Reading Comprehension

PT136 · S1 · P1 · Q1 The Evolution of Publishing in a Digital Era

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The Internet makes possible the instantaneous transmission and retrieval of digital text.

Topic

How digital publishing will transform the publishing business — and create competitive pressure to pay authors a larger share of revenue.

Framework

Highlight Noteworthy / Predictive Argument. The author argues for a particular vision of digital publishing's future and its economic consequences for authors.

Main Point

Digital publishing will transform the economics of the publishing business — and the resulting shift in costs will create competitive pressure to pay authors a significantly greater share of revenue, with upstart digital publishers leading the way.

P1: A different prediction about digital publishing

It's widely assumed that printed books will be displaced by digitized books read on screens. The author thinks instead that most digital files will be printed and bound on demand at point of sale. With digitization, anyone with internet access can purchase from a practically limitless catalog — including books that would have been "out of print."

P2: Digital publishing eliminates whole categories of cost

No physical inventory means no warehousing, no shipping to wholesalers/retailers, no in-store display, no unsold-book returns. Much less expensive than traditional publishing. Digital publishing is likely to supplant or rival traditional publishing — though it'll take time to build out the catalog and printing infrastructure.

P3: Authors should get a bigger share — and competitive pressure will deliver it

With whole categories of expense eliminated, authors are responsible for a greater proportion of the value of the final product, so (literary agents say) they're entitled to a larger share. Currently a large percentage of publisher revenue is absorbed by costs irrelevant to digital publication. Agents will demand bigger slices for authors. Established publishers, invested in old infrastructure, will be reluctant. The opportunity to bid for new manuscripts will go first to upstart digital firms unfettered by old practices. Under that competitive pressure, traditional publishers will have to reduce redundant functions and accommodate higher royalties — or lose authors. This explains the publishing conglomerates' caution toward the digital future.

Which one of the following statements most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?

The shift from traditional to
Too Broad
This casts the passage as a Theme / Example type passage, where the transformation happening in the book industry is only being discussed to illuminate this broader theme. But this passage doesn't start with a broader theme and then zoom in to the book example. It starts right away by discussing the publishing industry. That is the central topic. The main point should be about the publishing industry. The author's main thought about the industry isn't that, "They're undergoing a shift that is similar to other industries who shift models". It's more like, "They're shifting from mass printing books ahead of time, storing them in a warehouse, shipping them to retail stores, etc. .... to digitizing all of them and letting people print one copy of any book they want at a print-a-book kiosk."
8% picked this
Digital publishing is likely to
Wrong View
The passage argues that digital publishing will transform the industry and is likely to supplant or rival traditional publishing. The time delay is based on "having a catalog of printable digitized books large enough to justify investment in book printing machines at numerous sites". The author never says its ascension is being slowed down by social and economic factors. In P3 we briefly mention that large publishing houses will be reluctant to give authors a bigger slice of revenues, but the author doesn't portray that as hindering the acceptance of digital publishing. She just says it will create an opportunity for upstart digital firms to swoop in.
17% picked this
Digital publishing will be convenient
Wrong Emphasis
Too Strong (will result in great movement) There's too much emphasis here on an idea that the author doesn't really say. P3 alludes to a possible tension between authors who want a bigger slice of the revenue pie and large publishing houses who don't want to give it to them. And she indicates that these authors might be swayed to sign instead with upstart digital firms. But she doesn't guarantee that there will be a great of movement. She portrays it more as a situation where large publishing houses will be forced to get over their initial reluctance because they realize that otherwise they might lose a great deal of authors to newer firms.
8% picked this
Although digital books can now
Too Narrow
It's never actually established that digital books can currently be displayed on computers and handheld devices. This is a prediction of things to come. The author does predict that printing books at point of sale will be the dominant model and does think that it will have advantages for consumers, but she never actually guarantees that consumers will demonstrate that they prefer books printed at point of sale. Plus, this answer would only wrap its arms around P1. The passage also discussed how this new business model would affect publishers and authors, and this answer would be capturing none of that P2 or P3 discussion.
3% picked this
Correct
Digital publishing will transform the
Why this is right
Ugh, well this isn't my favorite correct answer. It's pretty awful that it doesn't address the Challenge Position part of P1. At no point does this convey that the author thinks we'll print hard copies at point of sale machines. Only (D) does that, however, so we have to decide which of the two ends up being the better option. Ultimately, it kind of comes down to a "which answer wraps its arms around more of the passage" type cage match. P2 and P3 talk about how digital publishing will transform the economics of publishing (it will be much less expensive, eliminating many of the costs of producing / storing / distributing physical inventory). Because those costs disappear, P3 explains, authors end up responsible for a bigger share of the commodity being sold and thus will want a bigger share of the revenue. In the end, (D) only addresses P1 ideas and it makes two somewhat unsupportable claims: - digital books are NOW available on computers and handhelds - consumers WILL DEMONSTRATE they prefer books printed at these machines to those options By contrast, all of (E) is supportable, so even though it leaves out the discussion of printed-book-via-machine vs. read book on screen/device, it's still the best available answer.
Skill tested: Main Point · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.
64% picked this

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