by time books (like classic poetry or novels) and checked up by criticism on pages of, for example, «New York Times» (it means that author published only one chapter of his novel in newspaper and if it would be good reviews publisher would accepted whole book).

It seems weird for us, especially because of one-day-novel, but it has some advantages. Firstly, publisher almost brought to zero risk of absence of interest among readers – he already known that this writer and his novel are discussing. Secondly, this system works like filter for bad literature – of course, the worthless novels were published, but their amount was less then nowadays. Agree with me, it’s not so bad strategy for marketing.

But on the other hand, this way not so good for developing business – you need time for checking books, that’s why our temp of developing not fast. All what you can do for fast temp is invest money in more then 5 projects and try to wide reader’s audience. However, it’s also in connection with troubles. For example, invest money in causing trust project not so hard, but audience is real problem, especially in early and middle 20 century where most companies were specialized only one theme – medicine, chemistry and so on.

In my opinion, there are two possible way of marketing. First one is creating a union of publisher’s houses of different specialization – it’ll wide audience and give more money, but don’t forget about sharing money inside union: that’s why try to choose max better condition for you in union.

The second way is to be publisher’s house with one specialization and publish only good, real good books (it’s impossible as I think) – you will poor and small in starting, but if you can invest money in wide-advertising project (for example, you are publisher’s house of book about medicine: in every university where are biological or medical faculty, in every hospital and drug stores, in book shops should be whole-year advertising of your house and it should be something not ordinary, but bright and draw attention) you can have a chance become only one respected company and every year will increase price of book because of it – customer simply will not have other way and will buy books from you. However, it’s dangerous way – every minute you should think about opponents, especially in starting.

According to the author, book industry has chosen first way – small publisher’s houses with private atmosphere gave way publishing empires. As real romantic Epstein really regret about private relationships between publisher and writer, when they were friends and trust each other. OLOL give an example of its relationship – when he was working in small publisher’s house many of his published authors were poor or had a complicated life, that’s why they could sleep in a sofa in Epstein’s cabinet and it was normal, it was friendship.

But Epstein can’t forget about marketing and sales – he is analyzing why publisher’s houses was good and why publishing empires better.

On the one hand, in small publisher’s houses almost every person can control not only process of choosing and editing book (what, as I think, make better content of book), but also way of sales – everybody can offer new idea. For example, the same way has passed idea of change hard covers of book on paperbacks – it has reduced prices, but has increased circulation what has expanded area of distribution. After that publisher could work not only with respected and small shops, where were expensive (or close to it) hard cover books, but also found other way of distribution – for example, because of low price paperbacks books have started buying in grocery shops or in news-stands.

However, on the other hand small publisher’s houses couldn’t satisfy all wishes of reader’s audience – there were, for example, students, who are wanted to buy good books, but because of price it was impossible or reader wanted collect a series of American writers of 19-th century and didn’t want to dig in book’s bazaars and the same places.

A small publisher’s houses couldn’t exist in new developing world, where amount of books increase with every minute and the most part of them reader wanted to see and read. In a «new world» publisher should be fast for respond to new-appearing things and has good level of resources for fast start and for opportunities to compete with others publishers – but small publisher’s houses can’t do it.

That’s why, as said Epstein, appeared publishing empires – publisher’s business wanted survives: in that conditions consolidation was better then bankruptcy. But what is it – publishing empire? Let’s use Epstein explanation.

First of all, it’s machine. Do you remember Ford’s innovation in auto industry? He has invented conveyor – less time, more cars and workers, who specialized only in one sphere. The same situation with book publishing – publishing has become a conveyor. It’s a big mechanism, where book like a car – all details, one by one, create a book: idea of book, writing book, discussion with editor and publisher, publishing and sales.

Of course, this way of working is better for marketing, because specialists work on author’s marketing’s plan and so on – they are perfect sellers, they know how to sell. However, in Epstein’s opinion and also mine, this situation not good for books – aim of this big publisher’s empires is selling a lot; they are hunting for best-seller book doesn’t care about quality.

