Publishing Commons^™

The Pacific Sentinel, November 2020, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Vivian Veidt

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter from the Editor
• Drones and Robots Battling
• COVID-19
• PSU’s First Homelessness and Housing Insecurity Study
• The Ziplock Diary
• Constitutionally Speaking
• God May Be Dead, but the Christian Left Isn’t
• A True Professional
• Black Is King

Eco-Publishing In The Book Industry: An Interdisciplinary Case Study With Patagonia Books, Julie A. Collins

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

The purpose of this study is to explore eco-publishing in the book industry with an interdisciplinary approach: I will address eco-trends in human movements and essential industries; provide an overview of the book industry’s recent efforts to determine their environmental impact; and explore eco-publishing in practice by presenting findings from a case study of Patagonia Books featuring an interview with their publisher Karla Olson. This analysis of environmentalism on a broad scale gives us the ability to see how trends outside the industry may affect how we define the goals of publishing, and of particular publishing houses. Patagonia Books is …

The Pacific Sentinel, June 2020, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Jake Johnson

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter from the Editor
• The Shift to Remote Learning
• Added Punishment (Analysis)
• Oregon Reopens
• Remarks from the Author on “Josh Cohen”
• Kill the Death Penalty
• Grateful PowerPoint Grad
• Virtual Commencement Blues
• Postpone Don’t Cancel
• Neoliberalism Is the Disease
• No Time to Change
• Why You Should Bake Sourdough
• Skateboarding During Quarantine
• Virus of Nihilism
• The Trolls Have Killed Cinema… Maybe
• Tiger King for a Day
• Cultural Food Appropriation
• Unions on the Silver Screen

Spatial Politics And Literacy: An Analysis Of Little Free Libraries And Neighborhood Distribution Of Book-Sharing Depositories In Portland, Oregon And Detroit, Michigan, Desiree Wilson

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

The purpose of this research is to interrogate whether Free Little Libraries (LFL), the largest branded book-sharing movement in the world, continues to uphold its currently stated mission to provide book access to communities where book accessibility is low (determined by how many estimated books are in each household). Though the Little Free Library nonprofit has flourished in the decade since it was founded, indicating a fondness and appreciation for the Little Library as an idea and neighborhood ornament alike, critics of the organization have raised multiple concerns about whether the library boxes provide service to those who need them. …

Ethics And True Crime: Setting A Standard For The Genre, Hazel Wright

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

True crime is a genre that has existed for centuries, adapting to social and literary trends as they come and go. The 21st century, particularly in the last five years, has seen true crime explode in popularity across different forms of media. As the omnipresence of true crime grows, so to do the ethical dilemmas presented by this often controversial genre. This paper examines what readers perceive to be the common ethical problems with true crime and uses this information to create a preliminary ethical standard for true-crime literature.

A comparison of the ethical concerns raised in scholarly sources with …

Pottermore, A Case Study: What Publishers Can Learn About Developing Interactive Transmedia In The Post-Web Age, Megan Crayne

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

15 years after the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J.K. Rowling’s magical world would be transformed into an interactive, playable website called simply Pottermore. It included all the elements that dominate successful interactive transmedia: exclusive narrative content that brought readers into the storyworld, spaces for members to create and build virtual communities, interactive gameplay, and additional forms of transmedia available for purchase. Then in 2015, Pottermore Publishing launched a major redesign of Pottermore in the face of declining eBook and audiobook sales.

By comparing and contrasting the three versions of Pottermore (Old, New, and now Wizarding …

The Pacific Sentinel, May 2020, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Jake Johnson

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter from the Editor
• Ongoing Crisis in Yemen
• Coronavirus Updates
• Squashing Coronavirus Will Take Time
• There Is No “Chinese Virus”
• An Unequal Pandemic
• Do Not Go Gently Into That Pandemic
• The Coronavirus Outbreak Reveals the Flaws of Our Social Safety N
• Language, Thought, Freedom, and the Soul
• Stop Going on Twitter
• Crocheting COVID-19
• Isolation in the Time of Coronavirus
• Animal Crossing: New Horizons Review
• Mysteries, Wonder Boys, and Other Phenomena

Beloved And The Water Dancer: A Longitudinal Study Of Book Reviews From 1987 And 2019, Tiffany Watson

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

There is a trail of profoundly pessimistic opinions on the state of book reviews and critics from Lorentzen to Hardwick to Marshall and McCarthy to Poe to Pope.

