Analysis on Causes and Solutions to Publishing of

Excellent Books
Lu Liping
Publishing House
Wuhan University of Technology
Wuhan, China
[email protected]

Abstract—The writer intends to analyze the reasons for poor solve the problem of poor output of excellent books? The
output of excellent books in publishing industry from five aspects author offers a thorough analysis from the following five
- ignorance of the essence of excellent books, misunderstanding of aspects
excellent books, lack of foresight into a big market, lack of
systematic and mechanic guarantee for the publishing of
excellent books and blundering social atmosphere. Therefore the 2. IGNORANCE OF THE ESSENCE OF EXCELLENT BOOKS AND
writer holds that a publishing house should sort out the essence THEIR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
of excellent books, walk out of the mistaken idea about the
publishing of excellent books, figure out a developing strategy of As for the connotations of excellent books, there are three
their own, create excellent books with a foreseeing insight into a representative views: first, books that are both socially and
potential market, establish independent intellectual property and economically profitable are excellent books; second, books
nuclear competitiveness based on the publishing of excellent which can be everlasting and accepted by readers of several
books. On the other hand, the publishing of excellent books is not generations are excellent books; third, only books with
merely the business of publishing industry, it calls for the joint
thought-provoking ideas, substantial cultural connotation and
efforts of the authors, readers, administration and publishers; it’s
necessary to draw the attention of the whole society and create an
elaborate appearance can be called excellent books. The above
atmosphere thirsty for the publishing of excellent books. What’s three viewpoints summarize the traits and nature of excellent
more, we need to curtail expenditure in publishing industry, books from different perspectives, revealing the hidden
remove the weeds from publishing industry and provide fertile connotation of excellent books.
soil for the publishing of excellent books. In a broader sense, to After a further analysis, we can see that the first viewpoint
hammer-harden excellent works and create works handed down takes the publishing tenet and guiding principles as assessment
from generation to generation, a benign ecology and fertile soil criteria of excellent books; the second viewpoint judges
for the publishing of excellent books must be provided. excellent books from the perspective of the adherence and
accumulation of human spirit and culture; the third viewpoint
key word)- excellent books, connotation, mistaken idea, insight
into a big market, system and mechanism, fickleness judges excellent books from a professional perspective of
editors , readers and publishers. Correspondently, the three –
level criteria can also be called the three levels of connotation
1. INTRODUCTION
of excellent books. Accordingly, adherence to the publishing
The publishing of excellent books has always been the major policy of CCP should be the first priority for us in the
concern for publishing industry since 1990s.Reflections and publishing industry. Secondly, the jobholders of publishing
discussions on the issue are as follows: industry are supposed to regard the mission of cultural
Firstly, what is the essences and significance of excellent transmission and spiritual civilization as the first principle of
books’ publishing? Secondly, it’s time to strengthen editors’ publishing. Furthermore, we should be strict with ourselves
awareness of excellent books publishing and certify the with high and professional criteria in publishing, keeping the
institutional guarantee system. How to develop the strategies of work ethic for editing and publishing in mind.
excellent books’ publishing is the major concern for experts as The above mentioned three-level connotation and criteria of
well. Actually, the above mentioned researches and reflections publishing can be implied in publishing practice as guidance
offered the multi-level and multi-angle solutions to the and basic principle. However, the publishing house must make
publishing of excellent books. Theoretically, on one hand, the full use of its resources of readers, editors and publishing
there are supposed to be abundant excellent books in the book staff, focusing on its distinguished features of publishing. If the
market; on the other hand, the jobholders of the book publishing houses don’t focus on developing the target
publishing industry should have taken the basic responsibility publishing market of excellent books of high originality, the
in practice over the past years. However, the fact is that there is development strategy for publishing of excellent books’ cannot
a lack of original books in publishing market, which prompts be done. For instance, the publishing house of the university of
us to reflect further on issue of the poor output of the original science and engineering may focus on the publishing of course
excellent books. What are the genuine excellent books? How to

