MEDIA, CULTURE AND CREATIVE ARTS 科廷 assignment 代写

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CURTIN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

SCHOOL OF MEDIA, CULTURE AND CREATIVE

ARTS

ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET

To be attached to all assignments

(ALL SECTIONS MUST BE COMPLETED)

STUDENT NAME: Logan Griffiths

STUDENT ID: 18260180

UNIT NAME AND NUMBER: Research Methods in Media Culture and Creative Arts,

AUVS5002

DUE DATE: Sunday 23 rd August 2015

WORD COUNT: 1240

TUTORIAL DAY AND TIME: Tuesday 9am

TUTOR’S NAME : Thor Kerr

IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOUR TUTOR’S NAME IS ON ALL SUBMITTED ASSIGNMENTS

DECLARATION:

I declare that I have retained a copy of this assignment.

I have read and understood Curtin University policies on

Plagiarism and Copyright and declare that this assignment

complies with these policies.

I declare that this assignment is my own work and has not been

submitted previously in any form for assessment.

Signature: Logan Griffiths

Date: 23/8/2015

My Research Topic

The digital age has allowed the self-production, digitisation and possession of

countless pieces of information to countless people around the globe. It should not

surprise the reader that the industry of non-traditional publishing had lodged itself

into the global book market well before the arrival of Amazon Author and iBooks 1 .

The capacity to share and absorb information is infinite. This is why I have chosen the

research topic of non-traditional publishing for my Masters Project.

Background in Discipline

I completed my Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Studies and English at the

University of Western Australia between 2011 and 2014. During that time, I

completed a number of units that focused on modern communication and literature

theory. I developed an interest in (what seems to be) the endless possibilities of social

media and the way online users consume. I completed a core unit called “Case Studies

in Communication” run by Dr Rob Cover. The final assessment included an in-depth

case study, which is where I discovered the “prosumer.” My case study, “Digital

Business: Learning from the Prosumer” focused on the increasingly popular

“combination of production and consumption” in digital media (Toffler, 1980 in

Ritzer, Dean & Jurgenson, 2012, p.379). The digital prosumer “is what defines much

of the Internet” and ranges from YouTube content creators to anonymous Fan Fiction

writers; essentially a person who creates what they consume (Ritzer, Dean &

Jurgenson, 2012, p.385). My research on the prosumer gradually lead to a discovery

of the self-publisher, online publishing, royalty free publishing and eBooks (Bradley,

Fulton, Helm & Pittner, 2011, p.2). According to Jana Bradley, many authors have

turned to these forms of non-traditional publishing as a way to have more control over

their creative work (Bradley, Fulton, Helm & Pittner, 2011, p.4). Now that I am

involved in the Master of Media and Communication I have been exposed to further

information on non-traditional publishing in units such as “Advanced Editing and

Publishing” and “Writing for Research and Professional Contexts.” I believe that my

1 Bill Hornadge’s How to Publish Your Own Book (1983) is one of many examples.

previous and current studies have immensely shaped my interest in the both the

traditional and non-traditional publishing industry.

Work Experience

My interest in the publishing industry spiked when I completed an internship at UWA

Publishing in early 2014. During my placement I shot and produced two book trailers

and assisted at book launches. This placement allowed me to understand the growing

trends and changes in non-traditional publishing marketing methods. I believe that

this internship was a crucial deciding factor of my decision to complete a Post

Graduate degree. The internship highlighted the competitiveness of the Australian

traditional and non-tractional publishing industry, as well as its exclusivity.

Broader Context

Bradley highlighted that, “the Bowker… annual statistics on book publishing for

2010… revealed startling news. The output of non-traditional titles was eight times as

great as the number of mainstream published books” (Bowker, 2011 in Bradley,

Fulton, Helm & Pittner, 2011, p.1). These statistics show that the increased market

value of non-traditional books is a massive factor of international book consumption

and activity. On a production level, non-traditional books that are self-published or

produced only as eBooks are undeniably cheaper than print books 2 . It seems that,

culturally, there is a growing interest in authors to self publish. Much like the

prosumer, writers are working hard to produce content that they enjoy, regardless of

mainstream publishing. Grace, an Internet blogger at howibecametexan.com, speaks

freely on her YouTube channel about her experience with self-publishing her Texan

in Tokyo series (Buchele Mineta, 2015) (Amazon.com, 2015). Grace’s niche target

audience is unlikely to draw a mainstream audience. The countless self-publishing

services available enable young writers like Grace to take baby steps into the

publishing industry and reveal their work to a potentially expanding audience.