In earlier drafts, I tapped into that same despair. I considered calling this essay "The Death of the Book Reviewer". I must admit I was committed to the allusion more than to the truth of such a statement. Because, as I read each essay which laid out the faults of the then most-recent form of book reviewing, I came to the conclusion that if the book reviewer is to die, it is …

A Major Motion Picture Or Just A Picture? An Analysis In Movie Tie-Ins Vs. Original Cover Art, Vivian Nguyen

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

It has been believed that the needs of consumers who are primarily readers versus moviegoers greatly differ; those who are readers are more likely to purchase a book that features the original cover art, while those who are mostly moviegoers gravitate toward movie tie-in covers. This paper examines the accuracy behind that belief by calculating the number of book sales from NPD BookScan, as well as collecting survey data from participants across all reading activity levels.

Analysis revealed that though there is a slight difference in amount of preference based on reading group, overall participants overwhelmingly preferred the original cover …

Identifying And Connecting With Diverse Sff Readers, Denise Morales Soto

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

Science fiction and fantasy is one of the most abundant genres today, projected to gross $590.2 million in the adult fiction market in the year 2020. However, despite its growing popularity and its large reader base, it still predominantly caters to white men; something that could be detrimental to the industry. This paper aimed to show how science fiction and fantasy (SFF) publishers can learn more about their non-white reader demographic and how they can potentially increase their interaction with their diverse audiences. I conducted a study of social media interaction by compiling Twitter posts over the course of four …

Lifecycles Of Digital Files And Staff Labor At Ooligan Press In Portland, Oregon, Kathi Inman Berens

English Faculty Publications and Presentations

This Sidebar is an overview of the human process of creating, sorting, storing and preserving digital files in the lifecycle of one book made by Portland State University's Ooligan Press. Ooligan is a teaching press staffed by students pursuing master's degrees in the Department of English.

The Pacific Sentinel, April 2020, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Jake Johnson

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter from the Editor
• Rolling Back Water Protection
• Relatively Speaking
• Oregon Responds to Coronavirus
• The Case Against Joe Biden
• Sounds Terrible
• Views on the Decline of Civilization
• An ASMRticle
• In Defense of Radicalism
• nîpawistamâsowin: The Boushie Family Stands Up
• Sunless Shadows Complicates the Murderess
• Martin Eden’s Class Struggle
• The Quiet Compassion of The Good Place
• Portland’s First eSports Bar Creates Community

The Pacific Sentinel, March 2020, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Jake Johnson

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter From the Editor
• Safe Together?
• Vaccination: Spreading Misinformation Spreads Disease
• Impeachment? What Just Happened?
• Vote Local
• Under the Red Lights
• Homeschool Pride
• The Utopia of Animal Crossing
• Not Too Cold to Canvas for Bernie
• The Top 5 Shoegaze Albums of 2019
• Nick Fish’s Untimely Death and Enduring Legacy
• Harry Styles Is a Mess
• Dump Those Dumplings in My Mouth
• The Real Horror of The Turning is Its Disappointing Story

The Pacific Sentinel, February 2020, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Jake Johnson

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter from the Editor
• Putting a Stop to PPOP?
• Portlanders Say "No War With Iran"
• Hospitals Penalized for Readmissions
• Dying Young
• Flower Power
• "Take a Nap!"
• Making People Homeless: Our Country's Collective Shame
• Draft Dodging: My New Favorite Sport
• A Century of Socialism
• Spoiler Alert Alarmism
• Mo Troper Delivers in New Album

The Pacific Sentinel, January 2020, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Jake Johnson

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter from the Editor
• Study Determines How Measles Destroys the Immune System
• Another Police Shooting: A Whose Fault WHODUNNIT?
• (News) Portlanders Join Nationwide Rallies to Impeach and Remove Trump
• (Opinion) Reconstructing America
• The Uyghurs: A Fading Chapter
• Chickens Are for Hugging
• The Myth of Vegan Virtuosity
• Stop Saying "Be Grateful for What You Have"
• Who Would Make a Baking Challenge Like That?! Zumbo Would.
• Best of 2019 Staff Picks
• Baby Ketten Finds Its Forever Home
• (Satire) How to Deal With the Crushing Weight of Familial Rejection Next Holiday Season