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books, popular science reading and so on instead of following 4. LACKING OF MACRO-MARKET VIEW, THE PUBLISHING
what the others by publishing historic-cultural dictionary. It’s HOUSES CONFINE THEMSELVES IN THE MICRO-MARKET VIEW
rather necessary for the publishing houses oriented towards CHARACTERIZED AS PURSUIT OF MONEY IN THE SHORT TERM.
social needs to be up-dated and forward with times. The There are lots of researchers involved in the discussion of the
publishing houses should not attempt to get a share of the significance of the excellent books publishing from the
publishing market of teaching materials and guidance books. perspective of market, which entails the core competitiveness
Instead, the publishing practice should attach great importance of a certain publishing house. On the other hand, the publishers
to the publishing of books which can be helpful for building up should respond correctly to the call of publishing market.
proper values and ideas and cultivating people’s sentiment. Hence, the discussion of the significance of grabbing the
Hence, the publishing house would not build the core market share for publishing house is meant to arouse the
competitiveness of publishing of excellent books. In the time of awareness of job-holders in publishing industry. They should
planned economy, the editors and publishers did a lot for realize the fact that grabbing the market share is all about the
others, fulfilling someone else dreams. The independent survival and development of a publishing house. However, the
research and development of the particular publishing products practice of publishing is similar to the daily routine life.
is not only the response to pursuit of economic profits but also Although many people realize the key importance of life and
of great importance concerning intellectual property. Actually, health, they actually sacrifice life and health for pursuit of
the excellent books published should be a sort of intellectual fortune and fame. Similarly, the publishing house seems to
property, strengthening its core competitiveness. realize the importance of excellent books publishing, but they
are prone to make a fast buck by publishing worthless books.
3. DUE TO THE MISUNDERSTANDING OF EXCELLENT BOOKS, For instance, some publishing houses have a zeal for
THE DIALECTIC RELATION WAS CUT APART THE INTER- “cooperation publishing” by charging managing fee or
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL BENEFITS AND ECONOMIC following the other publishing houses by publishing best-
BENEFIT
sellers because of economic profit without cost of investment.
In fact, a publishing house is supposed to take the full
There are kinds of misunderstanding in publishing practice of advantage of its publishing tradition and resource and develop
excellent books, which is believed to be the major cause the publishing of excellent books owning unique intellectual
leading to poor output in publishing of excellent books. There property. The publishing houses lay stress on brand-building
are mainly three misunderstanding in the following aspects: and core competitiveness, which is the macro-market view
first, they hold the idea that the books of high academic and with Strategic Vision .On the contrary, the publishing conduct
cultural value would bring about poor economic benefit and of longing for making a fast buck is short-sighted. As for the
output. Those who hold the second misunderstanding targets publishing house, the macro-market view paves the proper way
the high-quality collection of books as its priority , pouring a towards a virtuous circle. In the long run, if the publishing
lot money into design of package, printing and drumming up house holds the micro-market view, it will end up with a
business by advertisement. The other publishing houses firmly vicious circle.
regard the award-winning books or best-seller as the genuine From the perspective of macro-market view, the publishing of
excellent books. We speak highly of genuine excellent books, excellent books should be what the publishing houses
the one which represents the direction of social development assiduously seek for, which stands for our ability of
and reflects the highest level of the development of culture. professional production and professional ethics with
The promotion of the publishing of genuine excellent books are enthusiasm. The publishing cause can be ensured and thrive on
to be warmly welcomed and accepted by readers ,meeting the it.
needs for spiritual cultivation of readers . The first
misunderstanding mentioned above is one-side view which
regards the excellent books as the academic ones, cutting the 5. STRESS ON PERSONAL PURSUIT OF EDITORS, LACK IN
dialectical relationship between social benefits and economic SYSTEMATIC AND MECHANIC GUARANTEE FOR PUBLISHING
benefits. Furthermore, it underestimated the taste and OF COMPETITIVE BOOKS
appreciation of the readers. The above mentioned A good editor is to a publishing house what famous scholars is
misunderstanding simply see the excellent books as exquisite to a university, good editors is the soul and intelligence support
books, ignoring the hidden connotation of excellent books. We of a publishing house, the mission to produce competitive
would not succeed in developing genuine excellent books if we books must be shouldered by them. However, if a publishing
only scratch the surface of the publishing issue. house lacks the necessary excitation mechanism, editors won’t
It cannot be denied that lots of award-winning books and best- invest time and energy into the making of competitive books,
seller are excellent books. However, it is definitely wrong to then it goes without saying that there won’t be a sustainable
equate the former as the latter. We should make it clear that the development in the publishing of competitive books, let alone
promotion of excellent books publishing is to transmit cultural establish the brand image.
and spiritual civilization, meeting their increasing needs for In practice, some publishers do not have an explicit subject
spiritual cultivation instead of maximizing economic profits. design, whenever the subject seems to be profitable, they will
choose this subject. Therefore, editors tend to choose those

