Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Dictionary
- Cambridge Handbooks in Language and Linguistics
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Dictionary
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I Types of Dictionaries
- Part II Dictionaries as Books
- Part III Dictionaries and Ideology
- Part IV Dictionaries and Domains of Use
- Part V The Business of Dictionaries
- Chapter 27 Organizing Dictionary Projects
- Chapter 28 Editing Dictionaries
- Chapter 29 Publishing the Dictionary: The Business Side of the Business
- Chapter 30 Legal and Ethical Issues in Dictionary-Making
- Part VI The Future of Dictionaries
- References: Dictionaries
- References: Secondary Works
- Index
Chapter 29 - Publishing the Dictionary: The Business Side of the Business
from Part V - The Business of Dictionaries
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 19 October 2024
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Dictionary
- Cambridge Handbooks in Language and Linguistics
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Dictionary
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I Types of Dictionaries
- Part II Dictionaries as Books
- Part III Dictionaries and Ideology
- Part IV Dictionaries and Domains of Use
- Part V The Business of Dictionaries
- Chapter 27 Organizing Dictionary Projects
- Chapter 28 Editing Dictionaries
- Chapter 29 Publishing the Dictionary: The Business Side of the Business
- Chapter 30 Legal and Ethical Issues in Dictionary-Making
- Part VI The Future of Dictionaries
- References: Dictionaries
- References: Secondary Works
- Index
Summary
A highly selective history of dictionary publishing in the United States, focusing on the sales, marketing, distribution, and financing of dictionaries, how they have changed radically over the years, but how many of the challenges remain the same. In doing so, the chapter illustrates the persistence of five constants that have shaped dictionary publishing in the United States. 1. Dictionary publishing has always been expensive. The factors driving that expense change over time, but even in the digital era there are no signs that it is becoming any less expensive. 2. Dictionary publishing has nearly always been highly competitive. 3. Dictionary publishing in the United States has always been aimed at the broad general public more than at the professional or scholarly market; hence, the dominant publishing strategy has been to lower prices in order to broaden distribution. 4. Technology has always been a driver of publishing strategies. 5. Aggressive sales and marketing have always been a part of dictionary publishing, but throughout the history of dictionary publishing in the United States, the one marketing strategy that overshadows all others has been effective brand management.
Keywords
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- The Cambridge Handbook of the Dictionary , pp. 593 - 629Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024