The Pacific Sentinel, December 2019, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Jake Johnson

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter from the Editor
• Making Oregon Count
• Sandwich Ministry
• Racist Propaganda at PSU
• Perils of Commuting
• Pricey Parking
• Further Thoughts on Phrases
• Merry Krampus
• Festival Highlights
• Pop up Readings
• Impact of YA on Teens
• Deep River
• Hard Conversations
• Portland Review & Ooligan Press
• Schnitzer Museum
• Exquisite Creatures
• Giant Poop
• 3 From Hell

The Pacific Sentinel, November 2019, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

The Pacific Sentinel

Editor: Jake Johnson

Articles in this issue include:

• Letter from the Editor
• PSU Dodges Walkout on the Eve of Fall Term
• 5th Avenue Cinema Then and Now
• Goodbye Maps Collection, Hello Graduate Collaboratory
• Thousands of Students Ditch School to Lead Portlanders in Climate Strike
• Brief Thoughts on Familiar Phrases
• Critiquing the Critic
• Nothing Wrong with Apu
• The Importance of Media Literacy
• Pop Weekend 2019
• (Sandy) Alex G Album Review
• Clairo Album Review
• The Signs of Beloved Celebrity Birds of PSU
• Funny Page

Why Do Adults Read Young Adult Books?, Monica Hay

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

Young adult books are widely read by adults. Through interviews with publishing professionals and a survey of 2,139 participants, several reasons were discovered regarding why adults read young adult literature. In the research, the most common reasons were the influence of Harry Potter and Twilight, the relatability for millennials, the social media presence of YA online, and the success of women writers in the category. Survey participants had more to add. The survey themes were nostalgia, "less pretentious," "faster reads," diversity, escapism, "less graphic," and perhaps most importantly, hopeful.

A Cover Is Worth 1000 Words: Visibility And Racial Diversity In Young Adult Cover Design, Jenny Kimura

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

Diversity in young adult literature has been a hot topic in the publishing industry for many years now, and calls for diversity from the YA community, librarians, authors, and publishing professionals have garnered nationwide attention. But while the conversation around diverse content is well documented, few have considered how young adult cover design might have an impact on how diversity, especially in terms of race/ethnicity, is represented visually.

The research detailed in this paper compiles and analyzes data from 700 covers each from 2014 and 2018 respectively (1400 book covers total). In my quantitative analysis, I wanted to know whether …

Pay To Play: Internships, Post-Graduate Education, And The Cost Of Working In Publishing, Madison Schultz

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

In 2019, diversity is the biggest buzzword in publishing. Spurred by initiatives such as We Need Diverse Books, publishing houses are working to publish more non-white authors and feature more stories about people of color. Behind the scenes, though, the publishing workforce is strikingly homogenous, with 86 percent of employees identifying as white or Caucasian, according to the 2018 Publishers Weekly salary survey. Increased scrutiny has started to lead to incremental gains, and groups like People of Color in Publishing and the Representation Matters Mentorship Program, both founded in 2016, are actively working to increase the number of people of …

Approaches To Contested In-Group Terminology For Mindful Editors, Jasmine Gower

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

In the conversation about mindful editing, a conundrum exists with regards to marginalized groups for whom all possible labels to identify the group contain loaded histories and connotations, and different subsets of these marginalized groups are in disagreement about what terminology is most appropriate. This contested in-group terminology places editors in a position where any editorial choice they make has high risk of offending or alienated members of the very group the editor hopes to represent. How, then, do mindful editors approach the matter of contested in-group terminology in an ethical manner? This study examines the approaches to contested in-group …

Marie Kondo And The New Self-Help, Kristen Ludwigsen

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

In the wake of the Marie Kondo phenomenon, is the self-help literature genre being redefined? How is Marie Kondo and her book affecting the ways self-help literature is being shared, discussed, and interpreted? This paper attempts to answer these questions by first discussing the difficulty in defining the self-help genre, and how recent definitions reflect the current economic climate. This paper examines The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo; the tone and language used and how it’s typical of books in the self-help genre, despite categorization as a House and Home—Cleaning and Organizing book. This paper looks at …

Engagement In The Fiber Craft Community: How Authors Can Increase Visibility And Market Their Books, Victoria Raible

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

This paper conceptualized the “fiber craft community,” a group of people heavily engaged with other members in community spaces, both online and in person, surrounding their craft. Drawing on scholarship about imagined communities, brand communities, and subcultures of consumption, this research argues this potential audience is a “community.” In addition to providing contextual information on the creative products industry and craft/hobby books market, this research uses a case study approach to gather ethnographic information about where and how the fiber craft community engages. It draws conclusions about how authors can best reach this community to market their fiber craft books.