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subjects which can maximize the economic profit and never academia to have more papers published in a shorter time.
take into consideration whether they are really excellent books. Consequently, academic corruption goes from bad to worse
Under such a situation, we call on the editors to withdraw the and plagiarism is seen everywhere. Under such an academic
temptations, dedicate themselves to promoting the cultural and atmosphere, scholars can hardly put their heart on academic
ideological progress and pursue competitive products and research and writing, instead, professors are busy applying for
premium level of ethics, our expectation is positive and research projects and subjects, commissioning their
inspiring but it is far from an effective stimulus for them. postgraduate students to complete them. It is a casting couch in
The publishing of competitive books calls for a excitation universities that many postgraduates download papers online
mechanic, a system that guarantees a consensus of opinion in and scrape together several papers to create a paper for their
publishing industry, which means that a publishing plan must tutors. Under such circumstances it’s understandable that
be made and carried out effectively. To be specific, the papers of poor quality are seen everywhere and many
evaluation index of an editor must be based on his organizing publishing resources are wasted. We are confident the
ability in producing competitive books, the time and energy an phenomenon will disappear gradually, while it’s undeniable
editor invests in his work, instead of the ability to maximize that such practices have a negative impact on the academia as
economic profit. A competent editor should enjoy priority in well as the publishing and cultivation of excellent books.
the distribution of profit, promotion and an increase in his The publishing administrations of all levels are faced with the
income. A publishing house should establish a working same problem: is the publishing of competitive books their
mechanic centering on the publishing of competitive books, the duty or just a face project of the leaders and grand occasions?
appointment of senior editors and chief editors should follow As is known to all, we have many commemorative activities,
the engagement system applied to the appointment of chief important events every year, so the publishing houses must
professors and academic leaders so as to ensure the making of carry out some “significant” publishing missions assigned by
competitive books and set up an editing mechanic and a the superior departments. And the superior departments always
talented workforce of editors. It’s also important to set up a require that they produce excellent works, the so-called
team under the leadership of senior editors and chief editors, so excellent works mean massive volume, large paper edition,
that they can make full use of the human force and property, hard bound, finest paper and so on. Usually the publishing
establish a fair and effective administration mode in research, houses will invest considerable human source and finance to
design, organization, edition, typeset, printing and marketing. make those “significant” excellent works which are not really
Only when there’s a mechanic and systematic guarantee will excellent books living up to people’s spiritual and cultural
the editors volunteer to pursue the making of competitive needs.
books and publishing houses become a base for cultural and
ideological progress.
7. CONCLUSION
This article holds that a publishing house should realize the
6. COMPETITIVE PRODUCTS CANNOT BE YIELDED IN FICKLE essence of excellent books, walk out of the mistaken idea about
SOCIAL ATMOSPHERE the publishing of excellent books, figure out a developing
Today we call book-readers consumers of books, publishing strategy of their own and create excellent books with a
industry publishing merchants, which reflects that books in our foreseeing insight into a potential market, establishing
time have become consumption, the publishing of books have independent intellectual property and core competitiveness
become a commercial act, therefore, publishing houses always based on the publishing of excellent books. Meanwhile, it must
try to figure out reading fashion among current fashion to meet perfect systems and mechanic to ensure the sustainable
the needs of the readers, which is also the “selling point” publishing of excellent books. On the other hand, the
publishers have been in pursuit of. A good case in point is the publishing of excellent books is not merely the business of
picture books which are widely prevailing in recent years, even publishing industry, it calls for the joint efforts of the authors,
some masterpieces and classics have been adapted into picture readers, administration and publishers; it’s necessary to draw
books. Positively speaking, people can have access to more and the attention of the whole society and create an atmosphere
more masterpieces and classics in an easy and enjoyable way. thirsty for the publishing of excellent books. What’s more, we
However, it is undeniable that it is disadvantageous to cultivate need to curtail expenditure in publishing industry, remove the
serious reading habit and bring into vogue reading of weeds from publishing industry and provide fertile soil for the
masterpieces and classics. On one hand, it urges the publishing publishing of excellent books. In a broader sense, to hammer-
houses to be eager for quick success and instant benefit in the harden excellent works and create works handed down from
making of “competitive books”; on the other hand, it fosters generation to generation, to produce more spiritual food calls
the ethos of being eager for quick success and instant benefit for the support of our country’s policy about cultural
and makes the readers read masterpieces and classics development. We must have a common sense that excellent
blunderingly, reading masterpieces and classics becomes a way books represent the cultural pursuit and value orientation of a
to polish self-image rather than a spiritual demand. society, an era, a nation. Only in this way can excellent books
In recent years, the academic evaluation system has reduced to spring up like mushrooms and become our common spiritual
a quantitative assessment. It is the universal pursuit of the wealth.

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