Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Manga In Bookstores, Claire L. Curry

Student Research Symposium

In recent years, manga has seen a surge in popularity. This research seeks to provide insights into the role of manga in U.S. bookstores and its implications for reader discovery. Through observations at bookstores in the Portland area, including Books with Pictures, Kinokuniya, Powell’s, and Barnes and Noble, it was examined how manga is presented to readers. Factors considered include manga’s physical placement in the store and surrounding sections as well as shelving methods and categorizations like genre labels, particularly for manhwa, manhua, and light novels. Display tables, end caps, and shelf talkers also demonstrate an unique way for bookstores …

Evaluating Equitable Success In Literary Spaces: A Portland Book Festival Case Study, Tia-Theo I. Thompson

Student Research Symposium

In 2015, data expressing the lack of diversity in literary institutions was made publicly available, yet equitable change remains slow. How do literary institutions achieve and evaluate successes in equity? Do certain factors expedite this transition?

In a three year Diversity and Inclusion plan (2019-2022), the Portland nonprofit, Literary Arts, drastically altered their internal and external practices to accommodate/introduce BIPoC writers, presenters, and employees. The equitability of this plan is assessed at the Portland Book Festival (PBF), 2023. Data concerning the identities, placement, and publications of Writers and Presenters at PBF is analyzed within the context of the goals set …

The Pacific Sentinel, February 2024, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Eva Sheehan

Articles in this issue include:

• Earth Mama
• Spotlighting Black Artists Through a Mix of Mediums
• The Dresden Dolls in Portland: A Punk Cabaret
• Let Knowledge Serve the City
• Artificial Intelligence
• Surviving Seasonal Struggles
• What We're Enjoying
• Events Calendar & Extras

The Pacific Sentinel, November 2023, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Eva Sheehan

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter from the Editor
• Death Cab for Cutie Co-Headline with the Postal Service for a Twenty Year Anniversary Release
• When the Writers Come Out at Night
• Fall of the House of Usher
• A Professor's Literary Life
• Donuts & Crypto
• Seeing Static in Jane Removers' Census Designated
• What We're Enjoying
• Events Calendar & Extras

An Industry-Standard Profit And Loss Statement For Book Publishing Professionals In The United States, Jackie Krantz

Book Publishing Final Research Paper

Title profit and loss statements (P&Ls) in book publishing are valuable predictive tools for newly acquired titles. They inform the press on how money will be moving through the press in relation to the book’s production, revealing the book’s estimated value and level of profit. However, there is no industry-standard template. This lack of a template makes it difficult for new industry professionals to learn about P&Ls; prevents knowledge of one press’s P&L from being transferrable throughout the industry; and causes smaller presses to potentially neglect this useful tool due to the steep learning curve. The solution is to create …

The Identification Of Representation Gaps In Diverse Us Children's Picture Books, Alena Rivas

Book Publishing Final Research Paper

This paper addresses this research question: which intersectional identities remain underrepresented in diverse US children’s picture books? The analysis is based on two datasets, one from Diverse BookFinder (collected December 2022–April 2023) and another from a survey of librarians (collected January 2023–April 2023). Each book in the Diverse BookFinder collection features a non-white character in the following racial/cultural categories: Asian/Pacific Islander, Biracial/Multiracial/Mixed Race, Black/African American, Brown Skinned/Unspecified Race, Latinx/Hispanic, Middle Eastern/Arab, Multi-Racial Cast of Characters, Native American/Indigenous, and White/Caucasian. These identities were cross tabulated with the following identities to measure intersectionality: Gender (Nonbinary, Transgender, Gender Non-Conforming, Intersex, and Unspecified); LGBTQIAP2S+; …

The Pacific Sentinel, June 2023, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Dan Chilton

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter From the Editor
• Android Flowers of the Future
• Gary Numan Tours North America
• Emily King, the Queen of Hearts
• Who Protects Us?
• The Landing to Close Its Doors
• The First (& Forgotten) 'R'
• Celebrate the Legacy, Ignore the History
• Donuts & Dao's
• About Town
• What We're Enjoying

