Research undertaken by Professor John Thompson represents the most sustained account of the transformation of the modern book publishing industry available in any language.
What was the problem that this research aimed to address?
Between 1999 and 2012 Thompson carried out two research projects – both funded by ESRC grants – on the recent transformation of the book publishing industry. Prior to this research, the study of the modern book publishing industry had been largely neglected in the social sciences. The main aims in conducting these projects were thus to fill the gap in the existing literature by (a) providing a systematic account of the changing structure of the modern book publishing industry, and (b) examining the key challenges confronting the industry today. The two main outputs of Thompson’s research, taken together, now represent the most sustained account of the transformation of the modern book publishing industry available in any language.
"Books are in many ways the foundation of our culture and the principal means of transmitting ideas, knowledge and stories from one generation to the next, so understanding the transformation of the publishing industry at the dawn of the digital age is vital for understanding how our intellectual and cultural life is changing today and how it’s likely to change in the years to come. My hope was always that the kind of understanding that could be offered by sociological research on this transformation would be of interest not only to sociologists and other scholars but also to the many players – including publishers, editors, agents and writers as well as governments and policy-makers – who have a stake in this industry and its future." - Professor John Thompson
What is the underpinning research?
In conducting this research, Thompson first developed an original theory of publishing fields. He then used this theory to analyse the structure and transformation of three key sectors of the book publishing industry: academic publishing, higher education publishing, and mainstream trade publishing. In examining these sectors, Thompson showed that each publishing field is characterized by a distinctive set of structures and processes that he calls 'the logic of the field'. Through careful fieldwork, he reconstructed the logic for each of the fields he studied and, in doing so, managed to explain (1) how and why the field has evolved as it did, and (2) why agents in the field act as they do. This also enabled him to shed light on the key challenges faced by the publishing industry today. Among these challenges is that posed by the digital revolution, which has had, and continues to have, a disruptive impact on many sectors of the creative industries. Thompson has shown that the impact of the digital revolution on the book publishing industry is specific to this industry and shaped by the structures and processes that constitute the logic of the field. As the digital revolution collides with the logic of the field, it challenges and disrupts the traditional rules of the publishing game, forcing all the key players in the field to reconsider their positions and practices. Players who have interacted amicably for years suddenly find themselves locking horns in new conflicts where the rules are no longer clear. The field of power remains but the game is changing.
What is the impact?
Thompson’s work on the publishing industry has had and continues to have a significant impact on the world outside of academia. He has received and accepted invitations to address key professional publishing bodies and writers’ organizations in the UK, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Brazil and Argentina. Thompson’s work has also been cited in government reports in Norway, and he has participated in policy discussions at the Library of Congress in the US.
Professionals and practitioners in the publishing industry have actively taken up Thompson’s research. For example, Merchants of Culture – a book published as a result of this research – is widely read and discussed by professionals working in trade publishing. Indeed, there are many in the industry who see it as the best guide to understanding the publishing industry today. For instance, the Director of Gyldendal, the largest Danish publishing house, said: 'Publishers in Denmark have read with great interest John Thompson's unique and important books on publishing, which have become key reference points for those of us who work in the industry'. Thompson has been invited by many professional publishing organizations to present and discuss his findings, and his work is used by senior managers in the industry both to inform their own strategic planning and to train their staff.
Governments also take up Thompson’s research and it is used as a key resource for reflecting on business practices, strategies and policies. For instance, Merchants of Culture had a direct impact on, and is cited extensively in, Rapport om småforlag, a report commissioned by the Norwegian government on the position of small and medium-sized publishers. Merchants of culture is also cited in Til bokas pris, a report on book pricing commissioned by the Norwegian Ministries of Culture and Education. This report draws directly on Thompson's analysis of price competition and the role of supermarkets in the UK, and was influential in the development of the proposal for a Norwegian Book Law presented to the Norwegian parliament in 2012.
Thompson’s research has also had an impact on related professionals dependent on the publishing industry, such as writers of fiction and general interest nonfiction. The publishing industry has remained opaque to writers even though many depend on it for their livelihood. Writers and writers' organizations have therefore welcomed Thompson’s work, both as a valuable guide to the industry and as a way of informing their own thinking. He has been invited to present his work at writers’ conferences and in magazines that are widely read by writers, such as Poets & Writers and Brooklyn Rail. Many writers have read Merchants of Culture and used it to inform their own strategic thinking about how best to negotiate the structures of the publishing industry and develop their careers as writers. Libraries and booksellers that are part of the book supply chain and key players in the information economy are taking up Thompson’s research too.
Thompson’s research is also affecting public debates about changes in the publishing industry and the implications of these changes for literary culture as well as the future of the book itself. Certainly, the dramatic changes affecting the world of publishing have given rise to a great deal of public interest and concern, and the media often turn to Thompson as an expert. Through many forms of public engagement, much of which is available online, Thompson's research furthers the public understanding of the social, economic and technological transformations currently affecting the oldest and one of the most important of our cultural industries.
Resources related to this case study
Publications
Thompson, John B. Books in the Digital Age: The Transformation of Academic and Higher Education Publishing in Britain and the United States (Cambridge: Polity, 2005).
Thompson, John B. Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty-First Century (Cambridge: Polity, 2010).
Thompson, John B. Merchants of Culture: The Publishing Business in the Twenty-First Century, second edition (Cambridge: Polity; New York: Penguin, 2012).
Thompson, John B. `Survival Strategies for Academic Publishing', The Chronicle Review (17 June 2005), pp. B6-B9. Reprinted in a leading scholarly journal in the field, Publishing Research Quarterly, vol. 21, no. 4 (Winter 2005), pp. 3-10.
`Publishing in the Twenty-First Century', interviewed by Gabriel Cohen, Poets & Writers (March-April 2011).
`The New Era of Publishing?' interviewed by Williams Cole, The Brooklyn Rail (December 2011).
Grants
1999-2003, `New Technologies and Global Change in the Book Publishing Industry', ESRC grant (£233,988, awarded to John Thompson as PI).
2005-2008, `Concentration and Innovation in the Book Publishing Industry', ESRC grant (£47,154, awarded to John Thompson as PI).
2013-2016, `The Digital Revolution in Publishing', Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant ($136,154, awarded to John Thompson as PI).