Interest in Non-Traditional Publishing

My interests in the publishing industry spurs mostly from my passion for reading and

story telling. As a passionate reader of both print and online, well-known and

2 Amazon claims that eBooks are cheaper not only because there is no print production cost,

but also because it increases sales (Tech Hive, 2014).

unknown authors, I have inevitably been drawing closer to an overarching question

regarding the increasing influence and popularity of non-traditional publishing. I find

today’s book marketing methods striking which can been seen on online book stores,

such as iBooks, which promotes a free weekly “Book of the Week” to download 3

(Apple Inc., 2015).

The principle step in this Masters Project journey is, simply, to begin. Conducting a

vast literature review on the topic of non-traditional publishing appears to be the most

logical step. Weerakkody cautions students to critically analyse literature with an

understanding of the historical, social and cultural context of the source (Weerakkody,

2009, p.43). While conducting any form of research, Wayne Booth suggests that one

should “be amiably sceptical of most of the research” a student reads (Booth, Colomb

& Williams, 1995, p.11). With these words of caution, I maintain belief that a

concrete beginning to my Master Project is through literature reviews. Having a vast

pool of sources will enable the development of a focused set of variables worth

investigating in my Masters Project.

Ultimately, I hope that my Masters Project will provide me with the current

knowledge and skills to confidently step forth into the Australian or International

publishing industry, whether this be in a traditional or non-traditional publishing field.

I believe it is important for me to investigate non-traditional publishing as it becomes

increasingly popular and essential to understand. I expect my project to provide

professionals in the publishing industry a document on the topic of non-traditional

publishing that they can “explore, expands, combine and understand… more fully”

(Booth, Colomb & Williams, 1995, p.15). I am positive that my Masters Project will

shed light on the social, marketing and industrial trends of non-traditional publishing

and hopefully benefit my future employers.

3 Further articles suggest that 80% of the iBooks Romance section is “indie publishers” and

that “free books have 91x more downloads” than print (The Creative Penn, 2013) (Alliance of

Independent Authors, 2014).

Reference List

Alliance of Independent Authors. (2014, July 4). How to sell your books via the

iBooks store | Self-Publishing Advice for Writers. Retrieved from

http://www.selfpublishingadvice.org/publishing-how-to-get-self-published-

books-featured-on-ibooks/

Amazon.com Inc. (2015). Author Central. Retrieved from

https://authorcentral.amazon.com/

Amazon.com Inc. (2015). Confessions of a Texan in Tokyo. Retrieved from

http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Texan-

Tokyo/dp/0990773612/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_z

Apple Inc. (2015). Apple - iBooks Author. Retrieved from

MEDIA, CULTURE AND CREATIVE ARTS 科廷 assignment 代写

http://www.apple.com/ibooks-author/

Booth, W., Colomb, G., & Williams, J. (1995). The Craft of Research.

Bradley, J., Fulton, B., Helm, M., & Pittner, K. (2011). Non-traditional book

publishing. First Monday, 16(8), 1-19. Retrieved from

http://www.journals.uic.edu/ojs/index.php/fm/rt/printerFriendly/3353/3030

Buchele Mineta, G. (2015, April 28). How I Self-Published my Comic Books (and

you can too!) [Video file]. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-u6LSgRxPk

Hornadge, B. (1983). How to Publish Your Own Book: A Complete Guide to Self-

Publishing in Australia (1st ed.). New South Wales, Australia: Review

Publications Pty Ltd.

Ritzer, G., Dean, P., & Jurgenson, N. (2012). The Coming of Age of the Prosumer.

American Behavioral Scientist, 56(4), 379-398.

doi:10.1177/0002764211429368

Tech Hive. (2014, July 30). Amazon says cheaper e-books are better for everyone in

latest Hachette war salvo | TechHive. Retrieved from

http://www.techhive.com/article/2459148/amazon-says-cheaper-e-books-are-

better-for-everyone-in-latest-hachette-war-salvo.html

The Creative Penn. (2013, October 14). Publishing And Marketing Tips For The

Apple iBookstore With Mark Coker From Smashwords | The Creative Penn.

Retrieved from http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2013/10/14/apple-

ibookstore-tips/

Weerakkody, N. (2009). Research Methods for Media and Communication.

MEDIA, CULTURE AND CREATIVE ARTS 科廷 assignment 代写