The Pacific Sentinel, May 2023, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Dan Chilton

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter From the Editor
• Ghosts of Plant & Place
• Everybody Reads Ozeki
• Shrinking: Rethinking New Approaches to Therapy
• Braiding Sweetgrass
• Lana Del Rey Album Review
• The Perseverance of R*pe Culture in Rock & Metal
• Pay What You Will, Take What You Need
• What We're Enjoying
• Comics & Games

The Satisfaction Clause In Publishing Agreements: A Case Study Of Its Purpose, Controversy, And Future, Maliea Ruby

Book Publishing Final Research Paper

This research paper examines the satisfaction clause included in publishing contracts, the reason for controversy surrounding it, and what the future may look like for it. This is accomplished by looking at the history of the clause, how it functions in publishing contracts, and three major court cases centered around it. The satisfaction clause allows a client seeking a job done to determine whether the work is satisfactory to them. Much of the time these contracts are written to favor the client, part of the reason for its controversial status. In the context of publishing, the satisfaction clause is important …

Reactions To Latinx Children’S Picture Books From Indie Presses: An Analysis Of Online Consumer Reviews, Karina L. Agbisit

Book Publishing Final Research Paper

This study analyzed online consumer reviews of children's picture books published by three small, independent presses focused on providing representation of Latinx people and culture. Reviews showed an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the use of bilingual text. Reactions to the use of illustrations support research indicating a preference for bright, colorful images. Additional themes that emerged in reviews include the timeliness of a bilingual book about expressing feelings in the first year of the Covid pandemic; the importance of personal connections to expressions of culture and traditions in the text; the pros and cons of using photographs instead of illustrations; …

Examining The Discovery Behaviors Of Comics Consumers, Tara Mccarron

Book Publishing Final Research Paper

The comics consumer base is big and it’s only getting bigger. And yet, very little research has been done on the consumer behavior of comics reads. In order to broaden the accessibility to comics consumer research, this paper examined the discovery behavior of 56 survey participants. The survey included questions pertaining to demographics, frequency of comics consumed, genres of comics consumed, formats used to consume comics, and methods used to discover comics. Due to limited scope, this paper focused solely on format preferences, discovery preferences, and the most-popular genre preferences. Based on this research, graphic novels remained the preferred format …

Struggling To Thrive: Nyc Publishing Salaries In The Age Of Inflation & Implications For Diversifying The Publishing Workforce, Em Villaverde

Book Publishing Final Research Paper

This research delves into the conundrum of New York City’s publishing sector, where passion drives more than profit. This paper reviews the impact of inflation and rising living costs on entry-level book publishing roles within NYC, unraveling the implications for diversity within the industry.

The central question investigates how the combination of inflation and living expenses influences the feasibility of jump-starting a publishing career in one of the most expensive cities—and the largest publishing hub—in the US. The study spotlights not only barriers to entering the industry but also the exacerbated challenges faced by BIPOC professionals.
The research zooms in …

Metadata Decentralized: An Examination Of Folksonomy In Book Publishing, Dani Tellvik

Book Publishing Final Research Paper

Classification of materials as multifaceted and complex as books is fraught with competing needs and idiosyncratic forms of expression and organization. A publisher’s primary goal is to position their books in a way that will attract readers who find value in the books. Book Industry Standards and Communication (BISAC) codes, the list of industry-approved subject headings, are essential to a book’s metadata for North American publishers. They are used to strike the balance so that a book blends in to an established category while also standing out as a particularly compelling of unique expression or the chosen classification.