Diversity In Ya: A Look At How Book Description Language Talks About Race, Brittney Finato

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

When exploring young adult literature, it is specifically important to research racial diversity because it can help show particular stereotypes, biases, and tropes that may be used in YA overall. This helps inform current issues or excellencies in the canon and leads to broader discussions about the importance of racial, and other, diversity in books generally. By developing methods to isolate racially diverse books in YA, extracting specific language from their Goodreads copy, and talking broadly about overall themes, I will analyze the types of language that book descriptions use when talking about race, if they do at all.

The Small Publisher’S Guide To Audiobooks, Stephanie Anderson

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

While audiobooks have been around since the invention of the phonograph, the invention of streaming technologies, combined with our increasingly fast-paced, multitasking culture, has caused audiobooks to become the fastest growing market in the publishing industry in recent years. In fact, since 2013 the audiobooks market has seen sales growth of an average of 20% per year, according to studies done by the Audio Publishers Association. However, many small publishers are not entering into the vital “new” frontier and reaching greater markets because of assumptions about the cost-prohibitive nature of creating audiobooks, and a lack of knowledge of the industry …

Consumerism-Driven History: The American Girl Brand As Publisher And Arbiter Of Girlhood Identity, Sarah Loepp

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

American Girl is a highly recognizable brand that wears several hats: publisher, dollmaker, and purported educator. Yet many researchers point out a disconnect between merchandise-driven aspects of the company and its educational qualities, as well as the set of cultural values suggested in material consumption versus the brand literature’s stated representation of girlhood. This paper outlines research pertaining to these issues before engaging in a close reading analysis of one of the historical character’s book series, ascertaining how the aforementioned concepts play out in the text itself. Assessment of American Girl consumption practices further draw from the brand’s website and …

Marketing In Portland's Small Publishing Industry: Case Studies In The Biographical Approach, Kate Jay

University Honors Theses

This thesis seeks to understand the influence of a publisher’s individual experience and background on the marketing functions of a small publishing press. In order to complete this task, the biographical approach was used. This approach requires interviews of small business owners in order to gain an understanding of their motivation, history, and background. Three Portland publishers of similar size but varying genre focuses were interviewed. The interviews were analyzed and treated as individual case studies. The results of the interviews and analysis was an understanding that the impact on a press from the owners’ knowledge, personalities, and backgrounds change …

Building A Literary Culture: How Indie Publishers Can Establish Stability By Operating Community Hubs, Lisa Hein

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

What’s causing the recent rise in publisher-operated brick and mortar bookstores? Are there significant advantages that arise from concentrating on in-person connections rather than more convenient engagement methods such as digital marketing? How are some indie book publishers using high-fidelity, physical experiences to promote their brands and foster a literary culture in their communities?

The Role Of The Developmental Editor In Emerging Forms Of Narrative, Stephanie Argy

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

This research paper looks at how developmental editing techniques and analytical processes can be applied to emerging forms of storytelling. By examining a sampling of projects that expand narrative beyond traditional approaches, and talking to people involved with those projects, this paper examines how developmental editing can be used in these new forms; the skills that editors might want to add to their toolkit; and the impact that developmental editors might be able to have on projects and on new storytelling forms themselves. The paper is meant as a roadmap for next steps for what editors might want to learn …

Trends In Marketing For Books On Animal Rights, Gloria H. Mulvihill

Book Publishing Final Research Papers

Though many of us have heard the mantra that we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, marketers in book publishing bank on the fact that people do and will continue to buy and read books based not only on content, but its aesthetic appeal. This essay will examine the top four marketing trends that can be observed on the Amazon listings for books published on animal rights within the last ten years, specifically relating to titles, cover design, and the intended audience. From graphic adaptations of animals to traditional textbook approaches and animal photography, publishers are striving to evoke …