Books are deeply intertwined with the societies that produce them. Besides the unmistakable benefits leisure reading can give to individuals, such as literacy, creativity, imagination, knowledge...Show moreBooks are deeply intertwined with the societies that produce them. Besides the unmistakable benefits leisure reading can give to individuals, such as literacy, creativity, imagination, knowledge and empathy, this free time activity has an impact on a higher level too. The written word enables connections between individuals and communities in ways that were unimaginable before the Print Revolution. Books can encompass the values of a nation, they can communicate and reinforce them. These aspects are especially important in the case of a small nation with a distinct language, as a strong need of cultural preservation is present. The main focus of this thesis is the two-way connection between a country’s reading culture and its social, political and economic realms. It is based on the argument that participants of the reading landscape not only affect the readers with their actions, but have an indirect impact on the wider cultural system through the reading landscape. The means to support this argument is an analysis of the literary landscape of Hungary, based on a self-constructed model, the Reading Promotion Impact Matrix. The two dimensions of this model are the nation’s core values that are supported and reflected by the reading promotion efforts; and the areas that can impact and can be impacted by these reading promotion activities. The thesis also highlights the interactivity and interconnectedness of the participants of a country’s literary landscape.Show less
So far, Publishing Studies has contributed to the debate on technology’s effects on literature foremost by focusing on changes in fiction transmission. Yet, there is tech beyond the ebook. The...Show moreSo far, Publishing Studies has contributed to the debate on technology’s effects on literature foremost by focusing on changes in fiction transmission. Yet, there is tech beyond the ebook. The emergent technology of text mining can affect not just the means of communication of literature, but also its actual form and content. Text mining is a technology originally created by and for an interdisciplinary academic field that manages to exploit texts as a source of extractable data using algorithmic analysis. This thesis discusses how the technology is already, and could be used as an aid to support processes in trade fiction publishing. Three case studies prove how involvements of text mining in trade fiction publishing have a profound impact on the content of the published material.Show less
The desire to gain the sense of belonging to the world of writers motivates many aspiring writers to buy creative writing how-to books as owning such books is a way to construct a self-image of...Show moreThe desire to gain the sense of belonging to the world of writers motivates many aspiring writers to buy creative writing how-to books as owning such books is a way to construct a self-image of being a writer. They use creative writing books as accessories allowing them to embody the writer's role. Because of this strong - however unrealistic - desire to belong to the writer's world, aspiring writers are an easy target for publishers and authors of creative writing manuals. Persuading amateurs that it is possible to become a part of this world is the main marketing strategy of authors and publishers of creative writing guidebooks being aware of the motivation of their target audience.Show less