The Pacific Sentinel, April 2023, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Dan Chilton

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter From the Editor
• The Last of Us
• A Student-Run Open Mic Night
• Yo La Tengo
• Aries
• Crystal Springs
• Sun Songs
• How to Write About African Women
• Stop Trying to Plant in Dead Soil
• What We're Enjoying
• Comics & Games
• Events Calender

The Pacific Sentinel, March 2023, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Dan Chilton

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter From the Editor
• Essential NW Bands & Musicians
• Events Calendar
• What Happens When the Artist Becomes the Art?
• The SubArtic Collective
• The Enlightenment
• How to Dismantle a Bomb
• The New Space Race
• MyCoreMediation
• Nuclear Oregon
• What We're Enjoying
• Sudoku & Comics

Building A Humanities-Focused Creative Industries Minor At Portland State University, Kathi Inman Berens

English Faculty Publications and Presentations

"Building a Humanities-Centered Creative Industries Minor at Portland State University" is a presentation made by Kathi Inman Berens representing collective work by Berens, Dr. Rachel Noorda and Dr. Susan Kirtley (all of Portland State; see slide 2). Identifies opportunities for a humanities-focused minor in creative industries instruction in the U.S., using Ooligan Press of the PSU Book Publishing Master's program as a curricular model of experiential learning.

The Pacific Sentinel, January 2023, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Dan Chilton

Articles in this issue include:

• Wednesday & the Challenges of Adaptation
• First Impressions: A Newcomer's Guide to Portland
• Ooligan Press's Comic Debut
• The Land, the Water, the Sky
• Notes From Behind the Bar
• A Chat with ChatGPT
• Measure 110 & the Roadblocks of Negative Perceptions
• Pre-Covid: It's a Jungle out there. Post-Covid: It's a Jungle in Here

The Pacific Sentinel, January 2023, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Dan Chilton

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter From the Editor
• Jeffrey Gibson at the Portland Art Museum
• Dakota Modern Exhibit
• Defining Abolition With Walidah Imarisha
• We Keep Us Safe
• Psilocybin Solution
• The Case For ACAB
• Something Needs to Be Done
• Comic

The Pacific Sentinel: Fall 2022, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Dan Chilton

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter From the Editor
• Stranged Writing
• Rock Band Help Finds Time to Breathe Through the Chaos
• Titane
• Hurray for the Riff Raff
• The Work to Resolve Houselessness
• Doctrine Urbi Serviat
• Notes from Behind the Bar
• A very Modest Proposal
• Comic

Systemic Barriers That Exclude Bipoc Authors From Literary Awards And The Proposed Solutions To Evoke Change, Devyn Yan Radke

Book Publishing Final Research Paper

This research aims to 1) provide an in-depth analysis of the National Book Award (NBA), with a focus on Lisa Lucas, her commitment to diversity, and how it has impacted the awards, 2) identify the systemic barriers BIPOC authors may experience that are setbacks from being recognized in literary awards, and 3) the importance of diversity in book publishing professional executive positions.

International Cross-Media Adaptation: A Case Study Of The Witcher, Alexa Schmidt

Book Publishing Final Research Paper

As consumer media habits further diverge with the introduction of new technologies and social spaces, literature has increasingly been adapted in new mediums. Adaptations of written works have the exposure and visual appeal to draw in a larger audience than the pages of the original would.

This research question is extremely relevant to the shift the industry has made with the introduction of new technologies for cross-media storytelling through video games, film and television. Increasingly, publishers, like Level 4 Press, look for stories that will translate well into a TV series or movie, and cross-media stories and adaptations have been …

Artificial Intelligence As A Content Creator In The Publishing Industry, John Huston

Book Publishing Final Research Paper

Several methods were used in my research. A literature review was used to define artificial intelligence (AI) in general and in relation to how it’s used in literature today. I also relied heavily on Dr Leah Henrickson’s work on Natural Language Generation (NLG), which discusses authorship and roles between authors and readers.

Several case studies were used in my research. Liam Porr’s Guardian Op-ed was reviewed as his team used humans to edit GPT-3 output for a coherent article, much like I used it in a focus group. The Kimagure Artificial Intelligence Writer’s Project was also evaluated. The writing for …

The Rise Of Xr Storytelling And The Contribution Of Consumer Accessibility, Cost Efficiency, & Intrinsic Value To Feasibility, Sarah Moffatt

Book Publishing Final Research Paper

This research assesses the current state of XR (extended reality) publishing and its feasibility within an exceptionally virtual landscape. Feasibility is measured upon the challenges and opportunities posed by accessibility, cost efficiency, demand, and intrinsic value.

