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
This thesis proposes the notion of reading health as a bridge between scholarly research in reading on one hand and policy on the other. Examining existing research and current dilemmas that...Show moreThis thesis proposes the notion of reading health as a bridge between scholarly research in reading on one hand and policy on the other. Examining existing research and current dilemmas that pertain to reading studies, the author suggests a set of principles and guidelines for the operationalisation of the notion on a transnational level that could aid policy-makers in making use of relevant research to better inform measures aimed at improving the state of reading in society.Show less
Highlighting the importance of customer relationship management in Dutch trade publishing, effects and possibilities of promotional activities and the use of different media in book marketing are...Show moreHighlighting the importance of customer relationship management in Dutch trade publishing, effects and possibilities of promotional activities and the use of different media in book marketing are analysed during the consumer decision journey. Reading has become a shared experience, and book marketing can be further advanced through an interactive bond publishers establish with readers. As experience goods and recreational products, books requires a tailored marketing approach that is ideally customized even further in regard of the different markets targeted by individual titles. Libraries stimulate book borrowing by connecting with readers and encouraging the act of reading, and publishers can do the same. Reading promotion adds to the appeal of buying books in general: by promoting reading besides individual titles, and through collaborating with other stakeholders and pooling resources, publishers are collectively able to cover a wide field of book promotion that eventually benefits individual sales as well.Show less
