A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, School of Literature, Language and Media in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of M.A Publishing Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, 2016 / The purpose of this study is to investigate the current marketing capabilities of trade book publishers in South Africa. In addition, this study ascertains how these marketing capabilities impact on trade book publishers' sales and brand performance. There are currently several gaps in the literature on both marketing capabilities within the global publishing industry as well as gaps in the literature on the South African trade publishing industry. The main research problem is the lack of understanding of the marketing capabilities of trade book publishers in South Africa and how these capabilities can impact on the sales performance of these trade book publishers. This study is a qualitative, case study that examined four marketing capabilities within trade publishing houses in South Africa. Four propositions (on marketing communications, pricing, product innovation and channel management) were developed and tested in the study. The Resource-based view (RBV) theory as the main theoretical lens for this study is examined. The research was gathered through interviews over a 2 month period that were conducted at the publishers’ offices. 5 publishing companies took part in the study and a total of 15 interviews were conducted. The interviews were recorded and then transcribed. The transcriptions were loaded on to an analysis software tool called MaxQDA which allowed easy analysis by the researcher. All four propositions established were supported by the research. These marketing capabilities exist within all five trade publishing houses but that they are not being utilised as they should be. There is definite room for improvement in the publishing industr. The most significant capability for the trade publishing industry is the marketing communications capability as this is the most widely used. The originality of this research is that it is a case study in South African trade publishing houses and that it is looking at the marketing capabilities of trade publishing houses through the RBV approach. The implications for the industry are mostly in-house implication as the models generated require an organizational change within the publishing houses. Limitations of this study as well as suggestions for future research are outlined in this study. / GR2017

Submitted to the Faculty of Humanities in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of M.A (Publishing Studies) University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, 2017 / Gérard Genette famously noted that paratexts are ‘those liminal devices’, elements, both within and outside the book, that form part of the complex relationship between book, author, publisher, and reader. He determined that titles, forewords, epigraphs, and publishers’ jacket copy are part of a book’s ‘private and public history’. By considering each of these liminal devices in the larger context of marketing strategies, this research report addresses the question of how paratexts are altered to appeal to different markets in different countries – specifically South Africa and Germany – and how this is done in relation to five translated novels: Stadt des Goldes by Norman Ohler; Portrait with Keys by Ivan Vladislavić; Township Blues and Themba by Lutz van Dijk; and Fiela se Kind by Dalene Matthee. The research report argues that the relationship between paratext and reader is of vital importance when it comes to understanding how cultures are perceived by foreign readers. With each comparison between the paratexts of the original and their translated novels, the research report demonstrates that paratextual alterations are predominantly influenced by alterations in time and geography; use or dismissal of clichés and stereotypes; educational value; and either techniques which familiarise or defamiliarise the reader. By uncovering the way novels are marketed to a foreign readership, it becomes possible to uncover why translations occur and how the source-culture is perceived. / XL2018

The thesis examines transnational Scottish book marketing to a diasporic audience from 1995 to 2015. The study addresses the research question: what makes marketing of Scottish-interest books from Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the publishing industry successful transnationally? The data underlying the research comes from semi-structured interviews with members of publishing organisations in Scotland and members of Scottish heritage organisations worldwide, case studies of the marketing histories of economically successful books targeting the diaspora, and narrative rhetorical criticism of the online book blurbs of Scottish-interest books by Scottish publishers. The qualitative results demonstrate that the marketing of Scottish-interest books from SMEs in the publishing industry is successful transnationally when creative relationship marketing through storytelling is emphasised; icons, symbols and narratives from Scotland’s place brand are utilised; and communication of value is targeted to specific subcultures of consumption (like the Scottish diaspora) that transcend national boundaries. Adopting the definition of marketing as the communication of value of a product or service, the study analyses the influencers, characteristics, and participants of that communication. The research impacts those individuals and organisations, particularly Scottish publishing companies, who are involved in the twenty-first century Scottish book trade. The thesis recommends that to reach the diaspora audience, Scottish publishers need to make a more united effort under Publishing Scotland to approach and partner with Scottish heritage organisations; create working relationships with Global Scot (and Scottish Enterprise more generally), Scottish Development International, Visit Scotland, and Event Scotland; and become more involved in tourism events relating to the Scottish diaspora.