Through market analysis of past and ongoing XR storytelling projects, as well as qualitative methods which include industry interviews and public surveys, it has been found that publishers would do well to first adopt augmented reality storytelling methods before venturing further into virtual reality storytelling. Because augmented reality is generally more accessible and cost efficient, its adoption contributes to increased …

Book Deserts Of Litlandia: A Case Study Of Book Deserts In The Literary City Of Portland, Oregon In Relation To Book Waste From It’S Largest Independent Bookstore, Megan Jessop

Book Publishing Final Research Paper

The goal of this project was to look at book waste from a local independent bookstore, Powell’s Books, in Portland, Oregon and compare local donation and literacy programs—such as Little Free Libraries (LFL), Children’s Book Bank, and programs with the Multnomah County Library (MCL) to see if there were books or print materials that were being thrown away, recycled, and/or turned into pulp that could have been utilized in other ways towards literacy efforts. Through a process of interviews with staff at Portland’s largest local independent bookstore, MCL, a LFL steward, and Children’s Book Bank, as well as analysis of …

The Many Moving Parts Behind Brandon Sanderson’S Record-Breaking Kickstarter Campaign, Kathi Inman Berens

English Faculty Publications and Presentations

The creation and fulfillment of Sanderson’s Kickstarter relies on a crack team managing massive amounts of data as well as all aspects of production. Sanderson had been running a multi-million-dollar, mid-sized publishing company well before his March 1, 2022 Kickstarter shot north of $28 million in two weeks, making it the biggest campaign—for now—in Kickstarter history.

Killer Serials: Amazon’S Kindle Vella, Kathi Inman Berens

English Faculty Publications and Presentations

Can Amazon's Kindle Vella Break Through With Younger Readers? From its inception, Amazon has pushed book publishing toward a digital future that other entertainment industries such as video games and streaming media have been quicker to embrace. Kindle Vella, one of Amazon’s most recent digital programs, is worth watching.

Kindle Vella is a serialized reading experience folded into Amazon’s Kindle app. It quietly launched in July 2021. If it can catch on, it has enormous potential to capture the attention of a new generation of readers and writers already engaging serialized stories in apps like Webtoons and Wattpad--GenZers reading serialized …

Publishing In The Pacific Northwest, Kathi Inman Berens, Rachel Noorda, Nathalie Op De Beeck

English Faculty Publications and Presentations

Overview of how 11 Pacific Northwest booksellers survived Covid, and continue to thrive after pandemic lockdowns have lifted. After many consumers shifted to online book buying, what techniques are these book stores using to attract and keep customers?

The Pacific Sentinel: November/December 2021, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Vivian Veidt

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter From the Editor
• Police Resistance to Federal Vaccine Mandates
• COVID on Campus
• Death of the Damsel in Distress
• Game Night at the Dysfunctional Family
• Same Old Story, Different Title
• Socially Alive
• The 2021 Portland Book Festival
• PSU Student Feature: Nikki James
• Notes From Behind the Bar
• A Far Reach for Greater Idaho
• The Truth Pandemic

The Pacific Sentinel: September 2021, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Vivian Veidt

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter From the Editor
• The Opaque Places of Cinema
• A “PIG” in Portland
• Jazzed to be Back
• Notes from Behind the Bar
• The Predicament of Mayor Wheeler
• The City of Portland Must Cut Ties With Israel

Book Readers Who Are Buccaneers And Buyers, Rachel Noorda, Kathi Inman Berens, Chris Kenneally

English Faculty Publications and Presentations

These readers buy, subscribe to, and borrow books at higher rates than the general population. They engage at higher rates in fan fiction and discover new authors across multiple media, including streaming movies and television. These readers are also pirates.

Immersive Media and Books 2020 is the first study to capture data expressly about how people engage with books, video games, film, and TV. The final report focuses sharply on reader behavior across a wide range of demographic groups, based on surveys conducted before and during the pandemic.

Co-authors Dr. Rachel Noorda and Dr. Kathi Inman Berens probe especially for …