But anyway, for marketing it works. Consequences of this concentration on sales were creation of big bookstores – small shops disable to sell all new staff. Despite the fact that you can’t enjoy special calm atmosphere small book shops, in new bookstores you can find almost everything – you needn’t go in another shop: everything is here.

On my view, it was perfect marketing solution in book seller’s circles – level of sales increase and not only because of ability to find whatever you want, but also because of your wishes to buy more books: try to imagine – you want to find book about architecture, you found it and bought, but you have enough time to see all books in shops and you do it – and after this trip around bookstore you have bought more then one book, because there was really interesting and new book from one of your favorite writer and so on and so on.

One more advantage of these bookstores is prices – you can afford to reduce prices because of level of sales and it does involve buyers a lot.

Nowadays we are living in empire of big bookstores, but what will happen tomorrow?

According to the Epstein’s opinion, book-sellers will pass in Internet circles. Already now there are enough Internet book shops (for example, in Russia one of the most popular is http://www.labirint.ru/).

Why it is happening? Author see these reasons: it’s comfortable (you shouldn’t go to shop – just one click and book becomes yours), it’s expand audience (for example, as said statistic, Russian-language Internet book shops use not only people from Russia, but also Russian-speaking people from over the world, but especially from US and Israel), it’s use new technologies (there are now e-books and special readers technique for them, like this one  – http://electronics.wikimart.ru/ebook/model/2642933/ ).

But it’s not though fine, said Epstein, because we should learn to protect information and books in Internet. I agree with him, it’s big problem now – there are a lot of public Internet libraries or another resources, where you can not only read yesterday-published books, but also download them – of course, it’s copyrighting violation. I don’t know, how system of protection works in others countries, but in Russia we haven’t any specials laws about it – it’s forbidden, but without punishment.

If to be honestly, after reading this book I realized that book publishing of 20 century was evolving more in getting-money direction. I see in this situation more psychological and historical reasons then everything else.

Psychological reason is passion to earn money – this passion is inside every person. It’s also a wish to be respected – in 20 century in many ways respect depends on money and ability to earn them.

In historical aspect I connected getting-money direction with Great Depression and Second World War – when person endure a shock and try to live after it, he wants to prove himself something – and earn money is one of the simplest way to do it, instead of to be a good father, for example.

However, nowadays in art circles is big competition for success and acknowledgement – that’s why the main point of modern marketing is not to follow ordinary rules and checked techniques, but break them and find own ways. You should think not only about present, but make predictions for five years in future. And, of course, in these conditions art project has more chances for success having a good manager – your talent is only on third place, after marketing and wishes of audience.

But on my view, in last five years situation became better in this book circles – it’s really marketing of art now, not marketing of money.

As I think, the main reason of this is Internet. There are many people nowadays, who doesn’t want to be «inside of system» – read really good books, learn everything interesting not superficially or create new looks on things and share it with audience.

It’s not a big amount of people, but it’s enough for foundation new brunch of opportunities in Internet, where create something new more simple. What about this projects and what they can offer?

In many cases, they offer non-commercial look on art. For example, in book circles now it’s, as I think, industry of comic books (of course, except big labels as Marvel) and book’s illustration.

There are a lot of comic books, which not only create a funny story with moral for children – these new comic books also about actual problems in world, about historical points of some problems, about psychology and so on. Of course, these books haven’t wide-spread popularity, but there are people who really interested in invention of this part of culture for people.

However, I can’t believe in «cloudless» future – founders of these projects are not altruists at all – they want to earn money as well as «discovery» new for audience. That’s why the ending point wills the same as in latest 20 century – no art, just earn money. It’s the same rule like in economy – there is theory of cycle: in duration 10 or 20 years we can see growing, the highest point, falling and lowest point. Nowadays in books circles, for example, we can see growing.

On the one hand, art marketing as something for «discovery» good art is impossible. Instead of altruistic start, end always be commercial and has getting-money orientation.

But on the other hand, start-up projects, not well-known often make possible to find something new and interesting.

Consequently, as I think, in art marketing always is balance between altruistic art marketing and getting-money – new things in many situations altruistically, but after big success becomes commercial: continuous occurrences of start-up projects make balance.