Buried beneath all the changing trends in the publishing industry and advancements in technology the greatest effect of our society on literature has been the commodification of the book. You see it when you walk into any bookstore or library, hundreds of colorful spines and covers strewn across a shelf or table as if it were beautifully patterned wallpaper. Like paintings in an art gallery they enrich the space, but while books are a form of art, that doesn’t mean they should be displayed in the same manner. Even on Amazon.com the book homepage is a tapestry of covers which extends as far down as one can scroll. However, all the changes in modern publishing offer a new opportunity to generate a space that might better engage the public.
In our society the two prominent containers of written works are the bookstore and the library. Bookstores exist to sell and distribute books, but their livelihood relies on selling enough to remain in business. Since they do not actually make them, the content is irrelevant despite even the best intentions. A library exists essentially as an organized collection of resources meant to serve a community. An amassment of books aids in this endeavor just as much as public wifi or workspace. I contend that a new space for books is required – a place exposed to the eye of the public sphere, to serve as a creative forum where those who craft books work in concert with those who read them.
The agenda is similar to that of Paju Book City which was imagined by its creators to be “city of publishing, attempting to reinstate South Korea as world leaders in the print industry.”[i] While this model is focused on nationalistic ideals and the literal fabrication of books, in the United States such a place would focus on content. The Literary Agora, as I am calling it, would be dedicated solely to the substance of books. The format through which a book is conveyed is irrelevant – “some readers want to read on big screens, some on little ones, some like to be read to, some like to hold a book in their hands, and even more advantageous, some of us engage in all of the above.”[ii] Since “audience connection and engagement are the most important part of the equation,” (Pride 2011) why not change the network entirely? Instead of the traditional model where authors write, publishers publish, vendors sell, and consumers buy, the Literary Agora will force the consumers themselves into direct dialect with both publishers and authors.
The literary public sphere, as defined by German philosopher Jürgen Habermas, “prepares people for political reflection by giving them the chance to discuss art and literature critically,” (Habermas 1991). While my agenda does not have the same political undertones he defines, it will strive to redeem the “passive consumer public” as created by commercial mass media. To do this I will tap into a source which has often been a driving force in the publishing industry – book clubs – as “the runaway popularity of book clubs has brought with it a whole new set of possibilities.”[iii] These groups have often occupied local bookstores and libraries, and now even the internet, but I seek to provide for them a tangible space of their own.
With this in mind, the Literary Agora will serve a forum where groups such as book clubs can offer insight, critique and opinion on working titles. The exclusivity of publishers will be broken as they latch on to a space for face-to-face debate with readers and writers alike. Unlike bookstores or libraries, publishers are all about the books they produce, and by involving more parties in the production it will bolster their success and lower the potential of missing a classic. Just ask the 12 publishing houses that refused to publish Harry Potter without realizing how the opinion of an eight year old could make J.K. Rowling one of the most popular women in the world. They now have the opportunity to take chances on manuscripts because the risk of losing money is nowhere near what it used to be. Producing e-books is extremely cheap and Print-On-Demand technology eliminates the need for mass printing and storage.
In the future, “publishing houses will play an even greater role in an e-book world. Commodity content is everywhere (and largely free), so high-quality vetted, edited content — which takes a staff of experts — will be worth a premium.”[iv] My design will encourage devout readers to become another set of eyes through which to judge potential. By opening to the public in such a way publishers will have the opportunity to avoid sending their products to sit on shelves or as a link online. This new space for books will be operated directly by publishers to distribute their titles as they please and advertise throughout a space adjoined to the urban fabric like a Greek Agora. Since there are so many ways to produce books, what they will be selling is the only thing that matters – content.
Rhett Bruno grew up in Hauppauge, New York, and studied at the Syracuse University School of Architecture where he graduated cum laude. He has been writing since he can remember, scribbling down what he thought were epic fantasy stories when he was young to show friends and family. It wasn’t until he was a senior in college that he decided to finally pursue his passion for Science Fiction in writing. After rededicating himself to reading works of the Science Fiction author’s he always loved, (Frank Herbert, Timothy Zahn, Heinlein, etc.) he began writing “The Circuit: Executor Rising”, The first part of what he hopes will be a successful Science Fiction Duology.
Facebook (fan page): https://www.facebook.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/RCBruno44
Website: www.rhettbruno.com
Goodreads (author profile): https://www.goodreads.com/
[i] Heathcote, Edwin. Financial Times, “A City Dedicated to Books and Print.” Last modified 2009. Accessed October 9, 2012. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/26852872-8de2-11de-93df-00144feabdc0.html
[ii] Pride, Felicia. MediaShift, “The Book Publishing Industry of the Future: It’s All About Content.” Last modified 2011. Accessed September 12, 2012. http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2011/10/the-book-publishing-industry-of-the-future-its-all-about-content297.html.
[iii] Hoffert, Barbara. Library Journal, “The Book Club Exploded.” Last modified 2006. Accessed October 9, 2012. http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6349024.html.
[iv] Ruppel, Philip. Mashable Business, “5 E-Book Trends That Will Change the Future of Publishing.” Last modified 2010. Accessed October 9, 2012. http://mashable.com/2010/12/27/e-book-publishing-trends/.
